Interesting idea... I had one close call so far and was actually wondering, what DOES happen if a PC dies. There a bit about the Obels in the first book, but I'm hoping books 5/6 provide some additional info.
The corruptions are an interesting idea and very theme appropriate.
Planar traits are not clearly addressed in this book and are really important to consider whether you want to use them as you prepare. If the party has no healer at first level, you can reasonably expect them to die horribly due to no natural healing when using the planar traits. If you don't use them, you run into questions about rations and food. The hunter had CLW and they had to rest 3 straight days to restore spells while in Roslar's Tomb just to heal up after a couple gnarly encounters. This also has significant impacts on monsters - tooth fairies are more dangerous because the dex damage doesn't heal naturally, but creatures with disease and poison (Sali's Scriptorium and Nine Eaves) are significantly less threatening.
Doh. Totally forgot to lookup planar traits. And it would appear fairly necessary given the lack of food. The group I'm running through just finished Teeth. The way the planar traits is written for Purgatory is interesting:
"Age, hunger, thirst, afflictions (such as diseases, curses, and poisons), and natural healing don’t function in Purgatory, though they resume functioning when the traveler leaves Purgatory."
Does that mean:
1) A character can not catch a disease (or other affliction) while in purgatory
2) Or that they can catch a disease, but it does not progress. But when they leave the plane will start progressing.
My table was around 5.5 hours for high tier w/ hard mode, well optimized PCs, all six either 10th/11th. No optional encounter, which they were oddly sad about missing. (I guess any time you get to fight a dragon is is good day)
An invisibility purge showing the full horror of the swarm of large size spiders in the room will likely be a memorable experience; that was, sadly for the spiders, quickly followed by a display of empowered fireballs and other AoE pyrotechnics.
There’s a significant difference in the last encounter depending on how long the PCs take. While they legitimately may not make in five minutes with the encounters going on, bad guys attempting to talk/stall, investigating/searching rooms; but I just want to make sure I understand the layout. It’s 300ft from boat to cave? And there’s nothing preventing vision at that range? So in theory, long/medium range spells and bows will come into play as PCs are running to the boat?
This scenario was epic enough I took the time to write an actual review. Two thumbs up to the author and staff that worked on this.
WRT - "Negative" Boon - I underlined and highlighted the word "great" in the handouts line "But this strength will not come without great cost". One player at my table accepted, and seemed to understand what the outcome would be and was not upset. However, I could easily see a player having a very negative reaction upon learning the cost.
Upon receipt of the chronicle sheet several players commented on the associated boon, and how they think it should have been available to everyone at the table to commemorate the great sacrifice made by one member of the party. It would be awesome if Paizo staff would be willing to change the verbiage similar to below:
"deity for your future Pathfinder Society characters." into "deity for your future Pathfinder Society characters or the future Pathfinder Society characters of the players who completed this scenario with you."
Or change the verbiage completely and put a fill-in the blank field to add the character's name who made the great sacrifice on the sheet just like the Legacy ones.
I have a second seeker group coming though in the next couple of months and do have some additional questions:
1) Does Planar Adaptation counteract the alignment-based effects associated with not being Chaotic Evil while in the Abyss? I ruled no, as all the examples in the spell of "environmental effects" are physical related (e.g. fire, lack of air, toxicity, etc) Board posting I can find argue both ways.
2) Resting - My players asked several times if they could rest to regain spells (the primary spell-casters were drained by the end, although they spent MANY slots on buffing the melee to insane levels). My answer was they would VERY likely be interrupted by demons if they setup camp in the Abyss. But is there anything TRULY preventing them from planeshifting home and coming back later? So much as I can tell there is the perception of implied urgency, but no actual mechanical drawback of delaying.
3) The planar effects that Koth-Vaul is locked into using are 50% ineffective against parties with fly... And if the party isn't flying they are dying as Koth-Vaul had given all the Glabrezu flight. There were basically only two options an intelligent demon could use against flying opponents. More variety would have been nice given the GM is locked to the list.
A couple of the questions posted previously in this thread came up for me, and this is how I ruled them:
1) Beetles Reach for Bite - Based on how huge the beetle is compared to map, I let it bit anything that was between the front two legs and forward up to but not including the "PCs Start Here" box. I did not give it AOOs.
2) DC for meteors, I did 1 higher then acid *shrug*
I’ll post a review shortly, but yes my player romped this with zero challenge in 3 hours on high tier. Skill/diplomacy/knowledge checks made easily, and only one combat encounter. And let’s just say summoned fire elemental makes quick work of the trees. The most interesting part was talking to Depressed Winnie the Poo. :)
Note to anyone else running this so you know before you put down the tiles and have a WTF moment like I just did.... map pack ruined village does not have the cards to make a complete layout as shown on page 7. You end up with a 5x10 void in the middle and two strips on the side. As some of the tiles on page 7 are vertical and some horizontal, and there is no big grass tile to fit in the middle.
You’ll want a plain grass flip mat to paste the ruins on top of or rearrange the village completely if you want a contiguous village with no gaps.
Mod - Threat merge with http://paizo.com/threads/rzs2v3la?918-Scourge-of-the-Farheavens please
I'm prepping this to run tomorrow as well, and also had concerns about the disease. Unless someone else has a better idea this is how I'm going to run it:
1) Assume Mishkar is large enough healing resources are available (I can't find much info about it)
2) I can't find any mention in the scenario of how long it takes to get from Mishkar to the Norinor Forest.
2a) Based on detailed maps of Brevoy east of the Icerime Peaks that have scale from inner sea world guide, it should certainly be > 1 day travel between Mishkar and Norinor Forest. I was estimating it at least 50 miles with some hills/mountains (based on the small map at the beginning of the scenario).
2b) Given the scenario says the PC's arrive in the afternoon at the village, I'm going to call it 2.5 days to keep it simple.
3) Remember the disease has an ONSET of 1 day. So even if they fail the save they won't get damaged for at least a day. Therefore with my time estimates at worst a PC might take 2d4 CON damage, so dangerous to CON dumpers but likely not others. The worst part would be a double fail with a drain that has to be resolved at the end of the scenario.
4) If I'm wrong on my time estimates, yea this could be deadly... Did you have another guess as to travel time?
Trees - IMHO it must be 10 total damage, and I'd assume 5AC well as it's an inanimate stump. 10 fire damage in one hit would be near impossible at 1-2. The scenario explicitly calls out non magical fire as effective ("such as by striking it with a lit torch"). If pathfinders have no way of making fire... well... bad pathfinders and cold dinners...
I have a question about the Skorvlovs - The scenario calls out they return after the PCs spend an hour in the village, then a couple paragraphs down they return after the PC go into their home. I'm assuming this is a whichever happens first type thing?
I agree with Steve in the other thread. This scenario looks to run quite short, but I'll see how it goes tomorrow.
Janira enters the room, juggling a large stack of papers. She hands them out to some of the assembled personages with a large smile and sends them on their way with a chirpy, "good luck! Don't forget to explore, report, cooperate! as they depart. She then surveys the remaining folk, frowning slightly and looking at the few pages left in her hands.
It seems a few Pathfinders aren't able to accept their missions. I'll get these reassigned to you pronto. But unfortunately there are many more of you than there are sheets of paper. I'm so sorry to disappoint, but I think we may have to keep you here for a few more days until something else opens up.
I've sent out all the schedules and the majority have been accepted. I have a few to revise and will get those sent out today. I'm putting a few volunteers on a waitlist and releasing the rest, so that they may make plans when the PaizoCon schedule goes live. Thank you for your patience!
Appreciate the update for those of us who didn't make the cut. The F5 key now can take a break... :)
That wasn't really what I meant. What I meant to say was: people who bet lose 50 or 250 gold. Are the rewards they get supposed to be permanent (meaning they're considered "bought" and can be reported as such on an inventory tracking sheet), or do people need to re-buy them after the scenario, meaning it's essentially 50/250 gp down the drain (they lose money either way if no one participates, so they sort of get compensated, but still)?
I'm sorry, I really don't understand what you're asking. Maybe if Linda swings by this thread (or if you post your question with spoiler tags on the product discussion thread), she'll be able to help you.
My players had the same question.
If they bet and loose, do they have to mark off the funds.
If they bet and win, do they get to keep the free items after the scenario.
Given the items are on the Chronicle at full price, and not participating in the bets at all has a GPloss on the Chronicle IIRC, I ruled it as “fake money” that only had influence during the scenario for the fun of it. No one who lost had to record a loss of GP, no one who won got to keep the items. Not sure that was the intention or not, so I’d also like clarification for future runs.
Still waiting to hear back on any other PFS Paizocon 2018 obligations before going for the afternoon slot -- after all, I may even be sleeping then to compensate for overnights.
No news is good news?
In the same boat... I'd like to know if my normal volunteer application was accepted (and if so, for what slots) before deciding whether or not to add afternoon tables.
First off... And I'll post a review as well... But this was the most amazing, complicated, unique, and pure awesome scenario I've seen in PFS, outside of seeker content. Both the story and the mechanics were fabulous.
I ran this last Monday, and will be running it again this coming Monday.
Comments/Tips/Notes:
Spoiler:
* TIME MANAGEMENT - We had a six hour slot and barely finished, and had to fill out chronicles on the sidewalk in front of the store. This was a lower-tier four person run with experienced players that I constantly pushed to keep moving. Honestly this could easily go 8 hours, or even more if you wanted time to really role play the sages.
* Mnesoset - The last room (on page 22) is the first time her name is mentioned... There's a ton of names for the PCs to keep track of in the scenario. I'm assuming her gem is brought by the other sages, is that correct? If so, it might be good to mention her at the beginning when the dwarf is summoned forth from his gem. Otherwise this is a, "Wait? Who the heck is this?" moment.
* The number of persistent effects in the last fight is overwhelming between several different auras (cowardice, sacrilegious, despair, sickened), her gem powers, and duration based spells. I didn't do it last time, but I will have a chart next time of when an effect trigger for each entity in the initiative order.
* There's a lot of treasure that can be found in the shelves of the last area, but it's separated by about 4 pages of text from the part that states the "If the PCs arrive in this area early, they can explore it or return to area" and gives the description of the shelves.
* I ended up used the gem flashing suggestion above as my PCs did not make the association of her extraordinary powers with the gems.
* I really wish 9-04 had been written as a 5-9 so more characters could move from 9-04 to 9-07 in short order.
That's what I was reading wrong. I was picturing the throne at the apex and the elevator halfway down. I probably was reading he vertical map wrong.
I bought some styrofoam bases to cut up, going to use some planter sticks and crazy glue to hold them up, and do some coloring with marker. Nothing fancy, but something to display the dimensions effectively as I hurl people into the hurricane.
Ok, now I'm confused again after I thought I had it figured out.
"The room’s total height is 300 feet—100 feet above the bottom of the elevator shaft and grasping storm’s throne, and 200 feet below it. "
Which as a I mentioned above I read to mean the throne and the elevator had the same z-value.
"Floating in the general center of the hall is a dark mass of clouds shaped into a throne."
Center of the hall as in the middle of the x/y axis, or is it supposed to be the white blob at level F about in the center of the vertical map for z-value. If that's not the throne, what is the white blob.
And I assume that in the 100' above the elevator level there are also jutting ledges? So if I PC rocket-mans themselves past the action with subjective gravity they could catch something? Or is it perfectly smooth past the elevator landing floor.
I'm running this over the weekend and I've decided to do 3d terrain for the final fight. I think it's just too complicated a layout to work in 2d with everything going on and so much height variation.
My problem is the room's size is unclear. It says the top of the room is 100ft above the elevator and the throne, the bottom is 200ft below both. So I'm not sure where the reference point is and the actual total height of the room as there's a good 100ft between the platforms themselves.
Yeah... I was considering doing this as well but it was going to require a ton of plexiglass. But without the 3D this encounter is going to feel really "meh" on a 15x15 flat surface. How are you planning to do it?
From the text:
"The ledges form a rough staircase, each level 20 feet below the next. The room’s total height is 300 feet—100 feet above the bottom of the elevator shaft and grasping storm’s throne, and 200 feet below it. "
I was assuming based on this that the A-I platforms are only 20' below each other and descend from elevator entrance down the to floor. That the elevator and throne are on the same z-value/altitude. And that there is 100' of tower above the elevator that is not represented on the map.
2) Clarification on the Development section of A10. It states if the PCs kill Zoagusk the surviving the goblins scatter. There aren't any other goblins in the encounter, so I assume this means all the goblins in the dungeon? Is that the intent? So PC's that choose the magic path could make it out without any Goblin Songs? Sacrilege!
There definitely is some confusion, and I was a bit inconsistent in my text. The intention I had is stated in the first part of the conclusion:
“With the Fleshwarped Queen and her lieutenants Grib and Glibeldring defeated, the wrath energies within the facility grow...
I didn't get this in time for Monday night's game, but this is the way I ran it because as expected the players used the "always go right" method of exploration and routed to the Queen first.
Overall the table went very well, and I'll try to get a review up soon. We were playing down in 1-2, but had a few 3's in the party. The combats were easy for the group with the alchemists bombs being the only significant danger with the close quarters. A couple people did get hit with protoflesh, but alas *sigh* all of them made the save. Goblin songs for the win!
1) +1 to what Bongo said. Thank you for a map that's "normal" and without insanely complex architecture. Not only is it reasonable to draw, but it's pretty easy to build using DF tiles as well.
2) I liked this one enough to make some quick conversions to represent all the custom stuff in this scenario. Check them out. Several minis were harmed in the making of this production...
Questions:
1) The text explicitly states "you can use cure disease...", but I just want to ensure I'm interpreting this correct. Players can choose to keep a mutation for flavor (or to be frugal and not pay for a cure disease) rather then clear the condition?
2) Clarification on the Development section of A10. It states if the PCs kill Zoagusk the surviving the goblins scatter. There aren't any other goblins in the encounter, so I assume this means all the goblins in the dungeon? Is that the intent? So PC's that choose the magic path could make it out without any Goblin Songs? Sacrilege!
This might be my favorite scenario this season, looking forward to running it tomorrow night!
B6 - The Face of the Void - While Ataishya should tip of the party that all isn't right, I assume since the Face wasn't stat-blocked out as such it is not detectable as a trap? Detect magic (I would assume yes)? Detect evil?
B7 - High Tier - Not a question, just an observation... *cue Chris Farley singing* Two huge creatures in a tiny room...
Used to be 19.99 to print a poster-size 24x36 (works perfectly well for the 24x30 PFS standard). Now 29.99?!! Is this just my staples or everywhere? Fedex office is even worse at > 40 each. WTF?
Yep. Same price hike here! I've been using them to print the large maps as well. Same or next day pick up is very convienent.
Side note: When I have two or more custom maps to print for a scenario I usually go with the 2 feet by 6 feet indoor banner and either cut them out or just roll ithe whole thing across the table. The indoor banner is a different material then posters, but it's $35 for the 2x6.
I have one of these. I took the Magic domain so I can "Throw the book at them" using Hand of the Acolyte.
This is so priceless I may have to steel it and call it the Andrew Roberts build.
Quick technical question...
Living Grimoire states: "He uses Intelligence instead of Wisdom as his key spellcasting ability score (to determine his spell DCs, bonus spells per day, modifier on concentration checks, and so on), and to determine the effects and number of uses of his domain powers."
Magic Domain: "You can cause your melee weapon to fly from your grasp and strike a foe before instantly returning. As a standard action, you can make a single attack using a melee weapon at a range of 30 feet. This attack is treated as a ranged attack with a thrown weapon, except that you add your Wisdom modifier to the attack roll instead of your Dexterity modifier (damage still relies on Strength). This ability cannot be used to perform a combat maneuver. You can use this ability a number of times per day equal to 3 + your Wisdom modifier."
Does this mean INT should be used instead of WIS for both:
1) the number of times per day
2) instead of Dex as mod to hit
The other thread suggested profession barrister so you can throw the book at them... ;)
The horror FAQ came out Friday and said it shoul be treated as a light weapon for the purpose of feats etc. I've not seen anything official about throwing it though.
Yeah... In my experience the definition of "gaming store" changes wildly depending on the area of the country you live in and the relative wealth of the area. IMHO part of the draw for gaming store play is it forms a sense of community around a physical location. Sure, you could do this at a bar or coffee shop too, but at a gaming store the environment reeks of geekdom. (sometimes literally)
When I lived in Indiana I played at a small gaming store in a strip mall. The owner put his heart and soul into that place and it was awesome despite shortcomings like leaky roofs, a single toilet, poor airflow, etc.
When I moved to Seattle we're spoiled to have gaming stores like The Mox (https://www.moxboardinghouse.com/) with a bar, restaurant, wargaming room, Magic gaming room, private rooms, and a giant ballroom sized open gaming area. Spaces like this allow our lodge to fluctuate weekly attendance greatly... Enough players for 5-6 tables? No problem. This place offers something that would be hard to replicate at a coffee shop.
Do the audiobook versions (e.g. Audible) count as the books? (assuming of course you can backup your claim by showing a GM your audible bookshelf on a phone or whatnot)
Wow. Sorry you wife had a bad experience at PAX. That sounds terrible :(
While I can't comment specifically about your wife's experience, I can tell you about the official rooms: The official Paizo supported tables were run in dedicated rooms reserved by Paizo with a dedicated sign-in desk at the front to queue for tables. There were big 6' tall banners of all the iconics all over the rooms. There were certainly women in the rooms all the time. In fact, Tonya was there herself at the sign-in desk almost every minute of the Con. All the official volunteers wore the standard purple (or orange for HQ) Paizo volunteer shirts. Each table had a binder provided by Paizo with laminated sheets for all the first level iconics, and players could pick whomever they wanted. IIRC the PAX chronicles given out at the sign-in desk all have Tonya's info at the bottom.
There were open gaming rooms down the hall were you could play pick-up games for a variety of RPGs and boardgames. These rooms are pretty much a free-for-all and anyone can run a table.
If you have more specifics tell Tony via PM. Hopefully you'll not let this bad experience taint your expectations of PFS @ PAX. If you head out here next year I'll be happy to run a table for you!
Everyone is so pedantic. I just mentioned I keep all mine on my bag... I'm not going to walk around with 7 pins on my shirt to show my flair ala Office Space. The pins are the annoying pin and pinchy clasp type that tends to get lost so they have to go somewhere, and my bag was as good as anything.
I don't see anything that says you have to put it in your shirt. To receive the benefit, the guide and the post just say "wear" and "worn" respectively. So without further clarification from the campaign staff IMHO you could happily wear it on your socks, shoestrings, hat, lanyard, bracelet, necklace, clip on bow tie or anything else the word "wear" will work for :)
I regret mentioning I use my bag as a pin holder and wish this thread didn't take a turn into the dumpster so quick.
I also love my BattleFoam Pathfinder bag! Holds everything and has good versatility. I've got all my faction pins attached to the front flap surrounding the main logo. It would be nice if it was listed as an option.
I just ran it for PFS here over the last month and that's how I interpreted it.
Part 1 - 3XP, 4PP
Part 2 - 3XP, 4PP
Part 3 - 3XP, 4PP
Bonus - Depends on Player Choice
Logically it's the only way the PC's can stay on track APL of each part. While it may seem like quick advancement, it's actually penalizing in terms of PP/level and gold/level. As in most cases a PC has a chance to earn 6PP, a bit more gold for running 3 scenarios, dayjob options, and possibly 3 faction sheets completions.
It's structured similarly to the 3XP for each level of Emerald Spire.
Craig Steinhoff wrote:
I just wanted to verify this from the rules.....
Players who play through one of the sanctioned segments
of the module receive the respective Chronicle sheet. A
GM who runs the module may likewise apply credit to any
one of her Pathfinder Society PCs of the appropriate level.
The decision of which character to apply credit to must be made when the Chronicle sheet is received and signed by
the GM. Each Chronicle sheet gives 3 XP and 4 Prestige
Points, or 1.5 XP and 2 Prestige Points for characters on the
slow advancement track.
So there 3 sheets + one bonus. So is each sheet worth 3 xp and 4 prestige? I know the last sheet has rules on it...seems a like a lot So I am just verifying
So... I'm prepping Daughters of Fury to run in PFS mode (vs campaign mode) and have some general questions about running modules as well as specific questions about Daughters of Fury.
Questions:
1) This module is split into 3 chapters each with a chronicle sheet. If chapter one is completed and the player is given the chronicle, can that character play in other PFS sessions before playing Chapter 2? I plan on running the module across several weeks, and want to clarify if the PC is locked from module start to finish, or from chronicle to chronicle.
2) This is somewhat tied to #1... Lets say the players find "item of awesomeness" in chapter one and it appears on their chronicle. The "item of awesomeness" is extremely useful for defeating X in chapter two or three. Running in non-campaign mode, I would assume once the chronicle for chapter one is issued, "item of awesomeness" is removed from inventory, and players would have to purchase "item of awesomeness" to use it in chapter two/three. Is that correct?
3) "Use the map on page 20 and the rules for Overland Movement in Chapter 8 of the Pathfinder RPG Core Rulebook to determine how long it takes the PCs to travel between Arwyll Stead and the various homesteads. In general, most characters can walk along the Path Road and its branching trails at a rate of just over 2 miles (or 2 squares on the map) per hour." Ummm.... There are no squares on the map on page 20, nor is a distance bar provided. Any clue how big this area is supposed to be?
4) Sorry to whomever drew it, but the map of Eiseth's Roost is just bad. 45 degree angle view is less then ideal for tactical combat, and to have the printed copy included with the book overlaid with a grid smaller then 1 inch so it physically can't be used for minis just adds insult to injury. Has anyone re-created this from an overhead view?
To be honest rather than spending more time on prep to figure out just what the implications of 60' cubes at CL 12 would mean, I just decided that the Forbiddance was tied precisely to the room and so it was bounded by the walls, doors, and just continued the line through open doorway to the hall.
Since it says"That PC", I ran it the same way as Partizanski, each PC could make their own diplo to determine if they got the boon if they were insisting on helping her (eg no aiding or one party roll)
I have the same questions about Telekinetic Throw as Kevin... With the additional one of:
5) Since I believe the ruins/temple/alter on the mappack are material they can't throw a PC into the ruins. But is there anything stopping them from throwing the PC into the force disk floor? 480' in a round so ~80' in a second = standing upright to hitting a force disk with your face at 55+ mph. That will leave a mark.
Or does the force disk floor not exist in these ruins and we have to account for PCs with a negative altitude?
Unless we see an authoritative response I was leaning toward: no damage unless the thrown PC hits another object/creature on the ethereal plane (e.g. successful attack roll), but yes to still launching a PC 480' in any direction on a failed save.
Prepping this to run next week and agree some clarification on movement rules would be useful. Several posts above have indicated that their GMs used Air Walk rules. Until I read that I was planning to use the movement rules for the ethereal status gained from other spells:
"An ethereal creature is invisible, insubstantial, and capable of moving in any direction, even up or down, albeit at half normal speed. An ethereal creature can move through solid objects, including living creatures. An ethereal creature can see and hear on the Material Plane, but everything looks gray and ephemeral. Sight and hearing onto the Material Plane are limited to 60 feet."
I looked at the webpage, but haven't installed it yet. The website is pretty, but very light on details.
What is your distinguishing feature that gives you a competitive advantage over existing character apps like HeroLab or a full VTT like Roll20?
Explictly what Paizo content does the subscription to the app give you access to? If you wanted to use a feat in splat book XYZ do you have to purchase access to that splat book in top of the sub? Personally I'm not a fan of subscription apps.
Is this the same app WotC severed ties with recently? If so, using the subscription model what happens if Paizo decides to end the relationship? What are users left with?
Someone mentioned PFS scenarios in the thread? Are there plans for making PFS scenarios available though the app? If so in what type of format? Just a readable PDF-like experience or actually have all the encounters built into an VTT like interface?
Nice to see another entry in the digital marketplace, competition is good to spur on innovation :)
Yeah for LED bulbs... The first thing I did when we moved into our house was spent an hour on a ladder going around changing out the smoke detector batteries and CFL bulbs.
LEDs
No horrid buzzing
No horrid warm up time to full brightness
No horrid color tone
No horrid hazmat clean up
Last for years
I've broken CFLs before and cleaned them up. Never gone to a extreme like replacing flooring though. But if it will remove anxiety that would have plagued you otherwise, it was likely worth it.
