fanguad's page

Here's my situation: I use a projector to display battlemaps onto a physical table, and then my players and I use miniatures. I currently use Maptools, and I love the Fog of War feature, but since we're using physical miniatures I have to manually reveal stuff. I reveal things a room at a time, so the detailed FoW features actually make it harder for me to do what I want. The only other features I use are multiple maps and hiding traps/secret doors.

Does anyone know of a simple VTT (or heck, a complex one) that allows you to reveal whole rooms at a time with a simple interface? I'm seriously considering writing my own VTT with exactly those 3 features (room-based FoW, hidden traps/secret doors, and multiple maps), but I'd rather download one if it already exists.

I know it's been done to death, but here's my take on removing the Big Six from the game, and replacing them with scaling bonuses. Please feel free to discuss or critique, or to use in whole or in part in your own game. (I'll do my best to format this sensibly without tables)

Weapons

Weapons no longer have a specific enhancement bonus. They are either magical or they are not. Magical weapons have an enhancement bonus based on the wielder's level, as shown in the chart below:

Level/HD, Enhancement

• 1-7, +1
  
• 8-11, +2
  
• 12-15, +3
  
• 16-19, +4
  
• 20+, +5

Magical weapons cost the same as a +1 weapon under the standard rules. Magical weapons may have additional properties, the price of which is calculated as if the base weapon had a +1 enhancement bonus.

Armor

Like weapons, armor no longer has a specific enhancement bonus. Magical armor, shields and robes exist with enhancement bonuses based on the wielder's level, as shown in the chart below:

Level/HD, Armor/Robe Enhancement, Shield Enhancement

• 1-4, +1, +1
  
• 5-6, +2, +1
  
• 7-8, +2, +2
  
• 9-10, +3, +2
  
• 11-12, +3, +3
  
• 13-14, +4, +3
  
• 15-16, +4, +4
  
• 17-18, +5, +4
  
• 19-20, +5, +5

Magical armor and shields cost the same as their +1 versions under the standard rules. Magical armor and shields may have additional properties, the price of which is calculated as if the base weapon had a +1 enhancement bonus.

Magical robes cost 1000gp plus the value of the underlying robe (magical robes are often made of expensive materials). Any magical robes from sourcebooks with a value over 1000gp provide this enhancement bonus. If the robes become nonmagical (for example, if they have a limited number of charges), they lose their enhancement bonus as well. Magical robes may not have armor special qualities added to them.

Ring of Protection/Amulet of Natural Armor

Creatures who have great experience fighting naturally become used to combat, and it becomes harder to land damaging blows on them. This is represented by a Hero bonus to AC. Hero bonus is based on class only, not racial hit dice.

Level, Total AC Bonus, Flat-footed AC Bonus, Touch AC Bonus

• 1, +0, +0, +0
  
• 2-3, +1, +1, +0
  
• 4-5, +2, +1, +1
  
• 6-7, +3, +2, +1
  
• 8-9, +4, +2, +2
  
• 10-11, +5, +3, +2
  
• 12-13, +6, +3, +3
  
• 14-15, +7, +4, +3
  
• 16-17, +8, +4, +4
  
• 18-19, +9, +5, +4
  
• 20+, +10, +5, +5

Stat Enhancing Items

Creatues also receive a Hero bonus to ability scores as they increase in level. Hero bonuses should be tracked separately from starting ability score values. Hero bonuses to ability scores replace both stat enhancing items and the standard ability score increases at each fourth level. Hero bonuses are permanently assigned to ability scores when a creature increases in level, and may not exceed one third the character's total level (rounded up).

Level, Total Hero Bonus, Maximum Bonus to a Single Ability

• 1, +0, +0
  
• 2, +1, +1
  
• 3, +2, +1
  
• 4, +3, +2
  
• 5, +4, +2
  
• 6, +5, +2
  
• 7, +6, +3
  
• 8, +7, +3
  
• 9, +8, +3
  
• 10, +9, +4
  
• and so on...

Cloak of Resistance

Finally, creatures get a Hero bonus to all of their saving throws.

Level, Saving Throw Bonus

• 1, +0
  
• 2-5, +1
  
• 6-9, +2
  
• 10-13, +3
  
• 14-17, +4
  
• 18+, +5

Character Wealth

Because characters will no longer need to purchase these items, the expected wealth by level needs to be decreased. I believe the correct value should be somewhere between a 50% and 66% decrease. This won't apply to the first few levels.

I'm starting up a new campaign in Arlington/Woburn, MA and I'm looking for 1-2 more players. The current plan is to play once per month on Sunday starting in July or August.

I'm going to solicit player input on what sort of game it will be, so I don't have firm plans in that regard yet.

If you're interested, shoot me an e-mail at:
pathfinder [at] nekocode [dot] org

I'd like to suggest breaking the "Gamer Connection" forum into separate online and offline forums. Many subject lines aren't clear as to the format of the game, and I think this would help with that. It also seems to me that most gamers would be interested in only one or the other (and if they're interested in both, they could view just the parent).

This fall my old college buddies and I decided that we wanted to get together and do a full weekend of roleplaying next spring. I volunteered to run Kingmaker and I'm working on preparing for it. Because we're going to be barreling straight through without a whole of time for me to adapt (plus I'm not a particularly great GM), I want to prepare as much as possible. For people who have been GMing or playing this game, what areas should I concentrate on, and how far do you think we'll get in about 20-30 hours of roleplaying? I'll have 4 or 5 PCs who are all fairly familiar with 3.5/Pathfinder rules.

I'd like to propose another idea for a warrior/magic-user hybrid class. For now, I'm calling it the Magic Knight, and I'd appreciate any suggestions on how to turn this into something balanced and fun to play. My first iteration is for a 20-level base class, but this could also be designed as prestige class. I'm very interested in thoughts on the general viability of the class, as well as the specific abilities that are described below. I'm hoping to end up with something as high quality as tejon's Iron Mage, but we'll see.

Concept: The magic knight is primarily a warrior, augmenting her melee prowess with equipment that she magically summons. The magic knight has less brute-force power than a fighter, but is able to summon equipment that is appropriate for the situation at hand. The magic knight should have some disincentive to dump Int, with Int boosts granting small bonuses to abilities, but still allowing them to focus on physical attributes.

Inspiration: The anime "Fairy Tail" is about a guild of wizards, each of whom has a unique magical talent. One of the main characters is Erza Scarlet, who summons different sets of armor and weapons to engage in combat. Some of the armor sets have special attacks, but most would be fairly easily replicated by various armor and weapon enhancements.

BAB: Full
Fort: Good
Reflex: Poor
Will: Poor
Skills: TDB
Proficiencies: All armor, all shields, all simple and martial weapons.

1: Re-equip, Magic Knight's armor, magical equipment slot
2: bonus combat feat
3:
4: armor
5: fast equip, magical equipment slot
6: bonus combat feat
7: armor
8:
9: magical equipment slot
10: armor, swift equip 1/day
11:
12: bonus combat feat
13: advanced armor, magical equipment slot
14:
15: swift equip 2/day
16: advanced armor
17: magical equipment slot
18: bonus combat feat
19: advanced armor
20: swift equip 3/day, ultimate armor

Magic Knight's armor: No duration, no per-day limit. The most basic of magic knight equipment, when re-equipped this set contains a longsword, longbow (and quiver w/ 20 arrows), breastplate and small wooden shield. At level 5 and every 5 levels afterwards, the enhancement bonus on the breastplate, longsword and longbow increases by +1, to a maximum of +4 at level 20.

Fast equip: Starting at 5th level, the magic knight can re-equip as a move equivalent action that provokes an attack of opportunity. The magic knight can only re-equip once per turn.

Swift equip: Starting at 10th level, the magic knight can re-equip as an immediate action (that does not provoke an attack of opportunity) once per day. This ability may be used to defend against attacks or make attacks of opportunity with a different set of equipment. The magic knight may not use this ability if they have re-equip since the start of their last turn. The magic knight may not re-equip until after her next turn. At 15th and 20th level, the magic knight gains an additional use of this ability.

Ultimate armor: The magic knight's capstone - I'm definitely taking suggestions for the most awesome armor you can think of. Stuff like wielding Thor's hammer or Excalibur.

ISSUES:
I see a number of possible issues with this class.
The first is the exact values for how many magical slots they can get and how much they can put in them.
Next is a possible problem that they may not need to spend as much money on weapons or armor, which could unbalance the wealth by level curve.
Are they getting too many or too few class-based armor sets?
Is the method for calculating bonus magical armor sets too complex? Are the bonus sets even needed?

TODO:
Flesh out the armor sets, and create more of them. Most armor sets are currently just ideas.
Fill in dead levels with something requiring a choice (bonus combat feats, "talents," etc)
clean up wording to match the PRD's

I'm currently running Curse of the Crimson Throne near Boston, MA, and I'm looking to replace a player who recently left. We're currently in-between chapters, about to start chapter 6. Please email me at game-info at nekocode dot org if you're interested in joining.

In the fight with Sabina and Zarmangarof, it seems like this dragon is going to be a real pushover. I'll have 4-5 PCs level 13 (PFRPG) *and* Sabina beating on it, and it's only CR 11. Not to mention one of the PCs is a paladin, so they'll rip through its HP in no time.

I'm thinking about increasing the age category of the dragon so that it poses an actual threat to my party, probably to Old or Very Old. Before I do that, I wanted to know why the CR was so low to begin with. This scene is more about Sabina than the dragon, but as-is, they'll probably kill the dragon and Sabina before she even has a chance to surrender.

The PCs have the potential to pick up a lot of loot in SoS, much of it in the form of low-value coins. Between these, gems and valuable jewelry/artwork/etc, they'll need a trustworthy place to convert that into a more liquid currency (my PCs are drooling at the thought of all the magic items they'll be able to buy). Is there a temple of Abadar in Kaer Maga, or some similar group that won't just try to murder the PCs and/or take all their money?

Crosspost since it doesn't look like it's getting any attention over there.

Did anyone's players get trapped by this binding? Did they just murder everyone in the castle to escape, or were they more clever, like my players are?

I'm thinking that my player will be able to move freely while under the effects of Antimagic Field, but will only be able to move towards the castle once it wears off. It seems that one major purpose of that effect is to keep the PCs from just heading back to town (via Teleport) every evening to restock, and I'd like to keep it that way. Given this interpretation of the rules, they can head back to the barbican to rest, but they can't really leave the castle vicinity.

In my game, one of the PCs has been subjected to a Binding (Hedged Prison) spell.

If he has Antimagic Field cast on him, will the Binding be suppressed and he can move freely? If so, what happens when the Antimagic Field wears off? Binding spell states that the subject is transported to the area, but it's unclear if they are transported back if Binding is temporarily suppressed.

I was tossing around ideas in my head for how to continue my campaign after my players finish Curse of the Crimson Throne. At that point, they'll be out of the "sweet spot," and I also don't know if my GMing skills are up to running a higher level campaign. One of the ideas I had was to "reset" the characters to a lower level and continue the campaign from there. The simplest way to make this work is to use different character, but then it's more like a new campaign than a continuation of the old one.

Some ideas I had (I don't claim that any are particularly good):

• Travel to some other location (another plane or planet?) where the "average power level" is much higher and therefore reducing their level keeps them in line.
  
• The party suffers a TPK and resurrection goes horribly wrong, reducing their level drastically.
  
• The party wakes up in a distant location, low-level and with a month/year/decade of memories missing.

Some questions:
Do you think any of those are good ideas? Do you have any ideas of your own? Would you hate your GM if he pulled that crap on you?

If you decide to create a bipedal eidolon that wears armor, does it count as humanoid? Otherwise, it suffers from a x2 price modifier.

I guess if you add any limbs, tails or tentacles to the eidolon, you start stretching the definition of humanoid.

What's it like to receive Sending? Do you see a "hologram" of the person who contacted you? Do you hear a voice in your head? Would other people in the same room as you notice the message or notice that you received one? Is there some physical evidence of the message afterwards?

One of my players (the enchanter) wrote into his background that he knew (and disliked) Rolth from his time at the Acadamae. However, said player defeated both Rolth and his minion Jolistina with a single spell: Hideous Laughter. Being the merciful types they are, my players beat both into unconsciousness then took them to the Guard.

Since Rolth had an unused Dimension Door memorized, it should be an easy matter for him to escape during the events of Escape from Old Korvosa, and grab Jolistina if the urge strikes him.

Now he wants revenge.

I want to introduce grafts from Magic of Eberron and my players missed the first clue that Rolth was experimenting with them, so here's my story: Rolth managed to recover a piece of Lady Andaisin's Daughter of Urgathoa corpse and graft it onto his body. It provides him with many undead immunities, but most importantly immunity to mind-affecting effects - so that he won't fall prey to the same trick again. He also performed this same trick on Jolistina (as his guinea pig), but it didn't turn out so well with her (turned her into barely-intelligent undead).

The party is likely to spend several days in Kaer Maga, and I plan on having Rolth and Jolistina catch up to them there.

Any thoughts? I don't think it would be good if I post their new stat blocks here, since they're based on the ones published in the AP.

Aid Another

You can help someone achieve success on a skill check by making the same kind of skill check in a cooperative effort. If you roll a 10 or higher on your check, the character you're helping gets a +2 bonus on his or her check.

I've always played that you can Aid Another if you roll (1d20+skill modifiers) >= 10. This quickly turns into auto-success, of course. The wording of this rule is a little bit non-standard: "roll a 10 or higher".

Is this intended to mean that players always have a 55% chance of aiding another? Or was my original interpretation correct?

I'm currently running a game set in the world of Final Fantasy XI. I've converted the races from that game into Pathfinder, and would like comments from the community. Although these races are intended to stand alone, I would also like them to be usable in generic games.

I've included a short description of the race to give you the overall feel. I've also excluded a language section, since that is more specific to individual game worlds.

Please comment on game stats, as well as flavor if you're familiar with these races.

Hume: exact same as human

Elvaan

• A race of proud warriors. Physically, they are characterized by their tall, slender bodies and pointed ears. Their unshakable pride and faith in their beliefs is visible in each of their determined faces. Both males and females of the race excel in swordsmanship. Most Elvaan seem to eschew the business world, preferring an austere lifestyle as skilled sword fighters.
  
• +2 Strength, +2 Wisdom, –2 Dexterity: Elvaan are strong warriors with firm faith, but not as nimble as other races.
  
• Medium: Elvaan are Medium creatures and have no bonuses or penalties due to their size.
  
• Normal Speed: Elvaan have a base speed of 30 feet.
  
• Low-Light Vision: Elvaan can see twice as far as humans in conditions of poor illumination.
  
• Keen Senses: Elvaan receive a +2 bonus on sight- and sound-based Perception checks.
  
• Weapon Familiarity: Elvaan are proficient with longbows (including composite longbows), longswords, rapiers, and shortbows (including composite shortbows), and treat any weapon with the word "elven" in its name as a martial weapon.
  
• Hatred: Elvaan receive a +1 bonus on attack rolls against humanoid creatures of the orc and goblin subtypes due to special training against these hated foes.
  
• Noble Upbringing: Elvaan take great pride in their history, culture, and government. They receive a +2 bonus on Knowledge (nobility) and Knowledge (history) checks.
  

Galka

• The Galka are a hulking race of powerful warriors. The sheer strength of their powerful physiques is second to none. They have used their skills to contribute to the construction and development of the numerous mines.
  
• +2 Strength, +2 Constitution, –2 Intelligence: Galka physically mighty, but not as mentally adept as other races.
  
• Medium: Galka are Medium creatures and have no bonuses or penalties due to their size.
  
• Normal Speed: Galka have a base speed of 30 feet.
  
• Darkvision: Galka can see in the dark up to 60 feet.
  
• Galka Ferocity: Once per day, when a Galka is brought below 0 hit points, but not killed, he can fight on for one more round as if disabled. At the end of his next turn, unless brought to above 0 hit points, he immediately falls unconscious and begins dying.
  
• Stability: Galka receive a +4 bonus to their combat maneuver bonus when resisting a bull rush or trip attempt while standing on the ground.
  
• Hearty: Galka receive a +2 racial bonus on saving throws against poison, spells, and spell-like abilities.
  

Mithra

• The Mithra are a predominantly female race of hunters. They are easily identified by their characteristic ears, which give them spectacular hearing ability, and their long tails, which result in an unparalleled sense of balance. They are known for their energy, curiosity, and their penchant for causing playful mischief.
  
• +2 Dexterity, +2 Charisma, –2 Wisdom: Mithra are highly dextrous and extremely amiable, but are infamous for acting before they think.
  
• Medium: Mithra are Medium creatures and have no bonuses or penalties due to their size.
  
• Normal Speed: Mithra have a base speed of 30 feet.
  
• Low-Light Vision: Mithra can see twice as far as humans in conditions of poor illumination.
  
• Keen Senses: Mithra receive a +2 bonus on sight- and sound-based Perception checks. They can make a Perception check to spot a secret or concealed door if they pass within 10 feet, regardless of whether or not they are actively looking.
  
• Mithra Luck: Mithra receive a +1 racial bonus on all saving throws.
  
• Adaptability: Mithra receive Skill Focus, as a bonus feat, at 1st level.
  

Tarutaru

• The Tarutaru are a race of skilled magic users. Although the Tarutaru physically resemble children, their size does not reflect their age. Masters of the magical arts, the Tarutaru have honed their abilities through dutiful study of the world around them.
  
• +2 Intelligence, +2 Dexterity, –2 Constitution: Tarutaru are quick in both mind and body, but physically frail.
  
• Small: Tarutaru are Small creatures, and gain a +1 size bonus to their AC, a +1 size bonus on attack rolls, and a +4 size bonus on Stealth checks.
  
• Slow Speed: Tarutaru have a base speed of 20 feet.
  
• Keen Senses: Tarutaru receive a +2 bonus on smell- and touch-based Perception checks.
  
• Talented: Tarutaru receive a +2 racial bonus on a Craft or Profession skill of their choice.
  
• Illusion Resistant: Tarutaru get a +2 racial saving throw bonus against illusion spells or effects.
  
• Tarutaru Magic: Tarutaru receive a +2 racial bonus on caster level checks made to overcome spell resistance.
  
• Hatred: Tarutaru receive a +1 bonus on attack rolls against humanoid creatures of the reptilian and goblin subtypes due to special training against these hated foes.
  
• Defensive Training: Tarutaru get a +4 dodge bonus to AC against monsters of the giant type.
  

My PCs just got the second Harrow reading (from Seven Days to the Grave) and the cards are quite wrong.

The past has a mix of good and bad (okay, I can work with this).

The present is hopeful (I can stretch this to work).

The future is all bright and happy (no ideas here).

Here's what I have to work with:

• Positive Past: The Owl
  
• Neutral Past: The Bear (Partial Match)
  
• Negative Past: The Eclipse (True Match)
  
• Positive Present: The Fiend (Misaligned)
  
• Neutral Present: The Big Sky (Partial Match)
  
• Negative Present: The Desert (Misaligned, Role Card for party's cleric)
  
• Positive Future: The Dance (Partial Match)
  
• Neutral Future: The Locksmith (Partial Match)
  
• Negative Future: The Queen Mother
  

Any ideas what I should do with the interpretation of the future column?

Also, I'm terrible at this sort of thing (I told my players I'd work on the interpretation between sessions).

I'm looking for a PBP (or PBeM) game using the Pathfinder RPG system. I'd rather not join a long running game. I'm DMing CotCT, but any other sort of campaign is good for me.

My PCs have been getting a bit behind in the XP department, so I need some filler quests for them. Since I have one already and need some more, I thought we could make this thread a place to share them.

At the end of my last session, the PCs chased Trinia through the Shingles, but let her get away. I'd like to put them through 1-2 more encounters before they start the Dead Warrens encounter.

(I'll post the details of my filler quest later tonight in a separate post.)

I have a player who wants to play a paladin, but as I was reviewing the Paladin class, I noticed this blurb:

a paladin will never knowingly associate with evil characters, nor will she continue an association with someone who consistently offends her moral code

I certainly don't intend to punish him for following the natural progression of the plot, but if he can't cooperate with Laori or Sial in Escape or SoS, that could derail the whole adventure.

Has anyone run into this in their game? How did you handle it?

I'm a player looking for a Pathfinder Society group near Boston, MA. Any GMs out there?