justaworm's page

Hey, sorry quite late on this. In the Starfinder armory pg. 69, there is a series of heavy armor called Kalo Encounter Suits which is specifically fitted for kalos to breath above water. Moreover, the description of the armor (pg. 70) seems to imply that any piece of armor can be fitted with water circulation instead of air circulation, just that kalos "prefer their comfort of their own technology." Hope this helps!

Played this at GenCon today and the society sheet says that we receive the Achievement Point boon: Call a Cognate. The GM wasn't sure what this was or where it was located and I cannot find anywhere on the site by searching.

Where is this located?

The Society Guide contains this line:

Welcome: A player may apply the Welcome to Starfinder boon to their first character (XXXX–701). This boon is available for download at paizo.com/starfindersociety.

However, I cannot find this boon for download at this location. Is it still available, and if so where I can download it? Is it in plain sight and I am just missing it?

Thanks!

I played this at GenCon and loved the unexpected throwback to Crown of the Kobold King. It was a very fun scenario.

doh, sorry guys. i had the page up on my cell phone and it must have been clearing the new posts notice from showing up on my computer. i will work on a update soon.

Frencois wrote:

Ranzak sad. Ranzak never be iconic.

Probably my favorite character to play. Ranzak was my main character for Skull & Shackles and I have played him other times at pick up games. One of my favorite memories of playing him was when Tanis O'Conner let me play him in her all-goblin ACG game at PaizoCon one year!

-Lisa

Ranzak is my favorite too. He needs his own base class so he can make it to iconic status. Iconic Scavenger!

Thanks guys. I will shoot for Ashen Asteroid and maybe try and host Commencement for a few friends beforehand.

I will be trying both Starfinder and Society for the first time at GenCon2019.

Does "The Commencement" have enough action in it to be interesting?
Should new players go through Commencement first?

Basically, I am thinking that Commencement sounds a little boring while Ashen Asteroid, for example, looks like it will have more fun to draw me in.

I have a lot of PF experience, just not Starfinder.

Thanks for any advice.

I am super excited about this revision to the Adventure Card Game.

Hopefully this catches on more than the original. Our local game shops didn't carry the original and didn't even know what it was when asked about it.
"You mean Pathfinder Munchkin, right?" Sigh ... no.

Hey guys, quick update.(like Bahir, I didn't see notifications)

Bottom line up front, I am very open to kicking this back off in April (end of March), if that works for everyone.

Longer story, ... why April?
We are dealing with an imminent death in my wife's family at the moment and then we are taking vacation for pretty much all of March to visit my family and hang out at Disney.

---

Pulling back the curtain a bit, you are teetering on the end of this book. You are basically all right there at the top of these steps.

I think we should proceed as this,
- Finish this book with Mah'ysa and Pae NPCs. We can figure out how to run them.
- I will see about Sanathoma's desire to continue with play by post.
- There are excellent story reasons for new characters to come in starting Book 6 that even leave Pae and Mah'ysa as part of the overall story, just no longer the active focus. Of course, Bahir will have to deal with not having Mah'ysa in character.
- We get 1 or 2 new PCs. I would rather not open recruit. If you are playing in another game and know of players that fit well, then great.
There was one or two from Mah'ysa's MM game that were fun and there were a couple from the River into Darkness I was running that would fit too. We can see if they are interested.

The prelude to the main action in Book 6 also allows for significant retraining of your characters. You will get like a month of time to retrain into skills, feats, class levels, whatever. Alternatively, you can make a new character if you like. There story justification for another group of high level adventurers helping with a concurrent situation going on nearby. If you want, this whole current party could be that and you all can make all new characters.

Anyway, something to think about.

I certainly don't mind picking things back up if the interest is still there. The rest of January will definitely be slow for me due to work circumstances.

I am in business travel/vacation for the next week. I’ll keep up as I can, though the Disney days are likely out, hah! Keep the exploration coming though ... getting close.

First, Paladin = LG. Period. imho. That *is* what a Paladin is.

I am all for another class with similar powers that can be any embodiment of their deity but it needs to be called something else. It seems like this is what the Warpriest was going for, and so I wouldn't be surprised to see that later when this comes out for real.

Second, calm down. This is just the playtest. There are years and years worth more books with new classes and archetypes coming.

I've been wondering about this too and am curious why it isn't being discussed more. It is pretty absurd that there is seemingly no way to move a creature and maintain a grapple.

So the dragon that swoops down and grabs a sheep for dinner has to let it go mid-air each round after moving and then hope to catch it again? A giant cant grab a small creature and move with it?

Surely I am just missing something in the text...

Tangent101 wrote:

Jason - small note. The character creation process can be confusing.

I think it's fair to count on a completely revised character creation process based on external and internal playtesting. Not that the RULES will change a ton (though some of them probably will), but the PRESENTATION leaves lots of room for improvement and will be a significant part of the revision process that takes place over the next several months.

It would be great if you made one or more short videos (real people, animated, or anything) that walks you through it. I have to admit it was pretty cumbersome to understand in spots, and I am still not really sure what I am supposed to write in some of the fields. It isn't as bad as going from 2nd ed. to 3rd though, so there is at least that... :)

This confuses me as well.

Let's say that I want to be super knowledgeable on strawberries.
I could petition the GM for Lore(Strawberries), yay!

But why would I go down to that level.

Doesn't Lore(Fruit) cover strawberries and all fruit?
Why stop there, doesn't Lore(Botany) cover strawberries and all other plants?
Can we go higher? Doesn't Lore(Nature) cover plants and animals, also including the strawberry?

I think we need a 'nominal' list of main categories. Then, perhaps, you should get some kind of bonus if you go down to specific Lore. So, if I took an entire skill on Lore(Strawberry), I should have a higher chance to succeed than over Lore(Fruit) in matters about strawberries. Of course, the GM should take this into account anyway when setting the DC, but it would be better to call it out in writing.

Otherwise, why would I bother to go down beyond the Nature or Botany level when those should cover strawberries too? (Maybe the GM thinks Nature is too broad, ok, but Botany is pretty specific as Botanists exist.)

Hmm .... I suddenly need a milkshake ...

I don't play PFS, but I can see this being more of an issue there. Our home group will likely settle in on a set of Lore groups over time. However, from GM to GM there may be more variation for a PFS character. Which GM gets the say over the Lore skill? Only the first one that presided over the creation?

Ooh, the sidebar says signature skills are Crafting + those granted by bloodline. For skills, it doesn't refer to extra ones granted by bloodline.

In either case, I am building with 9+IntMod until something official says otherwise since there is text that expressly allows it (and maybe 9+ skills is the intent after all).

I fumbled through my first sorcerer creation and assumed I was supposed to make the bloodline skills list overlap with the 5+IntMod general allocation. Then, I read it again and interpreted it as 'in addition to the 5+Int'.

On one hand, being forced to be trained in 4 skills is way too constraining. On the other hand, there is no reason for a sorcerer to have 9+IntMod skills.
So, I will assume both are wrong.

Here is a clue from the sorcerer paragraph:

This choice determines the type of spells you cast, the spell list from which you choose your spells, additional spells you learn, and additional signature skills you gain.

So, my current thought is that the sorcerer bloodline skill list is only meant to set the Signature Skills for the sorcerer, which makes the suggestion to train in those skills also make sense.

Blood Money is not only non-core (not in the PRD), but it's insta-banned from all games of mine.

As are pretty much all spells and feats that are of the, "I don't want to have to prepare ahead of time, so I have an infinite bag of 'anything I need at no cost', thank you very much" variety.

I'm sure you could find exceptions (the Traveler's Any-Tool comes to mind, where you're paying a ginormous up-front fee to avoid stupid questions like, "Do you even have a hammer?"), but I was around in the AD&D days, when players rebelling against restrictions placed on the game eventually derailed it so much that we left the D&D world for 30+ years and chose other, more sensible RPGs.

Pathfinder's trying to head the same way with Mythic, Unchained, and the like, and my feeling is, "If you want to play infinitely-powerful PCs, let's just play Randomania and not waste money on rulebooks you're going to ignore anyway."

Not that I'm opinionated about it or anything...

Just catching up on this thread after a few months off the forums. I have to agree here and this is a standing rule of mine too. No spells unique to APs or Modules you are not playing in. Just because it is in Herolab doesn't mean its available.

Blood Money, in canon, is found in only two places I know of, The Anathema Archives and Karzoug's spellbook. So unless you are in Rise of the Runelords, or some post-Karzoug slaying adventure, no Blood Money.

Terrible week at work. I've basically worked, got home, spent time with kids before bed, slept, and started each day over. We have a big design review with the government coming up next week and hopefully normalcy returns afterwards. I will push as soon as I have a free hour.

Terrible week at work. I've basically worked, got home, spent time with kids before bed, slept, and started each day over. We have a big design review with the government coming up next week and hopefully normalcy returns afterwards. I will push as soon as I have a free hour.

Ooh, sorry. Knowledge Planes for D27; but I will take a Religion check at DC30 too.

Anyway, that extra 5 AC fundamentally changed the combat, as is pretty obvious when you think about it. At the end of last session, Malek had opened the door into the great hall, been hit by the two waiting alchemical golems, and the party saw nine morlocks waiting for them, and those who could see magic auras saw...

One non-electronic option:

A second level spell is "surely" the equivalent of a 5th level spell with limitations ("If cast upon a creature that has died within 1 round,") consequences (Creatures brought back to life through breath of life gain a temporary negative level that lasts for 1 day." and a 7th levels spell.

But that second level spell doesn't give you any benefits of actually sleeping, which is a big downside to any but pure melee classes. Like I said before, Keep Watch seems to be way worse as a 1st level spell.

The real question for a GM to houserule is whether just removing the fatigued condition is enough to prevent you from dying from lack of sleeping. I would say yes in my games because ultimately it is fatigue that kills you.

That's a scarecrow argument, and little to do with this thread.

It is completely applicable. Magic can bring you back to life, even after being dead for 10 years. Why would removing the need for rest somehow fall outside its boundaries?

Keep Watch is a 1st level spell that a bunch of non-cleric classes get and gives you the benefits of a full night sleep (spells, abilities, Hp, etc.)

Nap Stack is a 3rd level spell that is ridiculously helpful in essentially granting extra night's sleep for a single night's sleep.

Lesser Restoration is a 2nd level spell that takes away the fatigued condition and does not give you any benefits for a night's rest.

Honestly, Keep Watch is way more of the issue than lesser restoration.

You mean to tell me that the *Death* condition can be cured by a simple casting of Breathe of Life, Raise Dead, Resurrection, Reincarnation (ignoring Limited Wish, Wish, and Miracle)?

You mean to tell me that the "I've lose an arm or a leg" condition can be cured by a simple casting of Regeneration?

Are these somehow less severe conditions than not sleeping?
But, to one of your other points: Humans will die without sleep, yes, unless of course you cast lesser restoration, because magic!

You should be trying to give your players a fun and rewarding challenge. But in my opinion, a GM should never be trying to kill them.

Why would you even need to try and kill them? Just kill them if that's your goal. Gm'ing shouldn't be a me vs. them thing. It is everyone's shared experience.

12" Zeiss Telescope

This is a 12" diameter lens. The article doesn't mention the lens weight, and I know nothing at all about telescope lenses, but I would say that 10 lbs is a fair estimate.

This isn't really a make your PC a functional member of the colony type of AP. You will still be a hero through and through. Though, being a tailor/clothes-maker does give you a good secondary skill to perhaps trade with colony members and maybe others.

The history of Thassilon and Azlant are very much tied together. Other than the history, there isn't really very much similarity between the APs themselves.

1. Exploration and establishment of a colony
2. Azlant! Golarion's other ancient history
3. Crazy new race encounters
4. Underwater mayhem

If #1 isn't an exciting theme, then yes you will struggle.

Getting into the mindset of someone starting a colony, trying to figure out what happened to the previous colonists, being the overall "protectors", and excited history buffs about the earliest humans on Golarion is what should drive the PCs early on.

At first, they may need hints that their immediate goal is "what the heck happened" and not full island exploration because if they stray too far, they are potentially leaving the colony without their defense.

You can easily lead them to the right areas anyway because they should have no idea what the island looks like - don't give them the overhead map! They can make survival checks to explore and you can put whatever you want in front of them. They should eventually see the tall tower, or hear about it from the two statue-things.

That being said, if they are determined to explore, you can let them wander into too high of an encounter - hopefully they realize it and run. That is how this game used to be played; you didn't always get "level appropriate encounters".

Finally, and most importantly, you should NOT run an AP that you aren't interested in, even if that is what your players want. You will not enjoy it and consequently they won't either. Work together and pick something else you are all interested in.

I really liked how in the Dragonlance world of Krynn, using magic, especially powerful magic, fatigued the caster. That was a nice balance to demi-godness that is a high level spellcaster. (and I always play casters so I am not railing against that)

Something like that would explain it as well, though not within the Pathfinder rules.

I have not purchased a Map Folio product before. I am curious as to how this is different and the same as the maps provided within the AP books? Other than being a "Poster Map", what are the benefits?

One of the motivations would be exploring the rest of the island to map it and identify / deal with threats to the colony.

For me,

K (Dungeoneering ) would reveal basically what Zhangar stated at the normal DC. At higher DCs and/or with access to large city libraries, then more statistical facts and possible a flavor encounter story would be available.

I would allow a very high DC K (History) to learn anything about their significance to earthfall, and an even higher DC to recall anything about their significance to the rise of the humans. These would mostly come in the form of stories or legends.

The weapon deals the same damage type that your kinetic blast deals, and it interacts with Armor Class and spell resistance as normal for a blast of its type.

Kinetic blast doesn't change the fact that it is an energy blast at heart. You still get to use a touch attack and you still have to deal with SR.

If you Fire Blast with kinetic blade you still have to worry about a SR and resistances.

Runeforge

You will definitely be providing an 'unforgiving experience', though it sounds awesome.

I have to say that Souls for Smuggler's shiv will eat up a bunch of NPC classes I think. It can be pretty hard for regular PCs. I'm sure GM variation probably factors into its "hardness" extremes.

Now, if you are going to keep the rest of the NPCs around and take away the end-game part of the adventure (since it is really only applicable to continuing Serpent's Skull), then it should work out better. Though, there are still going to be serious challenges among the remaining inhabitants, especially the unnatural ones.

I highly recommend Heart of the Jungle if you want to provide more of a survival experience. There are lots of extra diseases and hazards that would be great to incorporate and are not mentioned in the module, especially the jungle diseases.

You should read the Serpent's Skull Obituaries thread (obviously spoilers) if you want to challenge your notion of the "easiness" of Souls for Smuggler's Shiv.

Rise of the Runelords Book 1 contains a low level goblin invasion. You could look to the for some ideas.

I try to pre-roll and pre-prepare random encounters just as if they were part of the adventure. For me, to make it truly random means a lot of unnecessary slow down during play and I am bound to play the encounter sub-optimally if I have to read/remember everything right on the spot.

Scratch Paper
Dice
Pencil
Notes

There are a couple CR 8 genies with wish. I doubt it gets lower than that, but you can search on wish (sp) and see what happens .

That is a good point, Corvus, as well. If the most glaring issue is "what was the lich doing with his spare time", then everything else is likely pretty solid. Of course, it is hard to discuss actually play matters at this point since very few groups would have made it to this book yet.

Given that, I didn't really try to think about it much, but I imagine that even if you knew what you were going it would take a tremendous amount of time to build and program a functional clockwork leviathan single handed. I am sure there was a lot of time spent on failing and trying again as well.

If I made it to this book, I think I would just play up the "mad scientist tinkerer" aspect of Auberon and perhaps leave a lot more evidence of his clockwork machinations. "One time the master went into his laboratory and didn't come back out for 300 years, oh those were good times ...".

(Note I believe that the "Unknown Supplier of Druidic Magic" is actually a committee, and this is just the sort of thing one would expect to get from a committee.)

It is probably a sub-committee of the CFB Playoff committee.

justaworm wrote:

My f2f group has average finishing an AP per 4 or so years.

So... you're saying that I'm slow?

-Skeld

Hah, I was merely stating fact. I have no idea what is slow or fast. Frankly, we are probably right on track for the number of hours we put into it. It seems to be mostly kids' soccer that's our problem... :)

What are you trying to actually achieve? For all of your home games, great, druids can wear metal armor now. Otherwise, the rule is very clear and doesn't have to "make sense".

It isn't an issue of being "natural", it is more of a "it once was alive" thing. Its been a druid thing for a long time, and it probably existed originally to add balance and flavor. However, that balance was undone anyway through the use of special materials. It used to be a great milestone to done your first suit of dragonhide platemail or scalemail as a druid...

One way to eliminate the pointless encounters and encourage PCs to solve problems without fighting is to ditch XP. I highly recommend it. ;)

Also keep in mind that APs may not be the best option for your group. My f2f group has average finishing an AP per 4 or so years. That is a lot of patience, commitment, GM keeping very good notes, etc.

There are a lot of very good modules out there too. Or, you can play through only certain books of an AP as well, as many could be easily picked up at different points along the way.