jasonm777's page

Also, just to clarify - I had sent an email and posted here in the forum. My request has been resolved, so you can clear both of them off your list. Thanks again!

We received the account activation email and completed the process. Thank you very much for your response and assistance! Stay healthy and safe!

Hello,

On March 14th I submitted a signed parental consent form to the customer service email address so I can complete the PFS ID registration process for my son. I received the auto-response about customer service working remotely, but haven't had any other contact since then.

Is there an estimate on how long it will take to complete this process? My son won't have a PFS ID number until then, and the game we played in together over the weekend won't be reported either.

I certainly understand the unique situation we're all in due to COVID-19. I'm just wondering what I should expect; this is my first time registering one of my children for PFS.

Thanks to all of you for all of your hard work and service to the Paizo community!

Thanks for the advice, everyone. My character has about 12,000gp to spend, so I’ll see what I can do.

I'm set to play in the Passing the Torch scenarios later this month and could use some advice on what gear / equipment might be helpful to have. I'll be playing a level 12 paladin of Sarenrae. No spoilers please, but any tips would be appreciated. (This will be my first tier 12+ scenario experience, so I'm a bit nervous.) Thanks!

Thanks for all the advice so far!

I realized after reading the various monk styles and archetypes that my ninja's alignment isn't lawful, so he would need to undergo an alignment change before he could dip into monk. And I'm not sure how that's accomplished. I don't see anything regarding it in the PFS rules or in the retraining rules ... so does my character just change alignments between scenarios? Or am I missing something?

I'm liking the Brawler option. No alignment change needed, and my intention for the martial arts aspect is more for flavor than for mechanical advantage. I just have a hard time envisioning a ninja that doesn't use martial arts in some way.

I have a level 3 ninja in PFS and I'm considering a dip into monk levels so I can add the martial arts aspect to him.

Is it worth it to do this, or is there another / better way to accomplish this goal? (I would of course use the unchained monk.)

Yes, you can still take the rewards. The factions moved away from being country based, but the rewards are still relevant in their new form/goals:

Andoran = Liberty's Edge
Cheliax = Dark Archives
Grand Lodge = unchanged
Lantern Lodge = n/a
Osirion = Scarab Sages
Qadira = The Exchange
Sczarni = n/a (was absorbed into The Exchange, but lost all it's previous resources)
Shadow Lodge = n/a
Silver Crusade = unchanged
Taldor = Sovereign Court

Excellent, thanks again!

Most of the rewards are usually taken for character flavor instead of mechanical effect, but they do provide small, sometimes situational bonuses. I know of a few scenarios in which an Eagle Knight character receives either a bonus, or a negative (depending on where the scenario takes place), or can try a knowledge check untrained because it's assumed you would have had access to that particular information.

I guess I should rephrase my question: Since Andoran isn't technically a faction anymore, can my character still buy its rewards, or is that no longer an option?

Sorry for the confusion.

1. Faction titles and prestige awards form the Field Guide are still legal, as long as the faction is still around. This means nothing from the Shadow lodge or Sczarni can be gained.

2. The list for favored skills is in reference to the faction pins, and explains which skills get the additional bonus.

3. A PC joining a faction can only acquire the most recent version of a faction’s card; however, a PC who has checked at least one box on the earlier faction card may still continue to fulfill its goals and earn its rewards even into the new season. The number of goals completed is measured by those fulfilled on that card only—goals completed on a different Faction Journal Card do not contribute to those on the first card. It's up to you if you think it's worth it to start a new card for season 8.
Each Faction Journal Card provides one or more new rewards as well as at least one reward that appeared during a previous season. If a PC would receive a duplicate reward that she earned on a previous card, she instead treats her effective number of goals completed on all cards as though it were one higher.

Thanks, Alanya! Some follow-ups:

2.) I can't believe I missed that part!

3.) Got it, thanks.

Hi all,

I have a few questions regarding factions in PFS play.

1.) I have a character who started in the Andoran Lodge and is now in Liberty's Edge. Do the faction titles and prestige awards listed for Andoran in the PFS Field Guide still apply? For example, can he spend 1PP when he has 20 Fame and gain the title Eagle Knight?

2.) In the Guild Guide 8.0, there is a list of favored skills by faction. Unless I'm missing something, I don't see that these favored skills provide any real mechanical bonus for PFS characters. Are they just for flavor / assistance in understanding what the factions are all about?

3.) Both of my PFS characters have faction journal cards from seasons 6 and 7. They've accomplished some of the goals on each sheet ... but I've played so infrequently over the past couple seasons that I haven't even bothered starting a season 8 card. 3 questions: a.) Is it worth it to start a new card? b.) Are the goals transferrable from one card to the next? c.) Do goals achieved in past seasons still apply for the current season?

Any insight that anyone has would be appreciated.

Thanks!

Thanks, everyone, that clears things up.

As of now I still haven't created the character, so there is no name to worry about.

On that note, however, what are some suggestions you'd have for playing a Vishkanya character? This is new, unknown territory for me.

I recently received a boon at a local con that allows me to create a Vishkanya character. It states that I have to make this boon chronicle sheet the first one applied to that character.

I also recently played in one of my local group's monthly sessions and used a 1st level pre-gen with the intention of applying it to an as-of-yet un-created character. (This happened before the con at which I received the race boon.)

My question is: can I apply both sheets to the same character, or do I have to make 2 separate characters because the pre-gen chronicle sheet was earned before the race boon?

I hope that makes sense.

Thanks,
Jason

jasonm777 wrote:

I have a 10th level paladin in PFS who wields a +1 flaming scimitar as his primary weapon and has both +2 full plate mail and a +2 quickdraw shield. I could use some help with my next purchase. I'm considering the following options:

1. A +1 enhancement to the scimitar.
2. A special magic ability for the scimitar (possibly holy, but not decided yet).
3. A +1 enhancement to the plate mail (effective against all enemies).
4. The champion ability for the plate mail (effective against only a smited enemy).
5. The light fortification ability for the plate mail (effective against any enemy who lands a crit on him).

Which of these options would be the best choice? Or, is there another option that i haven't listed here that would be better?

Thanks!

Jason

What is your divine bond option? if it's weapon, than boost the armor.

Divine bond is with the weapon, which is why I'm not sold on adding the holy ability to the sword, but considered it as an option in case I want to use the bond for a different ability.

avr wrote:

Adding a ring of protection +1 or an amulet of natural armor +1 is cheaper than boosting your armor enhancement and has about the same effect. Also there's a cloak of resistance to get if you haven't already.

This - plus the rose ioun stone (+1 AC for 5k) after the amulet & ring.

Also - do you have stat-up items yet? The +2 STR belt is sweet, and as a paladin a +2 CHA headband is nice.

You could get all of the above for 6k less than putting Holy on your scimitar.

The belt and ioun stone are items he doesn't have yet, so that will be helpful. Thanks!

Keen is always a good choice for a high threat weapon.

Lots of misc odds and ends in the magic area that is helpful if you want to list what you have, we can then make suggestions.

I'll list all of what he has later tonight after work. He has "the big 6" as far as magic items go.

Thanks!

I have a 10th level paladin in PFS who wields a +1 flaming scimitar as his primary weapon and has both +2 full plate mail and a +2 quickdraw shield. I could use some help with my next purchase. I'm considering the following options:

1. A +1 enhancement to the scimitar.
2. A special magic ability for the scimitar (possibly holy, but not decided yet).
3. A +1 enhancement to the plate mail (effective against all enemies).
4. The champion ability for the plate mail (effective against only a smited enemy).
5. The light fortification ability for the plate mail (effective against any enemy who lands a crit on him).

Which of these options would be the best choice? Or, is there another option that i haven't listed here that would be better?

Thanks!

Jason

I just bought the Advanced Class Guide and would like to create an Elf Swashbuckler who uses an Elven Curve Blade as his main weapon. I haven't read through all of the details of the class yet, but I noticed the 2 methods of regaining panache both focus on using a light or 1-handed melee piercing weapon ... which the Elven Curve Blade is not.

Is there a feat or any other way to regain panache that doesn't involve using a light or 1-handed melee piercing weapon?

I hope so ... I don't want to use a rapier ... tired of characters whose main weapon only deals a base of 1d6 damage.

Do NOT use D20SRD as your primary source of rules. It is comprehensive and he's very quick with adding the new material + it's easy to navigate. But there are a number of errors and other miss information strewed about.

It mostly has to do with the automatic hot-linking, where flavour text gets linked to defined game terms, while the crunch actually doesn't have anything to do with that specific rule. The funniest one I've found yet is in the Occultist class, where the sentence "A spellcaster who bears the implement can add the implement..." links 'bears' to a list of bear stat-blocks.

EDIT: In my PDF it says "Third printing October 2013." - third printing is the latest one.

Good to know, thanks!

Thanks, everyone! Looks like I'm current on everything, except ...

... One oddity - I noticed that the date last updated for the GameMastery Guide is Jan. 2014 and my date last downloaded is Aug. 2015 ... yet my actual PDF says Oct. 2013 at the bottom of the Credits page. Thoughts?

... How do I know if my PDF files of the CRB, APG, etc. are up-to-date? I need to create a new PFS character and want to make sure I'm current on everything.

Just a final follow-up: I played my paladin today with 2-hand power attack going on the scimitar (I did re-train Channel Smite to Power Attack after all), along with improved critical. He regularly did damage in the 20-30's, and had numerous critical hits that scored even more.

So thanks to everyone who gave advice, whether or not I took it. I'm much more pleased with my PC's performance, and much more enlightened about character options.

Just curious which changes did the OP try and how is it working so far? ...

I also agree that another valid point is what he is trying keep up with.

My PC has purchased a Belt of Giant Strength +2 (all he could currently afford). I just played him at a con over the weekend and it seemed to work out well; I know it's only a +1 for attack and damage, but sometimes that matters. :)

Having survived that scenario, I'll be leveling him up to 9th shortly. I plan to take the Improved Critical feat for his scimitar, and I'm excited to see how that works out. In addition to the multiplied damage, he also has the Flame of the Dawnflower trait, which adds 2 points of damage on crits.

I've been torn about the 2-handed attack strategy because my PC has invested in a +2 shield and I'm not keen on him selling it off ... Then I realized that he can just keep it slung over his shoulder and use it when he needs it. Duh. So I'll be trying out the 2-handed attack next time I play him, hopefully next month.

Still kicking around the feat retraining ideas. I might have him retrain Channel Smite for one of the feats others have suggested.

As for my points of comparison: In the past I've played with players whose PCs (like archers, or fighter-types with nasty, big, pointy melee weapons) seem to average in the 20's for their damage per attack, while my PC seems to average in the low teens, if that. I guess it's a bit embarrassing for me, sometimes, and not quite what I want my PC to be like (a fearsome warrior of good, a force to be reckoned with).

So that's where I'm at right now. Thanks for asking!

loses the 8 or 9 (depending on if you retrain before or after) HP he gained from Tougness.

OK, thanks Dafydd. That's what I figured would be the case, though I was really hoping it wasn't. Not real excited about the prospect of losing 8hp.

About the retraining option: If my PC retrains Toughness and takes another feat in its place, will he lose all of the hit points he's received from it to this point, or just not be able to gain any further hit points in the future?

No Rich Parents is not allowed as the main Additional Resources says no to it.

Ah, the Additional Resources! Thanks, I just checked it out and saw what I was looking for. I figured it was an oversight on my part somewhere.

Any in that document which are allowed in the regular campaign are allowed in core.

Any outside that document are not allowed in core.

So Rich Parents is allowed? That's one that I've seen mentioned as banned, but can't find any official word on it.

I've seen numerous references that some Traits are not allowed in PFS / Core play, but I can't find any official post, blog, or document that contains a full list of them.

Am I missing something? How do I know which Traits are legal and which are not?

I'm currently creating a PC for Core and would like to know which Traits from the Web Enhancement I can choose from.

Thanks!

This is great stuff, folks. Thanks for your help!

I've tried posting an update a few times now, and each time my internet connection gave me fits. So sorry this is late!

A couple things my PC is doing for sure: purchasing a belt of giant strength and taking the Improved Critical feat at 9th level - which is 1xp away. Aside from that, I'll have to give more thought to the feats and retraining ideas.

The point about paladins taking damage so others won't is a great point. This is my first paladin; normally I play fighters or fighter-types, where I want my PC to be able to withstand a lot of attacks when he/she is in the thick of things. I guess I'm still getting used to the "it's not all about me" perspective of a paladin. Yeah, it's taken me 8 levels, but I'm not always a fast learner. :)

To do more damage, I suggest hitting your target more often. :)

Tell that to my dice! :)

This is all great advice - thanks everyone! Exactly what I was looking for. I'm going to take some time to digest it a little more tomorrow (had a really busy day today).

This PC is my first in PFS, so there was definitely a learning curve involved, which influenced some of my early decisions.

If anyone has more ideas, please share them!

Thanks,
Jason

Hi everyone,

I play a level 8 Half-Orc paladin of Sarenrae in PFS (Silver Crusade). For a little while now I've been concerned that my PC doesn't do as much damage as other PCs of the same level. I'd love to have some advice / help to change this.

Here is some specific information about my PC:

1.) Str 16, Dex 12, Con 14, Int 10, Wis 13, Cha 18.

2.) AC 27, 84 hp.

3.) Primary weapon = +1 flaming scimitar (2d6+4 damage). The choice of scimitar is probably the main cause of my low damage output (a d6 damage weapon vs. a longsword, greatsword, etc.). I've considered changing it many times, but my PC purposely uses it because it's Sarenrae's favored weapon and (as backstory / roleplaying info) he considers himself forever indebted to her for saving his life. So he's pretty committed to this weapon choice.

4.) Applicable powers and abilities: Smite Evil (definitely kicks up the damage output, but limited uses); Channel Positive Energy (see feats); Divine Bond (weapon; also kicks up damage, but is even more limited than Smite Evil).

5.) Feats: Toughness; Extra Lay on Hands; Channel Smite (definitely helps with damage output, but relies on a limited resource [Channel Pos. En.]); Ironhide.

I think what I'm looking for is a way to increase my PC's average damage output without relying on a limited resource like Smite Evil or Channel Positive Energy.

Thanks!
Jason

On p.439 of the CRB, it states that in a windstorm, "Creatures on the ground are knocked prone and rolled 1d4 * 10 feet, taking 1d4 points of nonlethal damage per 10 feet, unless they make a DC 15 Strength check."

My question is: Does the Strength check prevent BOTH being knocked prone and taking nonlethal damage, or ONLY taking nonlethal damage?

Thanks.

Here you go.

Wow, that's perfect - thanks blackbloodtroll!

(I had to change the link to http instead of hhttp to get it to work - just fyi.)

Is there a spell, magic item, etc. that functions as a tracking device? One of my PCs has an important book; he can keep the book in his possession while in the city, but I'd like to find a magical, secret way to have its owner be alerted if the PC leaves the city with it.

Any ideas or suggestions?

Thanks!

On the topic of changes, I have a question about Pathfinder Tales novels and their chronicle sheets.

The season 5 and 6 guides to org. play refer to a Prolific Reader boon, and the chronicle sheet they refer to is set up differently than most of the sheets I have. (The vol 4 sheet is the only one I've seen that's set up this way.)

I understand how that sheet works, but what about sheets from novels that apparently precede the season 5 and 6 rules? For example, the Queen of Thorns sheet - it's not set up in the "Prolific Reader" format (a once-per-player format), so does that mean I can apply it to multiple characters like I've done in the past?

Thanks,
Jason

Thanks, Michael!

I didn't receive one when I downloaded the guide. Is there one elsewhere?

It is not a glitch. There is no chronicle available for The Redemption Engine as well as a few others currently. It will probably be some time after GenCon before we see any of the updated sheets for the Tales books released after King of Chaos.

Thanks, Preston! I was surprised there was no sheet available, but I guess the Paizo staff have been a bit busy lately, haven't they?

I just checked the Additional Resources page, and there's no chronicle sheet listed for The Redemption Engine.

Is this a glitch, or is there really no sheet for it? It seems like all the other novels have one listed.

Thanks!

Thanks, Sabre and Preston! That makes sense, and I figured that would be the case. I guess I just wasn't fully processing what I was reading!

For example, the Traveler's Anytool is listed on one of my chronicle sheets. I'd like to buy it, but I don't own a copy of "Ultimate Equipment". Can I legally buy this item?

Thanks!

jasonm777 wrote:

Does anyone have any idea when there will be more of this product available? My FLGS distributors don't have any, and it's listed as on backorder here?

Thanks!

We're expecting a reprint, but I don't have an ETA as of yet.

OK, thanks for your response, Liz!

Does anyone have any idea when there will be more of this product available? My FLGS distributors don't have any, and it's listed as on backorder here?

Thanks!

Thanks for all the responses, everyone - great advice and entertaining commentary!

Now if you'll excuse me, I'm off to buy a Feather Token: Tree .....

Also, same question for mundane adventuring gear. Thanks again!

Hi everyone,

I know I've read discussions on the messageboards in the past about the magic items every character should have: cloak of resistance, ring of protection, etc. ... but I just can't seem to find any of those threads right now, and I'd really like to find them before tomorrow night's PFS game.

Can anyone point me in the right direction?

Thanks!

This is a fantastic article, Netopalis - thanks for writing and posting it! I'm in the process of rebuilding one of my PFS characters and have been stuck for a while, so this gives me some new ideas and inspiration to work with.

On point #5, my paladin has Profession: Baker as a skill, which he uses for his day job checks. This doesn't usually enter actual game play, but once in a while I find myself with an opportunity to make jokes about it. My favorite line is something about my character trying to influence someone or show gratitude by presenting them with a plate of paladin cookies. It's good for table-wide laugh, so it's worth the skill points I've dedicated to it.

On point #2, I have my paladin write his own Pathfinder Chronicles, which begin with his backstory. That is, I myself actually keep a running document in which I write like he would write, covering the details of each scenario he completes. Like his baking, this doesn't usually come up in actual game play, but it gives me a better feel for who he is and what he values. Plus, it provides a good record of material that I can use to make references from (which I guess also relates to #3).

Once again, thanks for a great article!

-- jason

Check out the link below to the Christian Gamers Guild. It should put you on the chaplain's corner page, which has some great articles. Pay special attention to the Faith and Gaming series of articles; they've been incredibly helpful to me.

Also, I'm a pastor who's played rpg's since about 7th grade, so let me know if I can be of further help.

http://www.christian-gamers-guild.org/chaplain/index.html

Jason

I believe you can find them here under alchemical weapons. (I assume the Desnan candle is the same as the star candle firework.) The skyrocket is 1 lb.; the others are of negligible weight.

Thanks, Joana, that's exactly what I was looking for! I didn't even think to check the PRD - good call!