gameboydb's page

I guess I had a different interpretation of the rules listed under "Adding Spells to a Sorcerer's or Bard's Repertoire" in the Magic section:

"A sorcerer or bard gains spells each time she attains a new level in her class and never gains spells any other way. When your sorcerer or bard gains a new level, consult Table: Bard Spells Known or Table: Sorcerer Spells Known to learn how many spells from the appropriate spell list she now knows. With permission from the GM, sorcerers and bards can also select the spells they gain from new and unusual spells that they come across while adventuring."

The PRD specifically stated under the wizard that he could perform spell research, as well as under the divine casters section. Not so under the Sorcerer and Bard. Unless there were errata listed somewhere I was not aware. It's good to know how other people see it because if the bard and sorcerer can research then they're not as pinned down as I thought.

Thanks for the replies Tyki11 and LazarX. I wanted to know how other people interpreted the rule about research because generally spontaneous casters, like the bard and sorcerer, could not. The oracle is a spontaneous caster too, albeit a divine one. Why the bard and sorcerer cannot I don't fully understand game mechanic wise, but if the oracle can then that makes the class that much more . . . versatile.

I wanted to pose a question to paizonians out there: Can Oracles perform spell research?

Do you think they fall more in line with sorcerers (no) or clerics (yes)? I couldn't find a rule in the books one way or another and wanted to know what other people think.

No action points, please. I don't like them.

gameboydb wrote:

Once you go below 0, you make a Fortitude save. If you fail, you're dead. If you save, you stabilize but you're still below 0 and unconscious. You make a save every round until you die or stabilize.

But you die or stabilize after the first save. So further saves would never occur.

I see. I was thinking "make a save every round you would take additional damage to die or stabilize." Of course at stage you would have to save vs. a coup de grace.

>>sneaked in another comment at work

As far as dying goes, how about this:

Once you go below 0, you make a Fortitude save. If you fail, you're dead. If you save, you stabilize but you're still below 0 and unconscious. You make a save every round until you die or stabilize.

Is that too simple? Basically getting rid of some negative hit point range. This also brings up the scenario that someone could be "left for dead" but stabilize and heal naturally and come back later in a campaign.

Any one can coment his/her experiences with the final combat with Karzoug? It seems to me VERY difficult, but perhaps i don't see something.

Are you asking to see how different groups tackled Karzoug for a gestalt final plan of operation? If so ...

That's just an idea.

Long story short: Our party needs at least 60 days to craft magic items and we only have 6 available to us. Using the Great Wheel cosmology, are there any planes where times moves faster there than it does on the Material Plane (ie: 5 days there equal 1 Material Plane day)?

I would say it's up to the GM. With as many infinite planes out there, who's to say there isn't? Do a knowledge: planes check 35 or 40. Success means you find a plane that time flows more quickly. Off the top of my head, time does not flow regularly on the Astral plane but I'm not sure how that works with crafting magic items.

...granted, #5 takes place in a demiplane, but I can easily make that underground, etc...

(One who hasn't seen Pathfinder #5 yet) Really? Demiplane? Hmmm....

St. Louis, MO (just outside of St. Peters).

So basically this translates into kill anything that breathes. Toss this at a really old dragon and the beast is still pretty much dead. On average it will spend the next 13 rounds coughing and doing nothing else - no save.

I figured that I'd screw my players over on the delivery method but they are wily and saw it coming. The fighter just ran forward and threw the stuff up in the air - sure he was effected too but that just meant that he and the dragon where both out of the picture - that left the rest of the party to see if they could manage to take it out with more then 10 rounds of attacks while the Dragon was incapable of taking any actions whatsoever.

At the risk of offering an overly simplistic solution, what would happen if one held one's breath? I don't have the rulebooks to look up the details of the powder or the rules of holding breath, but I believe holding one's breath is based on constitution. In the above-mentioned senario the dragon would be unable to use his breath weapon, but a dragon could easily hold his breath longer than a PC and still use his claws, wings, tail, etc.

The Istivin trilogy was another one...

Thanks, guys, for the replies. I wasn't sure if there were more than two or not.

My collection is currently in storage, can someone post how many 3-part adventure arcs there have been in Dungeon so far? I know Seeds of Sehan is the current one.

There is also a feat in the Unearthed Arcana book called "Skill Knowledge" that allows you to take a cross-class skill and make it a class skill. No requirements necessary.

Sounds like "Red Arrow/Black Shield" for v3.5.

1. Warforged Monk (from Alhaster)

2. Elf Scout (from Alhaster)

3. Human Cleric <me> (domains Strength/Destruction to contact temple of Cuthbert upon entry to Sasserine.)

4. Human Sorcerer (Native of Sasserine, met others as they got off the boat on behalf of Mrs. Vanderboren).

Sorry, no pirates in our group. Or ninjas, for that matter.

So far, in every account of the dragotha fight that I've read, the players have easily bested the undead dragon. I'm wondering if he's really as tough as some people think he is. On paper he looks ridiculously powerful, but perhaps people underestimate the power of high level PCs?

I think he is tough, if given the standard combat scenario. When I saw his stats I imagined he would beat down a party if they tried to whack him with a big stick. My adventuring party anticipated this so we tried an alternative solution, thinking outside the box for something not normally considered. Also we got lucky and beat Dragotha on initiative, when coupled with the fact that a high level party wins initiative that could make a world of difference against anybody. When PCs get to be high level (I consider 17+), writing challenging encounters may be tough, because the resources available to high-power characters with gool ol' creativity means you cannot conceive of every possible scenario; the Mother Worm thread touched a similar basis. I'm sure Dragotha thrashed someone, though.

Just wanted to say "thanks" for the reply, Lilith, it was helpful. It may have taken a little time for me to say thanks but I was recently on honeymoon. (A little yay for me!)

First off, congrats! I assume that would lead to a job promotion, which is always good.

I also noticed in an earlier post you mentioned art commisions; I then take it you produce artwork. Just wondering: exactly how you managed to get started with that. I have a bachelor's degree in illustration myself, but I was never a salesman so I couldn't/didn't know how to promote myself and am always curious how others have done. I realize this is really off topic for a D&D forum but I figured I could at least try to ask.

Again, well done with the certification.

Does anyone remember a published adventure-in-a-box where a teleporting mountain contained tribes of kobolds guarding a red dragon hoard? I wish I could remember the name of that one (I'll do a search later) but the kobolds in that were just evil little snootches! I distinctly remember poisoned arrows. Lot's of 'em. That was the best I've ever seen kobolds.

I remember an old adventure in Dungeon magazine I think was called "The Mud-sorcerer's Tomb". In it was a corridor filled with columns. When the party was halfway down the corridor the columns transformed into rust monsters. The first round of initiative every party member fled!

First, I like games: board games, card games, video games ... generally anything but head games, they suck.

Second, I constantly get comments on how young I look (boyish).

Third, "db" are my initials.

I just selected a monkey because monkeys are funny.

require no external

My pc's are gonna die.. They don't plan ahead or anything. They just smash down the door and roll inititave..

That sounds like it's going to be an entertaining tale! Hope you can retell it later.

Personally I like to solve puzzles and that has worked into my playing/fighting style. I currently play a wizard and I habitually talk my adventuring group into going MacGuyver in our sessions. The more out of left field, the better! Although, a couple times our plans were more complicated than they needed to be but our DM gets a kick out of it.

One time at 1st level our party was ambushed be piercers so, to prevent them from attacking us on the way out, I picked them up. On our next monster encounter I declared "I throw a piercer at it." He still ribs me about that even today.

I just love hearing (reading) things like this! The way the game mechanics work, crazy things can happen from time to time.
Throw in a kender and you can have classic comedy gold.

*Aw, snap!*

I just checked the description in the PH. You're right, JDillard. Major fau paux on my part. I'm surprised our DM didn't catch that, as well. I can bring that to the attention of our DM, but I don't know if he will want to replay the whole session or not. Also, the idea of the Grease spell was to aid in the bull rush attempt, not to actually cause Dragotha to fall. Our DM likes it when we utilize teamwork. But like you said, we all had fun.

That's a good point, I've Got Reach. Having the scene ala Balrog would have been cinematic! There's always the fight with Kyuss, I guess.

But the DM let us have it with Dragotha's buddies (the avolakias led by the derro, backed up with the nightcrawlers). It still wasn't easy.

Greetings, all. I'm new to the forums, but not to D&D (been playing since the red Basic box). First, wanted to say I'm loving the AoW adventure path. Good job, Paizo. But mostly I'm wondering how other players have handled taking down Dragotha. IMO, one of the best aspects of publishing adventures with "classic" characters and places is sharing how one dealt with them with other players. AoW has included such things as the Rod of Seven Parts, the Hand of Vecna, and now Dragotha. What was it like for others facing that undead monstrosity?

Our party's solution seemed to be oversimplified, but our DM allowed it. Below is what happened (scroll down due to spoilers):

Since Dragotha is like a legendary undead, we figured he would have all sorts of resistances and powers; a standard fight would be suicidal. We decided it would be best if we could get him in an environment that would be detrimental to him. After powering up with the standard Bless, Greater Magic Weapons, Aligned Weapons, etc. we had a description of the inner sanctum by Balakarde so we Greater Teleported in. Immediately rolling for initiative (Dragotha rolled a "1"!) the cleric cast Gate, creating a portal behind and below the perched Dragotha leading to the Positive Material Plane. I, the wizard, cast Polymorph Any Object on the fighter to turn him into a Titan (for high strength). The thief cast Grease from a Minor Spell Storing ring on top of the zigguraut, and the fighter then flew up and initiated a bull rush to shove Dragotha through the gate. The undead got off one bite in the rush (63 pts of damage) but lost the strength check and was pushed through. The cleric ceased concentration on the gate, closing it, and then we waited. We were hoping that a couple rounds in the Positive Material Plane would weaken him enough to make the fight easier before he returned, but he never came back. Our DM said, after double checking Dragotha's stats, that he didn't have anything that allowed extra-planar travel. Also, he didn't have anything to help protect from the effects of the Positive Material Plane, so he ruled that Dragotha perished in the positive energy furnaces.

I find it hard to believe that Dragotha couldn't travel between planes, but I glanced at a copy of the magazine in a store and I couldn't spot anything, either. Well, that was our showdown. Hope you enjoyed it. How did others do?

After playing three evenings thus far in the Alpha, I enjoy the escalations scattered across the realm. I found the hex-based quest concept to be a good one (especially after someone told me to click the arrow in the upper right corner of the screen). I would prefer to see more than two at a time (maybe different ones based on the escalation percentage). However, it feels like there should be some level of reward for completion of an escalation quest.

Some are vastly harder than others. We found some areas obviously meant for higher-than-level-3/4 - the Razmiran Archpriest was nigh invincible to reach due to the Razmiran Adepts even with kite-pulling.

For those who haven't seen them: the whole hex participates in the completion of the quest, but unless you 'zone' in and out of the hex, you can only contribute a small amount (say 5 out of a thirty kill X). After finishing a few minor quests in the hex, Archanjel, Bannis and I killed the Fallen Paladin - a single target for a specific quest (probably meant to be a boss). It wasn't clear if that did anything to the escalation and felt pretty anticlimactic after at least a five minute slugfest. Someone mentioned that each completed quest would give a ~2% drop to the hex's escalation percentage.

I propose that some minor positive impact or feedback loop reward be developed to occur as quests are completed. It could be as simple as:

1. a local banner message to the hex "The Fallen Paladin has been slain, the [faction group] is in disarray!"
2. part of an achievement/requirement for a rareish skill related to the main class type involved in the escalation
3. a temporary buff versus the escalation (e.g. Bandit's Scourge - that gives +5% damage to all skills targeting bandits for thirty minutes)
4. even a temporary debuff of increased agro range for a period of time (e.g. "There they are! They killed Lord Kobuki! Get them!").
5. characters remaining online who contributed to a particular quest when it is completed receives a message / crafting material / mail (good for the kill x and take x supplies type quests).

Nearly any effect would be a positive one and incentivize people to work on them. Randomness and variety to them would be even better.

Thoughts?

PS: Having characters with more than one name makes you unable to be invited to a group which drove my healer nuts (since both Archanjel and I both had two names).

This:

So maybe the best way to sum up Talonguard is we want it to be a settlement that maximizes fun both for its residents, and for new players.

is a good phrase and goal to strive for!

Personally, I definitely prefer more classical armor styles than fantasy (think of how poorly protected those scantily-clad female fighters in only brassieres are).

Many middle-ages warriors covered their battered armor with surcoats to deflect heat off the armor but would also be customized to display their allegiances. This was part of the development of heraldry across Europe. PFO could even merge the attainment of certain in-game achievements or affiliations to open up heraldric options.

Maybe PFO could allow a crafting "palette" where the crafter (or the new owner) can utilize colors and design to customize their gear. I'm not thinking like LOTRO where a single dye is applied to change to a single color, but more of a adding non-functional crests, symbols, or spikes optionally. I would be particularly interested in creating a family crest, company, settlement, or deity's symbol - even if only a surcoat or chest piece is customizable.

I know ... not high yield for the MVP, but might be pretty simple to implement. It would also help with that attachment sensation that keeps people playing a specific character - something any MMO would like.

Here are a few of mine, some are tongue-in-cheek (i.e. read the blogs), but people will ask anyway:

Generic
What makes this game better than other MMO games out there?
Compare and contrast a theme-park MMO vs a sandbox MMO.
What will the cost structure be like (sub vs free-to-play with content purchase vs both options)?
How much will it cost per month to subscribe?
How many character slots per server will be allowed?
How do I get in on the action (donation/Kickstarter/swag)?

Content
What classes and playable races available in Pathfinder will be available in PFO at release?
How players will be allowed in each group (is that what Chartered Company means)??
How well will I be able to solo? How well will I be able to find a group when my friends/guildmates aren't online?
How familiar with Pathfinder / D&D rules will I need to be to play the game?
Will there be just open content, or will it be story-driven?
Explain the point of escalations.
Will quest-based choices affect my alignment / reputation, or will that be solely based upon interactions with other characters?
Will there be "raid"-type content other than PvP battles? How many players will be able to participate at a time?
Explain the relationship between guilds and settlements.

Combat
Will there be an auto-attack button? =)
Will I have a limited spell-book and a mana-bar, or a complete spellbook with a number of casts per in-game "day"?
Will melee types be obligated to specialize in certain weapon classes / types in order to be effective, or will they be able to use any weapon they pick up?
Can we find a way to avoid loot squabbles? (i.e. explain the loot system)

Misc
Explain how threading and PvP looting will work.
Will gold farmers / scripters be "shot" on sight?
Explain the concept of the PC flagging system, both voluntary and involuntary flags.

Reading this thread makes me more and more desire an auto-loot distribution among the party where both gold and items are immediately and randomly split among the party (or raid) when a NPC dies. Have nothing be BoE, except possibly quest-related items. This would make loot as fast as possible (allowing more time to attack/respond to the next thing), there would be no corpse to click, and reduce bickering (that will never be eliminated). Someone might feel it "unfair" to someone who goes LD, but you can always try to win over your party to your plight after you come back.

Keep it simple, have only one looting method, and let the market and player-to-player negotiation the best method for each party's loot distribution. If I'm a sorcerer and a Wis +6 item drops, of course I'd give it to the party priest, unless they already own one. However, I wouldn't be obligated to, I could always sell it or give it to an alt.

If you want to have a method for rogues to pilfer, I suggest that you make it a pickpocket mechanism either from an unaware mob/NPC or from a fellow PC, albeit high-risk and high-reward.

Depending a PUG player to be a "fair arbiter" is not possible.

I love the idea of "core" and "active" alignment, especially if your active alignment affects actual gameplay. In effect, core alignment may get you in the door, but how you've been acting for the past week determines everyone's reaction to you today.

Nonetheless, I think there should be some stratification system and variation for the alignment hits for different leveled NPCs, PCs, and others. Instead of everyone being an all-or-nothing either zero or 500 alignment shift, have sliding scale type situational modifiers (level comparison, active alignment comparison, current actions of both parties, flag status, etc etc). That way the range could be from say 0 - 1000 alignment points for a particular NPC depending on what he was doing.

For example:
1000 evil points for killing him while praying at his diety's altar inside a sanctuary, but 0 evil points for killing him while he's attacking as part of a larger battle/war effort. Maybe 300 points if you kill him accidentally in a drunken tavern brawl fight, 500 for killing him in an alleyway ambush as part of a quest, and 700 for killing him asleep inside his own house as part of a theft.

Of course a situational sliding scale would be more difficult to implement and keep accurate, but it would reduce the aforementioned calculation of "I'll do 18 good quests so I can murder that shopkeeper who is ripping me off."