Zi'on Darkbane's page

Just came across these and I think they are FANTASTIC! I have played or run over 50 scenarios over the past few years but sadly, I think faction missions have been accomplished in less than 15% of that total. These cards actually allow you to make some sort of progress in many more games and offer nice rewards for being a diligent player. It does a great job of tying your PC to his faction in more than just a nominal way. And thank you for rewarding the GMs as well!

Paizo, you rock...

Core vs. Normal... got it.

Did I mention only 1 star...? Doh!

OK, I tried to cancel the previous session since I inadvertently selected PFC instead of RPG when I created the event. It shows as "cancelled" on my list of sessions, but is still listed. How do I just make it go away?

pax...

Trying to report the scenario but getting the following error:

"One or more characters cannot play this scenario due to being the wrong character/scenario type."

What gives???

Thanks Preston...

pax...

Another question on the chronicle sheet - I assume if you play tier 4-5 that the tier 1-2 "items found" are also available, right? If so, this isn't affected by out of tier play, other than the amount of gold awarded, correct?

pax..

Thanks PR!

I enjoy handing tangibles out at the table. I almost always play with minis. I usually have lots of full color pictures and to-scale maps printed out (seriously thinking about a small projector for the maps). If I have a letter, I like to print it in full color on heavy card stock or even on vellum. I might even burn the edges a bit (maybe even a little red ink/blood splatter). Amulets, tokens etc... that can be held in the hand and traded around give the players focus (and then you know who actually has the item in their backpack when the need arises!).

Just a few ways that I try to make the scenarios more real outside the minds of the players.

pax...

Thanks for the feedback Chris!

***noobie GM alert***

And I got my first "star!!"

***noobie GM alert***

pax...

One other item, since my players were level 3 and they played up (4-5) they got the out of tier gold (average between tiers). As a GM playing for character credit, do also get out of tier gold for my own character? Don't want to appear greedy on this or mean to nitpick but should that gold and experience have to be applied to a 3rd level character or can I use it for my 4th or 5th level character for the appropriate 4th/5th level gold?

How do you report a pregen played by a GM to get the legal table size? Pregens don't have player/character numbers. Even if the GM is using the session for GM credit, do you just use the GM number and allow the system to catch the mismatch and not give you the credit twice? Leaving the pregen off entirely would make it seem that you ran the session with 3 players which doesn't seem right and may not even work.

Hey all. I am looking to run CoE as a PFS module. From what I have read on the forums, running the module as a non-PFS standalone adventure puts players at somewhere between 2nd and 3rd level by it's end so 1st level adventures will level up once, if not twice. PFS modules grant 3XP which would just put a party of 1st level players at 2nd level once the module is complete. How is a 1st level party supposed to finish the module without the aid of leveling up mid-module which is what the adventure seems to be designed for? Having read the module, I can see some serious issues if the party remains level 1 for the entire adventure.

I hope I am not covering old ground here. I did search the forums for an answer to this since it seems this would have already been addressed, but I came up empty.

Thanks in advance...

Archimedean Lever

What I thought was odd about this item was that it mimics and functions as a non-magical lever normally does.

A normal 10ft lever with say the fulcrum at 1 ft beyond the lift point increases the uplift force by multiplying the exerted force times the lever arm, in this case 9 ft. A 900 pound item could be lifted by applying a 100 pound force at the opposite end. Much larger loads can be lifted as you apply more force on the lever with the main limit being the breaking point of the lever itself.

I know this is a fantasy setting and items are not necessarily supposed to correlate to the physical world (my own item suffered because of this as well, but in the opposite manner), but the reality is that you don't really need a magic item to do what is being suggested.

If this item was only 18 inches long and it had some sort of planar anchor point so that it became a universal pry bar I could see this being really useful and truly wondrous since it couldn't possibly exist in the natural world.

I saw this on many personal favorite lists so it seems that many players would love to have this in their inventory, but I think it needs to leave the normal physical references behind so that it truly becomes an item that "wows."

Nickolas Floyd wrote:

I'm jumping ahead on this one because I already critiqued it. Someone PMed me the whole text in their list of favorites, so you made that person's favorite list. I was not as big of a fan.

I'm the person in question who put it on their keep list. I'll admit that it isn't the pinnacle of game design, but it has something going for it. A lot of people here would call it mojo, but I wouldn't necessarily peg it as that. I think what struck me about this item was a lesser version of what struck me about the sewing form of the steel seamstress and the phylactery of a thousand races: the designer on this item saw a vacant spot in the game and decided to fill it. Most items here did this. However, the designer on this item...I don't know, it's an intangible thing. I feel like the designer on this item looked at this vacancy and went, "I'm going to fill that" and then went and did it, instead of prancing about with what ifs and why don't I's. I felt like, when I read this item, that this designer was fearless and was willing to challenge the scope of what "is" and what "isn't" the game.

I guess what I'm saying is that the willingness to delve into what others might call "too steampunky" or "too sci-fi" says to me that this designer is perfectly willing to think outside of the box. That is a thing that shows promise; mechanical design can be taught, formatting and templating can be trained, but invention? That's something you either have or you don't.

James, thank you for the very kind words. I hope to hang on the the inventiveness factor while building up the mechanics and game play aspects of design.

Lots to learn yet...

Zi'on Darkbane wrote:

Coil of Ionic Inversion

I'm jumping ahead on this one because I already critiqued it. Someone PMed me the whole text in their list of favorites, so you made that person's favorite list. I was not as big of a fan.

Nick, thanks for your honest review. It is very much appreciated...

Zi'on Darkbane wrote:

Coil of Ionic Inversion

Sometimes, a new designer has to get really tough feedback. Trust that when you get feedback, it's because someone see something in you they think can be refined until you're doing decent design work.

Thank you for your unflinching honesty!

It's a fantasy game, not a science fiction. Most players don't want ions to even exist.

Yup. Not Star Wars....

Second little rules that you should not have included: your coil can't be used by someone with gloves, gauntlets, or full plate. If I put them on a dancing weapon they don't function.

That was intentional, giving up the hand slot so that the coil would have to be traded for gloves or gauntlets was supposed to check some of its power (no pun intended - really). Also, the hand to coil to weapon contact was supposed to emphasize the idea of a full electrical circuit.

Be aware of how players will twink out your item. At some point, 18,500 gp is NOTHING compared to the damage output the coil gives.

Yup...

Any sentence that starts "three times per day, once fully charge, the next successful.,," risks losing its audience. Simplify this...

Yup... I tried too hard to explain which should have been a clue that I was over thinking the mechanics.

Plus that's confusing: I'm dealing my Con mod in extra damage, which is stored up to my Con SCORE, and then I force a FOrt save on a creature while dealing extra Con MOD damage, and then...does the item reset to my base Con damage to build up again?

The confusion this item engenders was meant to reduce it's utility so that it wouldn't be so overpowered and overused. HA! How's that for an epic rationalization verging on delusion?

Increasing my Con MOD by one is also overpowered and dangerous.

And just plain dumb... Yup...

Excellent commentary Steve.
Thank you for your time and careful consideration...

Basing an item's power on an ability score of the wielder is problematic. What happens if the 18 Con barbarian charges it up and hands it to the 12 Con rogue? Also, the bit about raising the wielder's Constitution modifier is problematic. Does it affect hp? Does it increase the maximum capacity of the coil?

I was thinking of a CON vs. CON item (wielder vs. victim) since it really comes down to the modifiers for the save vs. the heart attack.

Point taken regarding the barbarian trading with the rogue. I think the reading would mean that the capacity is equal to the wielder's CON. Not sure what happens to any excess energy.

Maybe a nasty carpet static shock to the nearest party member?

Yes, the +1 CON mod would effect HP and the maximum capacity of the coil, but only by 1 point which is why I did not have the coil actually increase the base CON score. I wanted it to be a very slight increase.

Like the 90s dance hit "I GOT THE POWER..."

Thanks you for your comments. Makes me realize that no matter how much things make sense to me, a successful designer makes sure that it makes sense to others...

MrCab wrote:

Full disclosure - I think from a rules perspective I end up being very much by the book, perhaps too much. That said...

I think this item ended up suffering from the the penalties. More than one penalty, paralyzing for many rounds in exchange for 14-18 damage doesn’t seem like an appetizing trade. I think it's a little unclear on how the item gets charge. As part of an attack I'm guessing. I'm not sure how much I like referring to ionic energy, cardiac arrest, and other things listed here.

That all said, I think This is at least a good core of an item. Something that builds up energy as you attack and eventually unleashes the energy in one big hit. Just don't penalize the wearer as much, allow them to finish that full attack they're making, and you have a nifty item I would like to have.

Perhaps I was unclear (which could have been it's true downfall), but the wielder gets no penalties. All the effects are on the attacked living creature.

And thank you for taking the time to provide your critique, MrCab!

Full disclosure - I think from a rules perspective I end up being very much by the book, perhaps too much. That said...

I think this item ended up suffering from the the penalties. More than one penalty, paralyzing for many rounds in exchange for 14-18 damage doesn’t seem like an appetizing trade. I think it's a little unclear on how the item gets charge. As part of an attack I'm guessing. I'm not sure how much I like referring to ionic energy, cardiac arrest, and other things listed here.

That all said, I think This is at least a good core of an item. Something that builds up energy as you attack and eventually unleashes the energy in one big hit. Just don't penalize the wearer as much, allow them to finish that full attack they're making, and you have a nifty item I would like to have.

Perhaps I was unclear (which could have been it's true downfall), but the wielder gets no penalties. All the effects are on the attacked living creature.

Below is my first-ever wondrous item and first-ever submission (just a fact, not trying to make excuses here). It's 287 words and I think I already know several of its significant shortcomings, but would be very happy to have your thoughts on this item.

Coil of Ionic Inversion
Aura moderate necromancy; CL 9th
Slot none; Price 18,500 gp; Weight -

Description
The coil is a thin, serpentine ribbon of woven copper wire studded with dozens of tiny meteoric lodestones. Wrapped around the hilt or handle of a metallic weapon, it crackles with pale green, spark - like emanations. When this weapon damages a living creature, the coil inverts and disrupts the electrical ionic flow within its body, often with dire consequences.

The coil functions as a reservoir and conduit for ionic energy only when in contact with the wielder’s bare skin. In addition to normal weapon damage, the coil saps ionic energy equal to the wielder’s Constitution modifier, adding to total damage. The coil absorbs and stores this sapped energy, up to the wielder’s Constitution score.

Three times per day, once fully charged, the next successful attack discharges the coil’s reservoir through the weapon as an ionic surge added to normal weapon damage. This surge also risks overwhelming the living creature’s brain or nervous system synapses (or equivalent), requiring a Fortitude save (DC 14 + the wielder’s Constitution modifier) or paralyzing it for 1d4+1 rounds. Failure by 14 or more signifies the creature instead suffers sudden cardiac arrest (or equivalent effect if no circulatory system is present). It is staggered for one round before falling prone and dazed for 2d4 rounds, taking ionic damage each round equal to the coil’s reservoir capacity.

Electricity - based living creatures are exceptionally susceptible to the inversion of their natural ionic energy flow and all coil damage, effects and durations are doubled.

When held, the coil’s latent energy increases the wielder’s Constitution modifier by 1.

Construction
Requirements Craft Wondrous Item, shocking grasp, slay living; Cost 9,250 gp

And dude, to tackle such a task, you're a bit of a freak too...

And we are all very grateful for that freak streak...

:-]

Huge shout out to Garrett and his crew for compiling this into a searchable Google Doc.

Dude, you rock!

Thanks again Eric!

Outstanding effort and very well done...

Many, many congratulations to the Top 32 & alternates!

Hope the next 3 days are inspired and productive for you...

Is the power cord plugged in???

I'm late, I'm late!

The monster round started 13 minutes ago!

AAAAAAAAUUUUUUUUUUUUUUGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHH!

Zi'on Darkbane wrote:

Database snag is NSA-Speak for "We lost all the submissions and everyone will have to resubmit a new wondrous item."

I'm submitting a Tin Hat Against Mind Control

Oh no! You just disqualified yourself for the resubmission!

***whispers***

That was just a ruse. I'm submitting my other Tin Hat Against Mind Control!

I've got 2!

Shhhhhh! Don't tell anyone...

Database snag is NSA-Speak for "We lost all the submissions and everyone will have to resubmit a new wondrous item."

I'm submitting a Tin Hat Against Mind Control

ACK!

Another "Power Outage!" I knew it!

Everybody get your tin hats on - preferably 2!

Another "Power Outage!" I knew it!

Everybody get your tin hats on - preferably 2!

OK EVERYBODY JUST LOG OFF THE BOARDS NOW SO YOU DON'T SLOW MY COMPUTER DOWN AT 5PM.

Thanks for your consideration and support...

OK EVERYBODY JUST LOG OFF THE BOARDS NOW SO YOU DON'T SLOW MY COMPUTER DOWN AT 5PM.

Thanks for your consideration and support...

OK EVERYBODY JUST LOG OFF THE BOARDS NOW SO YOU DON'T SLOW MY COMPUTER DOWN AT 5PM.

Thanks for your consideration and support...

My stomach feels all queasy...

OK, that was just the pizza delivery guy... no worries...

I'm really convinced of the efficacy of my two tin hats...

Jacob Trier wrote:

Zi'on Darkbane wrote:

Sean K Reynolds wrote:

I won't have time to do that this year. :/

Sean, I know you're busy and all with Pathfinder stuff (I mean how much time can that really take anyway?), but do you think you could find the time to point out Anthony Adam to me at the next Paizocon?

I'm not sure what he looks like and I have something that I... promised... him.

Actually two things and I'd hate to miss the opportunity to present him with those items...

You'll have better luck at PaizoCon UK. Anthony is British - and from what I gather looks a bit like Santa Claus.

Zi'on! You're not going to give Father Christmas a wedgie, are you?!?!

You better believe it!

And a noogie...

Zi'on Darkbane wrote:

Sean K Reynolds wrote:

I won't have time to do that this year. :/

Sean, I know you're busy and all with Pathfinder stuff (I mean how much time can that really take anyway?), but do you think you could find the time to point out Anthony Adam to me at the next Paizocon?

I'm not sure what he looks like and I have something that I... promised... him.

Actually two things and I'd hate to miss the opportunity to present him with those items...

You'll have better luck at PaizoCon UK. Anthony is British - and from what I gather looks a bit like Santa Claus.

British you say? I should have known...

I wonder what "wedgie" and "noogie" translate to over there?

Hope it's not too incendiary...

Sadly the weather here decided to be nasty... That means instead of home & comfy, I'll probably be fighting blizzard conditions and the lowest common denominator of driver at 5pm.

Same weather here. My advice is to camp out at work till 5 for The Reveal. Your commute will be two or three times what it usually will be in any case and at least you won't fume with anticipation in the middle of a blizzard wondering if you made it or not. And if you make it to the Top 32 you will be the only one who actually will enjoy the long commute home as you ruminate on your monster submission...

I won't have time to do that this year. :/

Sean, I know you're busy and all with Pathfinder stuff (I mean how much time can that really take anyway?), but do you think you could find the time to point out Anthony Adam to me at the next Paizocon?

I'm not sure what he looks like and I have something that I... promised... him.

Actually two things and I'd hate to miss the opportunity to present him with those items...

Zi'on Darkbane wrote:

Anthony Adam wrote:

1 hour 40 minutes, or if you like 100 minutes and by the time I press send, it will be 99 minutes - just two digits left!

I'm such a tease.

I'm gonna give you such a wedgie if we ever meet...!

92 minutes ;D

And a noogie...

1 hour 40 minutes, or if you like 100 minutes and by the time I press send, it will be 99 minutes - just two digits left!

I'm such a tease.

I'm gonna give you such a wedgie if we ever meet...!

OK guys, I'm in the clear - in a bunker at an undisclosed location.

There is a terrible snowstorm outside that I think has confused the cave raptors and thrown them off the trail!

HA! Take that Paizo minions! Your masters can't control the weather! At least not yet...

Which gets me to thinking... what if the freaks at Paizo use this snowstorm as an excuse for another "power failure?" What if they time it for exactly 4:59pm EST??!!

Now I'm really worried...

Gotta go... I hear some scratching outside the 3" thick steel door...

Remember... TRUST NO ONE...

(...and wear your tin hat!)

Sanity is a shifting and relative scale based on the perception of normal.

My goal is never to be accused of having normal as the most defining characteristic of my personality...

Zi'on Darkbane wrote:

Nerd cred...

This is something you work on??

You mean you don't?

I try to a limited degree, but ultimately it's a nature vs. nurture thing...

The natural nerds far-outperform those of us who just try their best...

I'm one of those hybrid cool nerds - can't quite get past the point of no return...

And I'm good with that :-]

It would be cool to be the first person to ever get in three years in a row. (My nerd cred would skyrocket!)

Nerd cred...

This is something you work on??

Approx 28.5 hours to go :P

That is if all goes well...

Trust no one...

And wear your hat...

hey folks........ its me Ziion......

im back safe and sound in my house.........

it turns out those two guys in the gremlin car were really cool and i was just loopy nuts to think that Paizo sent them............

i was just being kooky and paranooid........ they were really great guys and pretty cool too....

they dressed real nice and had a great personality.... both of them i mean............ and really snazzy dressers too........ and pretty cool......... they probably werent too cool in high schooll but you should see them now.......... waaaaay coooooool......

any way, everything is cool here and theres no reason to think anything weird happened at Paizo.....

nope..... nothing weird at all...... couldnt be a more normal company.... and the people there...... wow man they are just great........ in a very normal business kind of way.............

i think we shouldjust stop with this silly thread and just get around to putting those monsters together dont you think??.......

and not post on this baord any more......... at least about the nonevent that happened this weekend............ everything works now doesnt it.....?......

lets just get back to the way things used to be before i ever brought this up.............

oh and ill be going away for a while so dont worry if you dont hear from me for a while........ nothing wrong or anything......... just a bit tired of the boards.......... thats allll...........

most of all im so happy things turned out not to be a big deal at all

:-) this is me being happy

oh an one mor thing..... that rumor about the cabe raptors....... totally untrue...... its just crazy talk and you shouldnt listen too crazy talk like that....

:-) this is me being happy again

Here's an update:

I am in hiding...

The Kanye West and Miley Cyrus singles didn't work - I think they had a minor globe of geekiness up as a counter spell.

I was forced to send out the hot chick neighbor which did the trick. I could see the two guys (wearing black Journey T-Shirts, I think) visibly shaking as she got closer to the car. Man you should have seen the burning rubber as they set off down the street. HA! Take that Paizo minions!

I think the worst is over now, but I think my account may have been hacked...

I did not write the above post. I know how to spell and never use standard emoticons like :-)

And I know an ellipsis only has 3 dots...

Something is afoot...

Take Scott's advice regarding the tin hat - it works wonders! I'm getting another one just in case...

I will try to post from a secure location as much as I can before tomorrow's Top 32 announcement...

Trust no one...

*flick* *red light* Look right here and all will become clear.

*flashy thing flashes*
There was no blackout, Service is totally normal and as expected.

You are so happy that you have no doubts about making Top 32. That is all. Thank you.

:-) this is me being happy again

really it is...... just me here being happy again........

hey folks........ its me Ziion......

im back safe and sound in my house.........

it turns out those two guys in the gremlin car were really cool and i was just loopy nuts to think that Paizo sent them............

i was just being kooky and paranooid........ they were really great guys and pretty cool too....

they dressed real nice and had a great personality.... both of them i mean............ and really snazzy dressers too........ and pretty cool......... they probably werent too cool in high schooll but you should see them now.......... waaaaay coooooool......

any way, everything is cool here and theres no reason to think anything weird happened at Paizo.....

nope..... nothing weird at all...... couldnt be a more normal company.... and the people there...... wow man they are just great........ in a very normal business kind of way.............

i think we shouldjust stop with this silly thread and just get around to putting those monsters together dont you think??.......

and not post on this baord any more......... at least about the nonevent that happened this weekend............ everything works now doesnt it.....?......

lets just get back to the way things used to be before i ever brought this up.............

oh and ill be going away for a while so dont worry if you dont hear from me for a while........ nothing wrong or anything......... just a bit tired of the boards.......... thats allll...........

most of all im so happy things turned out not to be a big deal at all

:-) this is me being happy

oh an one mor thing..... that rumor about the cabe raptors....... totally untrue...... its just crazy talk and you shouldnt listen too crazy talk like that....

:-) this is me being happy again

Also, make sure you wear your tin foil hat to keep out the mind control ray. The aliens man, the aliens!

Passes out hat to the needy

Do you really think the hat will help?

I thought those things were for the weird paranoid guys on the internet boards who didn't have a life...

Better safe than sorry though...

**takes tin hat and places it on head**

Wow, I feel better already! Kinda pointy though...

Going to check on the guys in Gremlin...

OK... things are definitely kinda freakin' me out now...

There's been a lime green Ford Gremlin with tinted windows parked down the street all afternoon and I'm starting to worry...

I can't make anything out except for what looks like a bunch of Mountain Dew bottles strewn across the dashboard and it's license plate - it reads "CE-RULZ."

I think it's the Paizo hit squad that I've feared would eventually arrive.

I'm going to bunker down and start playing some Kanye West and Miley Cyrus singles from the front porch as in the spell geek ward of protection in an attempt to scare them off.

If that doesn't work, I'll have to pull out the big guns - I'll call the really hot chick next door and ask her to walk out and talk to the 2 guys in the Gremlin as in the spell geek banishment.

If that doesn't work, I'm doomed...

{Whirrrr, Kerplop, Ding}

Just as I suspected...