blargney the second's page

Hi there! I'm about to start DMing RotRL for a new group, and I'm super stoked.

All four of the PCs are friends who live in Magnimar - they have a book group together lol. I'd like to start the campaign with an encounter or two in Magnimar before they head to Sandpoint for the actual start of this chapter. Ideally, this prologue would plant some seeds that would really bring things home in chapter two.

Only problem is I can't for the life of me figure out what those encounters should be. no biggie

Any suggestions to help get the ball rolling?
-blarg

We ended our game on Monday night just after an encounter with a nasty spellcasting clay golem. A couple of PCs had taken hefty damage from its slam attacks, and we were trying to figure out how to resolve healing their wounds. Clay golems in Pathfinder have an ability called Cursed Wounds (Ex): The damage a clay golem deals doesn't heal naturally and resists magical healing. A character attempting to use magical healing on a creature damaged by a clay golem must succeed on a DC 26 caster level check, or the healing has no effect on the injured creature. This is changed from 3.5, where it used to specify 'conjuration (healing)' instead of magical healing.

The first problem that we have is that 'magical healing' is not actually a keyword that designates something specific in rule terms. This interacts ambiguously with better defined areas of the ruleset, which I'll get to in a moment. The second problem is identifying what damage effects this ability applies to, and the third problem is determining when the cursed wound power ends.

Low-hanging fruit: Spells and spell-like abilities have to make the caster level check. That's fairly apparent, I think. We're also not worried about extraordinary healing.

Questions:
1) Does supernatural (Su) healing (such as lay on hands or channel energy) automatically work, auto-fail, or does it have to make a caster level check (using what modifier)?
The DC 26 caster level check sounds suspiciously like SR, which Su abilities bypass (makes me think auto-success). On the other hand, Su abilities don't have a caster level in PF unless the given effect specifies one (LoH and CE do not specify one). This is a change from 3.5, where the CL was defined for Su abilities. If Su abilities don't have a caster level, that sounds like auto-fail territory. I guess a related (possibly underlying) question would be: Does Su healing count as magical healing?

2) If afflicted PCs now take damage from anything else (not clay golems) before the curse goes away, does the preexisting cursed wounds effect apply to the new damage?
It can be interpreted to apply only to the damage the golem dealt itself, but it's vague enough to be interpreted as applying to any other damage the character receives.

3) If a spellcasting golem damages us with a spell, would that damage be a cursed wound? What if they do ability damage?

4) Is it possible to remove the cursed wound effect once it's in place?
It doesn't say anything about going away once the wounds are healed. Remove curse requires the curse to have a save DC, and there isn't one. Break enchantment requires the curse to have a caster level, and there isn't one. I don't know of any other spell that could get rid of the curse.

Thanks for the help resolving this! :)
-blarg

I'm currently expanding my kingdom events table, and I want to add a category of leadership events based on each of the roles. Feel free to contribute if you'd like!

Good Events:
Councilor:
General: Border skirmish. While out on training maneuvers, one of your armies encounters a sizable unit of gnoll marauders intent on fighting. If you win, there's a hefty amount of gold and valuables in their supplies. (Gain 1d3+1 BP if victorious.)
Grand Diplomat:
High Priest:
Magister: That research you commissioned has paid off. An apprentice delivers a scroll to you with a spell that comes from a closed sourcebook. (DM's choice, but reasonable requests are cool.)
Marshal:
Royal Assassin:
Ruler:
Ruler's Spouse:
Spymaster:
Treasurer: Whoops! You forgot to carry the one last month. There's an extra build point in the treasury. (Gain 1 BP.)
Warden:

Minor Events:
Councilor:
General:
Grand Diplomat:
High Priest:
Magister:
Marshal:
Royal Assassin:
Ruler:
Ruler's Spouse: The accidental death of a popular palace worker has lowered morale. If you don't plan a function to raise spirits soon, you fear the ruler might be distracted by the morose servants.
Spymaster: While returning from a mission abroad, one of your spies overhears one of the other leaders being adulterous.
Treasurer: Something's hinky. On a hunch, you audit the books and find that someone is skimming off the top. It's not much right now, but the amount seems to grow each month and will be significant soon.
Warden:

Bad Events:
Councilor:
General:
Grand Diplomat:
High Priest: They're at it again. The Gorumites are restless and keep picking fights with the other faiths. Make a Stability check to get them under control. This continuous event will happen each month until you beat the Control DC by 5 or more. On a failure, gain 1 Unrest.
Magister: Boom, ook ook! You asked a mage to conduct an experiment for you, and it went really badly. The explosion has done 2 BP worth of damage to an appropriate building. Even worse, the flying monkeys escaped and have done 1d4 BP of damage to nearby food-bearing businesses.
Marshal:
Royal Assassin: Your Brute Squad has gone rogue. This small army of thugs is claiming a remote hex of the kingdom for themselves. Gain no benefit for the hex and -2 Stability until you reclaim the region.
Ruler:
Ruler's Spouse:
Spymaster:
Treasurer:
Warden:

Welcome to The Price is Right!

I'm contemplating putting a variant magic item in a treasure hoard, but I'm not sure how much it is worth. I'm soliciting your opinions, please! The item is a ring of wizardry 1 that imposes a -2 penalty on caster level.

Come on down! You're the next contestant on The Price is Right.
-blarg

In tonight's session, we ran through the first two months of kingdom building. It was glorious. :) :)
-blarg

My players are right outside the Stag Lord's Fort, and book one is about to come to a close. I've built a full 3D fort, painted the big boss as well as one player's mini, and prepped everything I need. There are many many pieces about to come to simultaneous fruition. Now I'm just excited!

Just sixteen hours until we start. I can't go to sleep, I'm excited like a kid on Christmas Eve. :D
-blarg

I thought you folks might be interested in the prop I've made for my next session of Kingmaker - the assault on the Stag Lord's Fort. Since it doesn't seem like it's possible to post images on these forums, I've posted them on ENWorld.

If that site goes down, I've put the images on my own site as well:
Full Fort
Stag Lord close-up

One of my players is playing a diviner. The party was ambushed while resting at night by some wolves who succeeded on their Stealth checks. The diviner was asleep when the attack began. The player insisted that his Forewarned special ability would wake him up so he could take an action during the surprise round.

Here's the relevant text:
Forewarned (Su) You can always act in the surprise round even if you fail to make a Perception roll to notice a foe, but you are still considered flat-footed until you take an action.

It's clear that if he's awake, he gets to act in the surprise round. That's nice and easy (and really powerful!). However, I don't think that it wakes him up from sleep during an ambush. Here's my reasoning: if he was stunned or dazed when a surprise round started, he wouldn't be able to act because those status conditions preclude him taking any actions. While asleep, he has the unconscious condition, which prevents taking actions.

So my spot ruling was that forewarning gives him a turn in the surprise round, but unconsciousness prevents him from taking any actions until he succeeds at a perception check to hear the fight.

Did I rule that reasonably, or should forewarning cure unconsciousness?
-blarg

I'd like to take classic fairy tales, but have them end in connections to the mythos creatures mentioned in Candlemere.

The only thing I can come up with is Little Red Riding Hood that ends with a gug in grandma's house. I could use some more and better ideas, if you've got any!
-blarg

My first level PCs got super unlucky with the random encounter rolls. While exploring a single hex, they got two random encounters: a shambling mound and a tatzlwyrm. The druid with the Plant domain managed to convince the mound to leave them alone by offering to leave all of their horses behind for it, then coming back with more food.

While camping later that same night, the same druid was ambushed by the tatzlwyrm. It would have made off with her, but the barbarian luckily took the creature down before it escaped.

I have always hated grappling in 3.X, and I'm about to start a Kingmaker campaign. I wish to make grappling as complex as bull rush or overrun. I'd love to have some feedback on my first draft:

Step 1 - Make a touch attack to grab. Provokes an AoO from your target.
Step 2 - Make a grapple check to secure the grappling, with a penalty equal to any AoO damage.
Step 3 - Both you and your target acquire the grappled condition.

The following extra options become available to a grappler during their turn. They require a standard action and a grapple check to execute.

1) Force your target to move with you, up to half your speed.
2) Escape (can also use escape artist check). This automatically succeeds as a free action instead if both grapplers are willing to end the grapple.

I think I'll include this classic poem early in the runs as an in game bardic oeuvre: http://www.jabberwocky.com/carroll/jabber/jabberwocky.html

At the moment I'm thinking of having it recited either as a campfire horror story or at the party in Restov where they'll negotiate with venture capitalists for their starting BPs.

The limitations of spreadsheets are seriously starting to annoy me. So now I'm working on a database application for kingdom building.

Before I get too far in, does anybody know of any similar efforts? I hate duplicating work that's already been done.
-blarg

I've read horror stories here about the kingdom building rules being broken wide open once the PCs start selling magic items from shops during the income phase. Most folks suggest eliminating the option of selling store items for Build Points, but I'd kind of like to leave it in, albeit weakened. Here's my proposed fix - it incorporates a few ideas I've seen kicking around the internet.

1) Change the taxation edict:
No taxes give +0 Economy, +1 Loyalty
Light taxes give +1 Economy, -1 Loyalty
Normal taxes give +2 Economy, -2 Loyalty, and 3% sales tax.
Heavy taxes give +1 Economy, -4 Loyalty, +1 Unrest/month, and 6% sales tax.
Overwhelming taxes give -1 Stability, -1 Economy, -6 Loyalty, +2 Unrest/month, and 10% sales tax.

2) Change the income phase:
Step 1 - Sell Valuable Items: If your Taxation Level edict is high enough, you can attempt to sell magic items currently held by your cities through your city’s markets to bolster your kingdom’s Treasury. You can make one Economy check (DC is 10 + the gp value of the item divided by 1,000) per city district during each Income phase. A failed check indicates the item doesn't sell. Success indicates that the item sells and you can collect the magic item sales tax on it. Multiply the item's market value by the sales tax percentage indicated by your Taxation Level edict. Increase your kingdom’s treasury by 1 BP for every full 4,000 gp in value of the total collected taxes. If you are going to make deposits of your own wealth in Step 2, you may carry the gp value generated in this step forward before calculating BP generated.

Step 1 - Deposits: You can add funds to a kingdom’s treasury by donating coins, gems, jewelry, weapons, armor, magic items, and other valuables you find while adventuring. For every full 4,000 gp in value of the deposit, increase your kingdom’s BP by 1. Items that individually cost 4,000 gp or less can be deposited without a check.

Items that individually cost more than 4,000 gp must make a successful Economy check to be deposited. You can attempt to make one such check per item over 4,000 gp per turn. The DC of this check is 10 + the gp value of the item divided by 1,000. For example, selling a pair of goggles of night – which have a market price of 12,000 gp – would require a DC 22 Economy check [10 + (12,000/1,000) = 22]. Successfully selling the goggles of night would increase your kingdom’s BP by 3.

I'm reworking the rules for building kingdoms and armies in Kingmaker right now. My players seem pretty stoked about using mass combat, so I want to make sure I'm providing a fairly robust system. I've been reading as much as I can in these messageboards to learn from your compiled wisdom and experience. As a result, I've picked up Warpath and I'm planning on using it as the engine for our battles.

One of the things I want to change is the ability to field armies of almost arbitrary size and (more importantly) level. I did some research into the demographics of historical and modern populations and armies. I also took the demographics info from the 3.5 DMG into account, as well as Kingmaker's kingdom info. The end result is a chart that tells you how many soldiers you can hire based on the number of hexes you have claimed. This is further broken down by class and level.

Here's the chart of maximum recruitable soldiers.

Next step, recruitment! I came up with a set of fairly simply formulas to determine how much it costs to recruit and equip an army.

Cost to recruit an army or maintain it for 1 week (active) or 1 month (inactive):
i) Cost in BP (round up) = number of soldiers * CR of a soldier^2 / 50
ii) Mercenaries count as 1 CR higher when determining cost, but give you limited access to powerful races like lizardfolk or trolls.

Cost to equip an army:
i) Cost in BP (round up) = number soldiers * cost of 1 soldier's items / 2000
ii) Price mounts as part of equipment
iii) Equipment maintenance = 10% of initial purchase cost

I've still got a few pieces to put together, but this is the core of it.
-blarg

I'm looking at tweaking some of the kingdom building rules to achieve a few effects.

1) Selling magic items. It feels weird to me that the rulers can sell a shop owner's magic items at full value to raise BPs. I've been reading other DMs' advice that the math can get out of hand pretty quickly, so there's some rebalancing I'd like to do.

2) Taxation. The default implementation of taxation edicts leaves me feeling a bit underwhelmed. It also seems like that the heaviest tax brackets should cause some unrest.

Proposal: In addition to the Economy/Loyalty effects of the various taxation levels, they also impose a sales tax on magic item sales. At the higher levels, it can be a monthly source of unrest. Here's a possible tax table to accomplish this.

Taxation levels:
None. +0 Economy, +1 Loyalty, 0% of income from sale of magic items.
Light. +1 Economy, -1 Loyalty, 10% of magic items.
Normal. +2 Economy, -2 Loyalty, 20% of magic items.
Heavy. +3 Economy, -4 Loyalty, 30% of magic items, +1 Unrest per month.
Overwhelming. +4 Economy, -8 Loyalty, 40% of magic items, +2 Unrest per month.

I'm interested in hearing your thoughts about this idea!
-blarg

I'm preparing the Crimson Fleet invasion at the end of Tides of Dread, and trying to come up with descriptions of how the town's defenses affect the invaders.

So far I've got phanatons doing strafing runs with alchemist's fire, fortifications for archers on the roofs of the warehouses, and some other fun stuff based on what the PCs achieved or failed to achieve in the run-up.

But I can't for the life of me figure out how the Sea Wyvern could be 200 VP worth of useful all by her lonesome against five enemy ships. I suppose she could try to take out another ship with a kamikaze run, but is there anything else/better you can think of?
-blarg

I played my fourth and fifth modules as a member of the Pathfinder Society today, and in both games players mentioned how they missed action points. One was to stave off a stabilization check while dying, and the others were for adding +1d6 to a roll that was really important to the character.

Is there any chance they may be adopted for the Society or the RPG? Even having a single action point per session would be wonderful!
-blarg

There's mention of a dragon eel in the Savage Tidings article that goes with Tides of Dread, so I ended up making this monster with a weakness for shark sashimi. A random encounter with 4 great whites en route from Farshore to Tanaroa inspired yon beastie. (The PCs witnessed it one-shotting and eating a huge shark right before it attacked their ship.)

I ran this fight entirely underwater to great effect. For some additional scenery, I tossed in a couple of entangling kelp masses to get knocked into, as well as an abyss where dropped items (stunning!) can fall.

It's essentially a regressed and modified neothelid from the XPH. With a little surprise for the eaten. :)
-blarg

The group I'm running through Savage Tide doesn't have a single spellcaster. It's been a romping good swashbucklery campaign so far, but now that they're at Here There Be Monsters, I'm starting to see the writing on the wall. I just read the section on Fogmire, and it really assumes the presence of an arcane or divine caster.

FWIW the group consists of a knight, a swordsage, and a fighter. Short of changing the party, what advice do you have? Are there any pitfalls I need to look out for or modify?
-blarg