Search Posts
Let's keep feedback or requests for changes polite and free of aggressive language. I would be willing to pay for this as an app I loved the clickable version of the rulebook Searching was better. Graphic design was better Like many others as a GM all PRD content was automatically legal at my table I love AoN and use them a lot, but i am devestated at the loss of the PRD. I am going to have to buy a forklift to start carrying all my hardbacks again
I just want others to be aware that the T-Shirt is not as depicted. The goblin illustration is the same, but it is floated on a field of garish green. The words GOBLiN SQUaD are in black on the same field. The actual shirt lacks the cool goblin face that replaces the dot on the i in the shirt pictured. Instead of the ominous spooky look of the shirt shown, this one is kind of obnoxious. Floating the goblins on green actually takes away from their visual impact. Had i known, i would have gotten the We Be Goblins shirt instead.
Hi Lou, Great mod. This was my first PFS session and I am in turn running it for our regular game group tonight. You asked about the Taldan faction mission. This remains to this day my favorite faction mission ever. I love the fact that two PC's are working at opposite ends of the problem. While i can see that i would lead to party infighting among some groups, i would like to see more modules where not everyone could necessarily accomplish their faction mission. Here is how it went down for my 1st level halfling rogue. After picking the lock and getting inside, the rogue draws his rapier, jumps up on the desk and brandishes it at Pardu, demanding he spill everything he knows about Lady Anilah. He rolls well on his intimidate (the half orc barbarian standing behind him didn't hurt) and Pardu begins to babble. "I didn't know, i swear, i bought her from Fredrick, when i found out who she was and that Ren..." The second syllable never left his lips. The rogue plunged the rapier into his gut, crit, confirm + sneak - Pardu was done. "He was lying, i could see it in his eyes" the halfling says to the barbarian nonchalantly wiping his blade clean. Every so often in this game the roleplay and the dice work together to let you have a perfect cinematic moment. Thank you for that one! Arnold PS - The barbarian later fell to one of the gnolls, the last fight was indeed deadly, the halfling barely squeaked away with his life.
Ahhh yes, but the plucky halfling rogue managed to save the day and Lady Anilah!!! As long as one character survives, it is a win for the Pathfinders! Had so much fun when Josh ran this that a year later i am running it for our weekly game group as we take a pause in our 3yr long campaign. Thanks Josh - You da man!
I know its a Wizkids collaboration, but like Auxmaulous stated in the thread above we need static Creature Packs: something like 2-10 minis per set: Something like 10 for small sized creatures, 8 for medium, 4 for large, 2-3 for huge, 1-2 Gargantuan/colossal. No set should cost more than $19.99 to keep it affordable. Huge kudos to these posters! - With the death of DDM someone needs to step into the void. I have been longing and begging for someone to sell pre painted minis like they did lead minis in the 70's. PC characters sold individually at premium prices (enabling higher quality and lots of variety so you can find the crossbow wielding gnome you really want). Monsters sold in bunches...a blister pack with 5 orcs, or 7 kobolds, or... you get the idea. Big monsters sold individually at higher costs as well. I would love to see differing quality levels reflected in the price - ie When you are sculpting Ezrin, go all out. A player has no problem popping $5 (or more) for the absolute to die for mini of his beloved PC. The GM who needs a dozen goblins and some dogs for an encounter doesn't need perfect paint jobs, they just want to get the minis they need for a couple of bucks a pop even if that means sacrificing an amazing paint job for a merely good one. Here's hoping these are a big success for WizKids and they follow up with other offerings. Put me down for a set and a promise to spend lavishly on future offerings. I want more pre-painted plastic minis and i am happy WizKids is stepping up to the plate.
i LOVE this cantrip... exactly what the character needs - unfortunately the Ultimate Cantrip page says specifically that these are not legal for PFS
Yeah... i noticed this loophole too ;) - Seems like and Orison would work by RAW but not by spirit of the rule I haven't taken it to my PFS GM although i although i think he might allow it, but i thought if i posted here, maybe one of the official voices on high would weigh in definitively on the issue ;)
There is a "source of power" consideration. Arcane Dabbling gives arcane spells. Among other things, this makes them subject to arcane spell failure. I don't see any Orisons as overpowered, but I probably wouldn't want a Fighter to have Stabilize, for example. Arcane Spell Failure - good call, hadn't thought of that aspect of things. As for Stabilize - I sort of like the idea of the Fighter running up to be a human shield over his fallen comrade and spending his standard action to save their life - very spirit of the game. Where as a fighter who can cast Bleed is just downright creepy ;) - "hey... i'm killing you, don't you dare try to survive!"
I am searching without success for a trait to use in a character build. It seems like a trait that should be out there, but i can't find it. What i would like to do is be able to cast one Orison, one or more times per day (the character is not a spell caster). Magical Talent, Arcane Dabbler - both of these allow this with a cantrip, but i have not found anything similar for divine spells. Seems like it would be functionally equivalent, and a quick look at the list of Orisons doesn't show me anything that could be abused (although I am quite sure someone out there would be able to munchkin something...). In a home campaign i know my GM would allow it, but this is a build for PFS so i need it to be legal. The goal is to have an Alchemist who can cast Create Water... because you just know she will set one of her allies on fire sooner or later ;)
the Polearm Master can use the Pole Fighting feature to change a reach weapon to a non-reach weapon (with an initial -4 penalty to hit) as an immediate action at 2nd level This is exactly the solution i was looking for - solves my problem quite handily - Thank you ProfPotts. I have been so busy building an alchemist and exploring lots of the other goodness in the book that i hadn't even looked at the fighter stuff yet. WOW, the APG is just packed with goodness, easily my favorite RPG book since Path BETA!!!!
I get the balance issue, and realize that the build allows a great deal of terrain control... that is the whole point of the build after all. I do think taking away these feats makes this character ridiculously vulnerable. Take a look at the following situation: Reach Fighter hits caster. Caster 5 foot steps in and casts Touch of some kind of badness on fighter. At this point one of two things can occur: 1) Fighter drops reach weapon (free action) and takes his AoO with cestus. This is fair enough. 2) GM rules that holding a reach weapon means adjacent square is not threatened. Based on this the GM disallows the free action and allows the caster to hit the fighter with impunity. Situation #2 would probably be my ruling as a GM and i think it is the correct one, but it makes life really difficult for the fighter, who just wanted to protect his allies. How would you rule?
Seeking a rules clarification, or an explanation. Recently I have built a character for Pathfinder Society. The basic idea is simple, a human fighter with a reach weapon whose role is to control terrain and protect his allies. At first level he takes 3 feats: Dodge, Mobility and Combat Reflexes. My problem comes when I try to build from here. There a several feats that seem ideal for his role and motivation, yet they are specifically worded to be unusable by a fighter with a reach weapon. Specifically the feats Stand Still and Step Up are both worded to only function against an adjacent opponent, effectively making them worthless for the reach fighter. It is unfortunate, as both of these feats would be ideal choices for a character whose whole raison d'être is to protect his comrades. This wording is clearly intentional, but I don’t understand why. I have read the other threads, but I guess what I am hoping for is a definitive explanation of the thinking behind preventing these from being used by reach weapons.
Our heros find themselves in trouble after traveling to another plane. They are in a dwarven city, making an alliance with a former enemy in order to rescue a companion stranded here on their last visit. But what of the rise of the dwarven vengeance demon? And how is it that events on this plane seem to have dramatic repercussions on the small fishing village our heros hail from? Join us and help us find out! Our group meets Sundays from 5:30-9:30 in Santa Rosa. We formed over four years ago and are all adults with a varied gaming background from earliest D&D to those who came to RPG's through console games. For our core game we have played 3.5, Path Beta, and now Pathfinder. We also run one offs in everything from MouseGuard to FATE, Star Wars d6, you name it. We recently ran a short Serenity campaign. We have a rare open spot at the table and we are looking for the right person to join the team. There is an NPC avaible for a trial run if you would like to sit in for a session. This gives you a chance to meet the group, and the group a chance to meet you. If it works well and both sides think it is a good fit then you will be invited to join the group and will create your own character to weave into our story. Post here if you are interested we'll make all the arrangements... Happy Gaming!
Definitely Bard/Rogue with high Int/Dex - he is a powerfully skilled and very knowledgeable individual for Feats i'd go Dual Wield/Weapon Finesse/Point Blank (that +1 helps with daggers low damage... pus you are "always" in point blank range with a dagger)
look forward to others replies - this is a fun project
I love that everyone looked at this as a time bomb... my first thought was a reset switch! Load it up with Mass Heal. Flip it at the begining of combat. Nine rounds later if you are still standing, you stop it from going off. If the whole party has fallen... BOOM! Everyone is healed, and you have a second chance to fight. Either you learn from your mistakes and win the second time around, or you learn from your mistakes and run like hell! I love the fact that used like this it would heal the bad guys too (most often) and the combat would repeat. My favorite of the pack!
Here's what i will be doing (starting Sunday) in our campaign (Beta): Drow Sleep Poison
Exhausted: -6 to Str & Dex
Fatigued: -2 to Str & Dex
My players are mowing down the Drow, so this makes even a passed save somewhat problematic... a bit of an increase of the threat, to compensate for nerfing the longer unconscious period. If your party is not having the same ease with the drow, simply make a save totally negate. While i left the mechanics for rest in the descriptions, i deliberately made everything 1d4. My intent is to have the poison affect that particular combat encounter tactically and strategically, not alter the course of the adventure.
I appreciate everyones thoughts on this. After a bit of relative figuring, i came to many of the same conclusions. I found that even a rogue two weapon fighting with a flank can deal close to 40 in a full round action, and the fighter can do it every round and move as well. It was just shocking to see the overnight transformation of the ranger. Suddenly he had an extra attack, an extra arrow and his favored enemy bonus was getting added in 4 times a round. He was unstoppable. Great for him, it was definitely his epic night and he earned a significant amount of credibility with the rest of the party. Terrible for the GM... i wasn't able to cause any havoc at all :(
Am i the only one who thinks this is broken??? Last night the party's 6th level ranger was firing 4 arrows per round at his favored enemies and (assuming they all hit, and he is very good, so most did) doing 4d8+4(str)+16(favored enemy) damage - that is an AVERAGE of 36 point of damage per round for a 6th level character!!! - This is in a campaign where most of his encounters will be against his favored enemy (Second Darkness...). He was an unstoppable killing machine and had more kills than the rest of the party combined. I don't mind the change in action type, or the fact that it can be combined with rapid shot, but why was the -4 removed????
Regarding goblins:
Did they not get these facts transfered properly to the "Reincarnate" template in the PHB (p 332)? Actually running a game tonight with a Goblin Wizard (he used to be an elf, he is a little pissed off about his new looks and has a chip on his shoulder the size of Cheliax!)
Synergies are dead and buried. I'll add my shovel full !!! While great fun to munchkin, they were an absolute pain in the posterior when trying to figure out a character sheet (for say an 8th level rogue/sorcerer...). I love what Pathfinder has done with skills. As a GM i can build a 10th level Druid/Monk/Bard (god forbid) and not have to figure out at which levels he would be able to buy which skills. Simplified character creation immensely. Thanks Paizo!
If you take Agile Maneuvers to add Dex in place of Str when calculating CMB, do you then add Dex again for CMD??? if CMB = BAB + Dex + size and CMD = CMB + Dex does CMD = BAB + Dex + Dex + size on the one hand it seems right, on the other hand it seems like double dipping
I have been using the "generic" item cards for several years... Second Darkness was the first time i had an opportunity to use the custom set to go with the adventures. I was very surprised (just like you) that there was no key to tell you which items go where in the campaign... I posted a similar concern in the product discussion. I have been watching this thread with interest to see if any of the Paizonians would come to your rescue... hopefully now that they are getting back from GenCon.
I too would vote for a lighter smaller book (don't get me wrong, i want the bible too). I'd like a smaller PHB only type book, with relevant game information that you reference while playing. I am not dragging a 500+ page rule book and a bestiary to every session i GM (in addition to battle mat, minis, dice, 3 ring binder, adventure path, initiative tracker, etc. etc. etc.) I would not like something that ended at 5th level, just something that left out all the GM stuff and magic items. I'd buy a second book, thats gotta be worth something to a publishing company ;)
Virashi:
They killed the wraith before encountering Virashi. I played it very creepy and had her be evilly calm and commanding with her voice all drawn out "YOU are the ones, yes it IS you, COME... let me thank you properly" - Those of the party who had the courage to step forward and be embraced by her, received the +4/+2 which helped all but one escape Chmetugo's Magic Jar, then she disappeared. I chose not to have her stick around for bardic abilities because there was enough going on in those caves that i did not want to be running an NPC on the side of the party as well As for Noqual, i made it a knowledge check. It had been found before, it is just that there had never before been an opportunity to harvest so much, hence the "gold rush" (people selling bogus maps of devils elbow, weird elixers of protection, special solvents to dissolve away rock and leave just the noqual... all sorts of stuff). My party is under treasured (they have managed to sink a fair bit of loot, first in riddleport harbor, then in the sea caves), but did rescue a Gas Forge Dwarf so they will be rewarded with some low cost goodies.
Really, was anyone supposed to like any elves at the end of this? We started last fall, 1x/week 3-4 hours, and are just wrapping up Children of the Void... we play at a snails pace and they have created lots of their own side stories. I too am troubled by how unlikable the elves are... Kwava in particular has nothing to offer the party in terms of information and yet is supposed to be their guide. Everyone in my group hates him and only tolerates him due to OOC comments from me. We have begun playing him a bit for comic relief and i can't wait to get rid of him. I plan to alter the story a bit in Armageddon Echo to portray the elves more sympathetically and try to rally the party to the cause. In the end the only reason they are following the path is because curiosity killed the cat... Thanks for the reviews and tips, they will help me navigate the months to come!
This is all spoiler... Movie plot spoiler:
First of all, i had the same fears, and my party (3 5th level, 2 4th) came through it all right.
For starters, keep the guards from retreating so they can be faced more or less two at a time. Secondly i made the guards motivation to stop the PC's advance. So when drow poison dropped one of the PC's, the guards did not coup de grace (as i saw it they would have been flogged for abandoning their responsibility to savor a kill). Although Depora or Shindiira would have coup de grace'd without hesitation had the opportunity come to them. The Shadow Demon was the most dangerous, but they dropped him to half and he used Deeper Darkness to retreat into his Magic Jar. Then he went for a ride along in the body of the parties ranger, who tried unsuccessfully to trip his friends and push them into the water (bad dice) he even took shots at them (all missing, dice again) in the heat of combat. I kept Xaikahn busy with summoning (some of which are ineffective) and actually had him summon the crocodile next to a prone drow (he is chaotic after all). Once the first person in the party attacked Depora, i had Shindiira shoot her in the back (no poison), at which point Depora spun and they engaged in a futile exchange of 1d4 attacks, giving the PC's time to take care of guards and Xiakahn. (During this whole time Shindiira was out of the range of their lights). Once they were through with the guards and X, they took out Depora. As the party was looting the bodies, the bard moved the light and as soon as the ledge came into view Shindiira dropped and started to attack with spells. Enter the Orca... At virtually the same instant that they killed Shindiira, the ranger finally rolls well enough to throw the wizard into the water. She gets bit by the Orca for big damage, and executes a full round retreat to get out of the water. The orca with reach makes a critical on it's attack of opportunity and kills her outright. That ended the night, with the ranger still in the jar and the demon still in his body. I thought the party did awesome and was very pleased that they survived with only one casualty. Of course it was the wizard so they have no way to identify all the great stufff they looted ;) All in all i think what saved it was Depora and Shindiira being busy fighting each other, that really gave the PC's a window to just deal with the 3 guards, druid, gecko, crocodile, eagle, and bat swarm... Good luck!
Our party suffered it's first casualty this evening. Name: Angelina
Spoiler: Upon entering the caves, Chmetugo took possession of the body of Garand, the parties ranger. He tried all night to push and trip his fellow party members, but due to unkind dice they all perceived the ranger as oafish and rude, after all he kept bumping into everyone.
After heroically battling their way through everything the caves had to offer, it came down to just Shindiira vs. the PC's. She cackles as she slowly strides across the water toward them, casting Shatter to crush the piling beneath them sending 3 characters into the water. The Orca shows up and chomps one, and they all make their way to shore terrified of the water as the whale disappears below the surface. At this point in a cloud of magical darkness left over from one of the drow, Chmetugo in the guise of the ranger bull rushes the parties sorcerer and Angelina goes tumbling into the water not sure what hit her. She was sure of the whale that chomped immediately on her leg. Executing a full round retreat she tried beat a hasty path back toward higher ground. With the benefit of reach the Orca snaps one more time at her, scoring a crit that killed her and dragging her corpse and treasure to the watery depths below. That ended the session! Some of the party want to hunt the whale, to retrieve their fallen friend and see if any magic can save what may remain of her body. No one has yet to point an accusing finger at the ranger, but several party members noticed and are very suspicious.
So, I guess what I need is: how do I challenge these guys, without killing the party? I'm surprised it is not happening... are you running 3.5 or Pathfinder? - the Pathfinder characters are a bit overpowered, but depending on how stingy you have been with loot (i find the first module a bit stingy and my character found it VERY stingy) some of those encounters should prove very threatening. Places i dropped characters (i have not killed anyone):
Spoiler:
Smeed... he got them fighting on the stairs and focused on the first one, dropping him before they were able to overwhelm him.
Foamrunner - Old Korvosa bullrushed an armored character into the bay, she began drowning while the party was forced to divide it's attention between rescuing her and fighting Bradikkar Faje. Swamp - lack of magic weapons/silver weapons made this VERY dangerous, i pulled a few punches here (switching targets) to keep it from going horribly wrong. Under the Gate - DA got away before they got there, but i had her leave the Dretches. Between the DR and the resist Acid/Fire they had a hard time doing much damage. Stink cloud and position seperated one player from the group. After dropping him, i chose to pursue the others, but could have easily finished the player off. As it was it made an interesting race for time to get someone past the Dretches and back to rescue their downed colleague. Chmetugo - could have easily laid waste to several party members (everyone failed their fear save) but he retreated to wait in his Magic Jar (they've been on the island long enough he has the spell back) - can't wait to posess a character next session as for some of the other issues...
hope this helps!
This is more a gut feeling decision than anything else. I am GMing a group of 5 characters. We are leveling almost exactly where the plot indicates we should, and i have found the EL balance almost perfect. Most major encounters that are meaningful have resulted in one or two of the party dropped to unconscious and i have yet to have a character death. Never run anything that has worked out so well, the players are in a perpetual state of fear... i love it! Spoiler:
Towards the end of Shadow in the Sky and also in Children of the Void there are a lot of creatures with DR. Keep an eye on your parties ability to overcome this and perhaps seed an item or two so that at least some of the party can be effective in these encounters. (We are running Pathfinder rules and the Wizard's 1st level school power (SU) has carried the group through) Hope this helps
Has anyone tried the games? My group is somewhat unpredicatble, so I want to be prepared. We ran them all, some longer than others... it just depends on your group Bounder - Fun & Fast, easy to teach, quick to play - the best of them - not so great odds for the players, but it took them a while to realize and they control their wagers based on how they are rolling... so it worked out really well Ghoulette - Just plain silly and a lot of fun - again quick to resolve and simple so you can focus on roleplaying the other participants and making the crowd come to life - I and others have posted lists of insults to make your life easy Golem - Fun game, but too complicated to GM (i was playing the dealer, gambling the golem hand and trying to be two different sets of NPC's at the same time...) - i was not a fan, keeping track of all the action kept me in management mode rather than story mode Skiffs - Cool concept - the game takes time and the winnings are meager - better suited as a pass the time on a guard shift game than a casino - but it is fun and has a bit of a strategic learning curve that makes it enjoyable to play
I'll confine my comments to the first few modules, as the group I GM is still on the second. Be forewarned upfront.... this adventure starts slowly! Once you get to the second half of the first adventure things pick up, but in order to set up all of the things happening, many days need to go by. The roleplayers in your party will fill these days with all sorts of side stories (and get attached to Riddleport in the process), the combat monkeys will be bored stiff. Later on the story and combat both move faster so that it is easier to keep everyone happy. Also be watchful about alignment when helping your group create characters, Riddleport is a town where it is impossible to be squeaky clean, and on the flipside if a character is too ruthless they could become the Mayor!!! Someone posted a timeline for Shadow in the Sky. It is awesome. I adapted it, moved a few events around and added some "non events" so it wasn't always a meta game clue when the PC's were asked to run an errand, or when someone came into the Gold Goblin (it is also a great way to foreshadow minor characters that will appear later or in the AP). The fact is that weeks go by as the story unfolds, so it really helps to know when it is and when payday is so you can keep the flow and trickle out clues and details appropriately. This has been the hardest part for me/my group we are all used to the sort of "time is of the essence, hurry up" type of campaign where there is no room to stray from the tracks. In this it is all about straying from the tracks and figuring out bit by bit how things fit. Spoiler:
Second Darkness TIMELINE An Offer you can’t refuse:
Day 1... on the Job at the Gold Goblin:
Day 2... The First Night [EL 2]
Event:
Day 4 … An Unfriendly Warning [EL 1]
Event
Day 7... PAYDAY…
A New Friend:
Day 10…
Event
Swamp Barracuda [EL 2] Day 14... PAYDAY…
Event
A Missing Employee…
Day 21... PAYDAY… Attack on the Foamrunner [EL 4]
Event- Hubbub in streets…
Samaritha Beldusk leaves for the Cyphermages Day 28... PAYDAY… Event - The sky is falling
Day 35... PAYDAY… just after closing… The Raid [EL variable]
Part Three: Hidden Enemies and Unexpected Allies
Event - Whole Lotta Shakin
Back to the Gold Goblin
Riddleport IS random encounters. Many of them (con men, drug dealers, fences, prostitutes) are the flavor of the town. Be ready for them so they feel genuine to the players (have a list of male and female names at your fingertips, so when you need to make any situation real, you don't have to invent a name). This is a fun city to GM, lots of great potential for characters with interesting motives. My players are wrote an entirely different story alongside the adventure, which is great fun. In the first module, you will spend a LOT of time in the Gold Goblin. Get yourself a flip mat and draw out the Gold Goblin in sharpie. Then you can use dry erase to customize as things go on, but the sharpie will last the duration of the adventure. (For those who don't know - putting dry erase over the sharpie will let you erase both, restoring your flip mat to it's pristine condition for future adventures ;) Most importantly... ENJOY IT! The really nice thing about the beginning of this adventure is things evolve slowly. You have all the time in the world to set the scene and make it believable. The burden of pacing, at least at the start, is on the players. The trick is to keep the days moving at a steady pace. We have gone whole sessions without combat encounters, and yet there are enough odd and interesting things happening that my players are enjoying it. Children of the Void is running smooth as glass for my party. This is a very open ended adventure and yet my group is putting the pieces together in nearly perfect order. Rarely have i run something with so little to force the direction and had it go so smoothly, a testament to the skill of both Mike McArtor and my players. There is another thread where someone pointed out problems with the adventure path with regards to railroads and leaps of faith. It is well thought out and has some simple fixes, it is worth hunting up. Spoiler:
Shadow in the Sky - Kwava is (as my group has named him) “The worst NPC ever!” - he knows nothing, yet serves as a guide - he distrusts humans, has terrible charisma and yet expects them to work for him... - it took a metagame leap for my players to make thier characters accept him and i wish i’d have introduced him differently - give him some more concrete information to earn the parties trust... something, anything... perhaps tangible proof that Sual had Feldin killed (a blow my group took hard as i played Feldin as the warm and fuzzy daily contact, and Sual as benevolently detached and often mysteriously absent) Children of the Void - This is really playing wonderfully. I created seperate random encounters for seaside and inland to expand the list of opponents a bit. For the rest, this one is perfect. In Armageddon Echo - Let the party do the scouting to get the information on Celwynvian (which buildings are in use, guard patrol routes, etc.). This gives rogues and rangers a chance to shine and gets the party invested in the objective. Also I love the idea of having them find a lab where a wizard is woking on the Drow to Elf version of Recorporeal Incarnation and letting the parties mages puzzle out the details and do spellcraft checks to realize they could do the opposite. I actually think that my group may come up with the idea for Endless Night on thier own... if they don’t i plan on having them get stymied on the details of the spell and have the Shin’Rakorath call in the services of Gisiel Voslil. This is not my idea, but i think it is brilliant and i look forward to watching it play out.
Have fun! Arnold
Just get yourself a Paizo flip mat and use the blank side to draw out the Gold Goblin in sharpie. Then you can use dry erase to customize as things go on, but the sharpie will last the duration of the adventure. (For those who don't know - putting dry erase over the sharpie will let you erase both, restoring your flip mat to it's pristine condition for future adventures ;) I know lead time on a product that comes out monthly is tough, but i do wish with things like the Gold Goblin that they simply issued a Casino flip mat that matched the goblin... It would be just as useful as the "waterfront tavern" or the "bar" flip mat with the added benefit of being perfect for us adventure path fetishists (is that even a word?).
Ok... lot's of ideas so forgive me if this rambles a bit 1st off - I get an itemized reciept, in addition my purchase history is tracked in their computer (please god, don't let them tell my wife how much i spend on dice...) Many of the objections to the various "buy print, redeem PDF" scenarios center on what happens with returns and or theft. I think these are specious objections, most of which would be handled by the retailer. When it comes to theft, it is clearly the responsibility of the merchant just as if it were shoplifted. If a sealed envelope with a code is opened/removed or a mail in form is torn out of a book, someone in the store should have noticed. If they didn't my suspicion is there is a lot of product walking out the door. At any rate, it is a simple matter for the customer and or employee to verify that the product is intact when it is sold. If it is not, a discount should apply and the merchant should bear the responsibility, just as they would if a cover was torn etc. As far as returns, they are sort of the same issue. A book with a page missing or a validation code envelope opened should not be returnable for full price. Giving the customer less in return value, would enable the merchant to sell it as "Print only, no PDF" and some lucky person who didn't care could save a few bucks. In the case of the code, if it was present and the envelope opened, perhaps the merchant could contact Paizo and have them reactivate the code for 1 more download. Yes this would "cost" Paizo a free download, but the nature of the process would insure it could not be abused as Paizo would know which retailers were requesting codes to be reactivated. My suspicion is this would be infrequent, but perhaps that reflects my consumer habits (if i like it it goes on the good shelf, products that dissappoint go to the shelves in the laundry room ;)) Again all of these depend on the merchant doing their job, but most decent retailers look out for their customers and have a great deal off experience with return policies and abuses. Failure to handle these issues properly will result in a bad impression of the retailer, not Paizo. At worst, i could forsee limited situations where Paizo created a code especially for a disgruntled customer to keep them happy, while making them aware that their retailer had done them a disservice. Again in this scenario Paizo has tracking on which retailers are causing the problem. I still would favor a system where merchant participation was required. (Either a sticker attached to the mail in form at the time of purchase or perhaps a two part activation code where the number in the book also required an additional few digits to identify the retailer which the retailer would supply at purchase.) This would be an advantage to the small shop, and would give Paizo a way to weed out problem stores. If a store was a "Paizo Plus" dealer (or some far more saavy term that isn't occuring to me now) customers would know they would get free PDF's with purchase. Stores which couldn't handle the program would lose their preffered vendor status. As far as retailers fearing Paizo as competition, given the amount of value i get buying direct from Paizo, there is a legitimate reason for them to fear this. Giving those merchants a way to offer greater value would only serve to level the playing field and make Paizo seem more of an ally and less of a threat. I'm going to go out on a limb and say that 99% of people who would want a PDF of a Paizo product, have an internet connection and probably realize Paizo has a website. That being said it would be fairly easy for Paizo to have a redemption page which was seperate from the rest of the website and could even be viewed within a window from the local store if they were web saavy. So whats in it for Paizo? Lower margins, more hassles - seems like a great deal to me ;) In truth we all know that a good local store is the best advertiser and promoter of product there is. While it would be difficult to accurately assess the value of the game store in promoting Paizo product, i can think of very few options which would be better targetted and more effective (actually i can think of only one, a booth at a con - and that reaches a very small percentage of the market). Clearly when one of your best marketing allies is facing economic challenges it seems like basic self interest to take reasonable steps to help them compete. Also, Kevin Andrew Murphy's idea about upselling the free PDF should not be ignored. Possibilities include: additional PDF sales being offered at the time of redemption (say Pathfinder Scenarios which aren't in the retailer), Coupon pages built into free PDF's to promote related products (Discounts on Campaing Setting, or "try your first Adventure Path at XX% off"), or even simply advertising to build awareness of GameMastery products or Planet Stories (these type of things are in the hard copies... why not make them Page 1 of the free PDF, so it opens to an ad??? - a bit tacky to some perhaps, but a small price to pay for a free PDF and it may serve to introduce folks to other products) Lastly, i want to touch on stores. Someone made a joke about the LLGS (lousy local game store) and there have been lots of remarks about negative practices at less than stellar merchants. Clearly if your local store does not provide the experience or service you are looking for, then you owe them no loyalty. In my case, my local game store (5 minutes away) is a comic book shop filled with kids playing Magic. Everytime i go there i feel like a 40 year old adolescant, who desperately needs to get a life. So i don't go. I am quite sure for someone else it is the right store. My FLGS (Gamescape North in San Rafael CA) is over 40 miles from my house. Due to distance i go less than once a month, but i am always greeted by name when i walk through the door. They host game nights and miniatures paining workshops, and the clientele runs the gamut from housewives to high school students, ordained ministers to graphic designers. I have been involved in one off roleplaying games so immersive i was nearly in tears, as well as multiple GM games where players shifting realities moved between tables to different GM's. Everytime i leave the store i am thankful that i particiapte in a hobby that attracts so many amazingly interesting and fantastically creative people. I am priveleged to have this store within driving distance and will do all i can within my budget to support them.
AMEN! - I am right there with you. I only wish that more people were willing to pay a bit extra for all the value added they receive from their FLGS. Cheapness is killing us in all areas of our lives, and gaming is no exception. When that good store goes away, where will you find out about and have a chance to try great games like Spirit of the Century or Burning Wheel ???? Who will let you know about new products like the Game Mastery initiative tracker??? (saw it at a game night and bought it the same night!) As much as we all learn from the internet, when push comes to shove this is a face to face hobby, and the best place to meet those faces is the FLGS. Hopefully Paizo will find a way to support the small game shops. These are the places people find out about the latest games and the best products. They are an essential marketing arm for Paizo and well worth the small dip in profit margin (wholesale is about 45% off, subscription is 30%). I'm running a Pathfinder game at a game night next week, introducing more people to PFRPG.
Funny how when thinking people put their heads together good ideas result! Thanks to Herald for lots of good thoughts on what to look out for when designing a tamper proof system. The discourse with Xuttah (sniping aside... please lets focus on solutions, and finding/solving problems with those solutions - not finding problems with the poster) showed progress in getting to a viable solution. Huge thanks to J Joes for reminding us that sometimes low tech old school solutions work best. If Paizo cannot or will not make the leap of faith to trust their retailers, this option would put total control of the process with Paizo (at the cost of additional workload to process the mail in forms, with the possibility of additional revenue from Kevin Murphy's suggested "bonus" material). As for copying the forms... given Paizo's high production values (full color/double sided/glossy stock) i don't think this would be an issue. I love Herald's idea toward supporting the FLGS. This is (to me) the attraction of having the store participate in the free PDF program. If it was only available through game stores, it would give them a small but significant way to compete with Amazon and Big Box retailers. This is the biggest drawback i see to J Joes mail in form. My idea was that somehow at the time of purchase the retailer logged onto Paizo to put one in the customers download cart. This would require customers to have an account in advance, printed forms with some type of validation code (while more cumbersome) would allow customers to create an account after the fact. Some retailers will balk at the idea of sending their customer directly to Paizo (out of fear), but i think most retailers realize we are all fairly savvy. We choose to support our FLGS because of the added value, not becaue they are the only or most cost effective choice. Another interesting idea would be some type of sticker that the retailer applied to the mail in form at the time of purchase. This would prevent duplication and create retailer buy in (more likely to be done by the small store than the big box). There are really two issues here... Is the objective to:
My hope would be that Paizo can find a workable solution to do both. I have been concerned about this issue for a long time (i actually apologized to my FLGS owner when i subscribed... he deserves my business, in fact he turned me on to how great Paizo products were in the first place - i buy ALL my non AP products in his store). Since this issue has exploded in response to WotC's decision, the industry has been quick to take a stand and make their position clear. Some great game companies are proving that there are ways to solve these issues: I am confident that Paizo will find a way to handle this situation. Given the consistant respect that they have shown the gaming community, it seems only natural for them to be one of the leaders on this issue as well. In the mean time, lets keep brainstorming... i know they are listening ;)
Two things are clear after going through this thread 1) There is a lot of debate and or blatant hypocrisy about whether PDF sales actually help or hurt Print sales. 2) Local game stores have a hard time competing with virtually every other distribution channel. Plain and simple - they have higher overhead. That overhead goes toward space for us to game, building community and paying a staff that actually knows something about the products we are interested in. I believe there is little room to debate the fact that the local game store is important to the community. Clearly Paizo understands and values their front line retail partners. Yet when legitimate ideas are suggested that would help support small retailers, they are summarily dismissed. Worse yet some of those same valued partners are accused of being thieves who don't have their customers best interests at heart. In response to this statement: "But then the card would have to make it from paizo, to the distributor, to the FLGS without being lost"
Is it me or is this response insulting to the local game store? Any retailer who failed to reward the customer who came to their store and spent money on a print product (by giving them their free download certificate) would be stealing from the CUSTOMER and not Paizo. I don't think that is good business sense. Retail is tough enough, no sane intelligent business owner would insult the people who go out of their way to support their store. That being said, even if some of the cards made it into hands that weren't the purchasers of the print versions, wouldn't that only help to BUILD interest in the product line and result in more sales somewhere else??? (this is the argument Paizo makes to support it's decision to sell PDF's at a discount) Kevin Murphy had a great point that bears repeating:
Clearly this issue is not going away. On the day Pathfinder RPG releases, i plan to be running a game in my FLGS. I want to be there helping them sell a fat stack of books, and i will be buying the top book off of that stack. By doing so i will be supporting both my local game store and Paizo. I will also be cheating myself out of the free PDF i could have got by ordering direct from Paizo. This is the reward i get for trying to help the RPG community? I urge Paizo to find a solution to this problem, even if it is not perfect. I am not about to quit supporting Paizo over this. But I do expect Paizo to show the small local game stores the same level of respect it shows its customers.
There are moments when i absolutely love playing this game... Spoiler:
As i am dramatically describing the star falling over Riddleport, building the threat level and making it seem as though the party is going to be crushed beneath it as it falls...
Lothor the Bard shouts "Free action... Make a wish!" I laughed so hard i nearly wet myself!!! And now it is off to Children of the Void!
Clearly this is intended to say "you lose any bonus attacks or extra attacks" isn't it? The way it is written you would loose stuff like Weapons Focus, Weapons Finesse, Greater Weapons Focus, etc. etc. etc - Using this feat would mean recalculating everything... Should i move this to typos? As for the difference in feats - they apply to different builds of characters... to me Whirlwind is superior... but your average beater might not clear the intelligence hurdle A
I came here looking for a thread on Selective Channeling and was surprised there has not been any feedback on this. Does anybody else have an issue with the number of excluded opponents being linked to CHA modifier? This is a really core feat for the cleric to function in the way it has been re-envisioned. Restricting this feat by linking it to CHA really undermines a lot of characters efficacy as a healer. It shoehorns a "certain" build (ie Wisdom, Charisma) for Channel to be used as combat healing. It forces other builds (Wisdom/Strength fighter cleric, Dex/Wisdom rogue/cleric,etc.) back to the same old problem of using spell slots for combat healing. I'm surprised there hasn't been any discussion of other mechanics here (like perhaps # of excluded opponents = 1/2 clerical level). Tying it to level would represent the clerics experience at "directing the blessings offered by her deity" to her allies. Any thoughts? Arnold
Forgive me for a basic question, especially if it is answered elsewhere (i couldn't find it but there is a lot of info in these threads): Lets say a rogue chooses as a rogue talent Minor Magic and selects Ray of Frost (which is a ranged touch attack). Assuming the conditions for Sneak Attack are met for a traditional ranged attack, if this ranged touch attack hits, would the rogue get sneak attack damage? If so this seems like a great deal as Touch AC is usually a lot easier to hit ;) thanks Arnold
Hi Joana, Welcome to the fun of Second Darkness and PFRPG. Sounds like you had a great start, i did something similar with folks arriving with separate backstories and all eventually meeting each other, very fun. Couple quick things: 1) There is a handy thread where people smarter than i have done all the heavy lifting of converting all the NPC to PFRPG, you can just print out new stat blocks. Check it out here 2) I use sharpie on my flip mats all the time (i highly recommend drawing out the GG in sharpie as you'll be there a lot and it helps to just leave it on the table) you can just write over the sharpie with dry erase and then both wipe away together (good for revealing secret doors etc.) Have fun and i look forward to following your groups adventures A
what's the scale? Is it the usual 1 square = 5', or does it "expand" outdoors, where 1 square = 10'? It really can be whatever you want... I'd stick with the 1 square = 5 foot scale for practicality reasons... Paizo has very nicely scaled ALL the maps to fit on a Flip Mat which is very convenient and lets you predraw as necessary in some cases (i just use loose sheets of paper to cover the map and reveal as the characters go) - I have run many other adventures where battle locations did not fit on a battlemat (and by extension the dining room table) and it is a royal pain to have multiple maps or redraw as the focus of the battle shifts around have fun GMing this - it is a delight to run A
I didn't do anything specific as far as ceremonies. She waited outside the Cypherlodge every day introducing herself to everyone who came out and asking about opportunities. Eventually someone saw fit to engage her as an apprentice. Mostly he abuses her for running petty errands (spell components and what not) and for scribing scrolls (in my Riddleport all legal scroll trade is controlled by Cypherlodge and they are the exclusive source for the shops... then of course there is the black market trade down on the docks). This serves to keep her from her duties at the Gold Goblin and makes for a nice conflict of interest. She also is occasionally asked to scribe something that she doesn't have and then she can add it to her book as well. The real bonus is she can come and go from the lodge at will, meaning they get big time help on knowledge rolls.
I can't speak to the later portions of the adventure as i am still GMing in Riddleport. Two months in we are at the Foamrunner. I love the town of Riddleport. It is a vast blank slate to fill in my players wants and desires... they will be sad to leave. I will be sad to have them leave as Riddleport is full of fun interesting slimeballs who are just a joy to roleplay as a GM. I have 1 character joining the cyphermages as an apprentice (lots of petty errands and scroll scribing, which occasionally gets her a new spell), 1 character going to try to become a champion in Zincher's Arena (long story... but the short version is - survive the bloodbath win 1,000gp - the player's motivation is as much the xp as the gp), and the rest of the group is busy trying to make the GG as profitable as possible (including installing a beer brewery and buying hard liquor from a dockside fence at discounted prices in order to bolster the bottom line). I can't remember the last time we have gone 2 months without a blatant railroad track... i'm almost sad to see it coming. At this point they are writing the adventure and i am along for the ride. I haven't prepped far enough in advance to worry about the elven choo choo - but my group is a bunch of sneaky characters and so i'm guessing they will be all over the infiltrate the dark elves plan. I do hope to be able to spend time in Riddleport during the rest of the AP, my guess is my group is not going to want to be rid of the GG after working so hard to make is a success. Thanks for starting this thread... i'll be watching for pitfalls that may lie ahead as i am guessing most groups run faster than mine.
SlingStaff was also in the 2e Arms & Equipment Guide - i always thought it was cool and have periodically seeded them as treasure in my games. Always liked the Halfling +1 to thrown. Would support the idea of a Halfling Exotic weapon whether it was Sling Staff or Throwing Stick (Boomerang which returned on missed attacks would help carrying capacity). Love any idea that adds flavor without becoming too unbalanced. In the end who doesn't want to give the halfling a little love. I'm always happier GMing a group with a halfling in it...
|
