Pathfinder Adventure Path, Rulebook Subscriber
We have had 5 (6 with inventor companions) character deaths so far. Two on the floor with the ghouls where we got surrounded during a rest and got lured toward the damned necromantic ward trap. They were a fire druid and a psychic. Afterward several party members abandoned the group so that people could bring in characters more suited to the dungeon. Our champion/inventor got immolated by the Witchfire on floor 7. My barbarian and the group's thaumaturge got destroyed by the boss of the same floor when he cast a wall of force, cut us off and clobbered us to death.
Pathfinder Adventure Path, Rulebook Subscriber
I realized just today that the conversion I have been working on on-and-off for the last two years in the Tyrant's Grasp forum might have been better off being posted here. Anyway, It's very nearly done barring edits after my players make it through book 6. I thought I would post the link to the conversion here so the maximum amount of people would potentially see use from it. Have fun!
Pathfinder Adventure Path, Rulebook Subscriber
After nearly two years I am declaring my conversion of this path almost completely done. I am going to edit creatures up until my players finish the game (which should be by October) but I won't be doing any regular work on the conversion. Here is a final link to the conversion folders. Have fun everyone. Suggestions of edits are of course welcome.
Pathfinder Adventure Path, Rulebook Subscriber
Today, we finally celebrate the last rough draft of the AP. I have officially finished the rough draft for Midwives to Death. When I say its rough I do mean it. So what I'm going to do is post links to all the conversion documents here for convenience of readers. I hope that these help people in running their own games. There will be very few updates for me in November as I will be working on my NaNo project. Enjoy!
Pathfinder Adventure Path, Rulebook Subscriber
My favorite part of book 2 so far is when the group walked into the library at the Bastion and saw two massive cats (not medium sized but a larger cat breed) sitting there watching them. The champion of Torag's first reaction was to make a *pst* noise and say, "Get outta here ya cats!" He then proceeded to try shooing them for the next five minutes until the nekomata attacked.
Pathfinder Adventure Path, Rulebook Subscriber
Last night my group finally finished War for the Crown after starting in September of 2018. Everyone was thoroughly happy with the conclusion. This is by and far the best AP I have ever run (which is no shame to the others I've run) and I will miss running it. Time to change my avatar for my next AP (already in progress). Farewell PF1E and War for the Crown!
Pathfinder Adventure Path, Rulebook Subscriber
Been a while without an update so here is the current status of my work on the conversion. My group officially made it to book 2 last night and I'm going to be doing some edits on the creatures they encountered and after that I won't really be returning to book 1 (except to make Mictena more in line with the APG witch). I'm also upping the Weedwhip and Zombie Elk encounters to Creature 3's as the weedwhips got 'mowed down' by a party of 5th levels. I'm slogging my way through the Loot table comparison of book 4. The Panoply of Arazni was particularly difficult to create and I may post what I came up with here to ask advice from the community at large. Going to try and post that loot comparison table later this week.
Pathfinder Adventure Path, Rulebook Subscriber
I asked this question in the thread about the specific AP book which the encounter happens but thought I would ask here. The adventure notes specifically the Qolok uses its skip between ability to hop out, grab a character, swallow them and then skip between to jump back to the ethereal plane to give them a phobia before dropping them back off on the material plane. What would you guys rule happens if a character dim doors or otherwise escapes on the ethereal plane? Are they then stuck there, or do they go back to the material? Thanks for any help!
Pathfinder Adventure Path, Rulebook Subscriber
Loot comparison table is done. Document has been edited with some loot retractions and some additions. Ultimate loot amount is comparable with 1E. Some creature modifications. Overall pretty good. I'm going to wait on editing the boss for book 2 in hopes that the APG will come out before my group gets there. Definitely noticing the further I get the harder it is to balance the loot. I remember when I thought I was nearly done. :)
Pathfinder Adventure Path, Rulebook Subscriber
This weekend I'm working on book 2 and doing a lot of what I did last weekend for book 1. In other news my Tyrant's Grasp game has officially begun. They are only in room A1 of The Dead Roads but I'm super excited. :) Eulogy for Roslar's Coffer Loot Comparison Tyrant's Grasp XP Calculation Table In addition I've made a few edits to creatures. I believe, with the exception new material released in bestiary 2, I'm pretty much done with book 1.
Pathfinder Adventure Path, Rulebook Subscriber
No problem at all. I'm glad that people are getting some worth out of the conversion. I'm enjoying the process. I feel like I'm learning a lot! Work continues today by virtue of quarantine. Having completely entered book 1 of TG into Roll20 and built tokens, and maps I found some elements to edit. There were some big changes like an encounter with giant fleas (now a creature 3 in 2E) had to be shifted to a trio of giant centipedes. Did some edits on some abilities and updated the document and JSON folder accordingly. At this point I'm doing a wealth by level comparison of book one. The table for that is below. Dead Roads Wealth by Level Comparison The table is under construction.
Pathfinder Adventure Path, Rulebook Subscriber
Been quite a while since my last update. My players got antsy so they started asking to start Tyrant's Grasp earlier than expected. What I'm doing right now is entering the path into Roll20 area by area and at the same time editing the creature data. I'm also considering doing a wealth by level comparison between each section and the treasure I'm currently offering and making them sync up better. Just a lot of editing. Stay safe out there everyone.
Pathfinder Adventure Path, Rulebook Subscriber
Hm... different strokes for different folks I guess. WftC is the best campaign I've ever run in 25 years. As far as some path books being weaker or stronger I think that may well be the case... and sometimes it isn't necessarily the authors fault as sometimes they get swamped by their deadline etc. I really do think that with a little extra work on most DMs parts a lot of books that most call weak or the outlier can be stronger especially if they are made to tie in the backstory of a PC. The hardest path books for me are the ones that are fundamentally difficult to run because they require a lot more work on the part of the DM. I think that book 3 of Serpent's Skull falls into that avenue... I think. The entirety of Giantslayer is a nightmare for a DM to run with a group of even marginally savvy players who know anything about the rules. If I hadn't tried to run it twice already it would be my next project to try and convert to 2E.
Pathfinder Adventure Path, Rulebook Subscriber
I do have some tips for running and building games in Roll20. Not sure if it would be specific to Hell's Rebels but I'll hash them out here (sorry if this is a bit much for what you were looking for). 1.) Making Maps: As Tangent said you can take the maps from the Interactive PDF. I use the 'Take a Snapshot' function under the edit drop down. I then put that image into a free image software called GIMP and turn it into a png file and drag it onto the map layer of Roll20.
2.) Resizing maps can be a little difficult. To get it CLOSE to its original size you can right click the image in its layer on Roll20 and there will be a drop down for 'Advanced'. If you go to that drop down you can go to Align to Grid and it will have you draw a three by three box on the map to reflect a three by three section and it will resize the sheet accordingly. 3.) For tokens I tend to do google searches that reflect something about the character token I'm trying to make, find an image that fits (you can get lucky sometimes and images for creatures or NPCs from your path are somewhere in a Google Image Search), and then drop that image into GIMP. I follow this process using drop downs:
If you don't feel like getting into that there are a ton of token creator tools that will pop up in a google search. I was going to run Hell's Rebels at one point. I wish I still had some of those maps and tokens I could potentially share.
Pathfinder Adventure Path, Rulebook Subscriber
I have given book 4 the same treatment as book 3. I did some edits but I still feel shaky on some of the higher level creatures and the loot distribution. Definitely still need to throw down some more edits on this one and maybe book 3. That being said I'm going to go ahead and move on to book 5 sometime this week.
Pathfinder Adventure Path, Rulebook Subscriber
Book 3 gets the same treatment as books 1 and 2. Everything is linked and I did some treasure editing and stat block tuning. I'm thinking this one might still need a little bit of work. Also I added an alternate ritual version of the fight on the tower against the Nightwing. It commits the cardinal sin of making things more complicated in 2E so I doubt anyone will get use out of it but me. It's there however. Enjoy
Pathfinder Adventure Path, Rulebook Subscriber
A lot of really difficult conversions here that just basically came down to converting things on the fly and inventing new abilities. I used KingTreyIII's conversions for the most part for the Graveknights although I did add new abilities. I'm concerned that some of this stuff is too strong for a group of 12th level characters (especially the Dread Wraiths) but edits are for later. F:
Checks Page 517-518 CRB with discussions about Extreme Cold and visibility effects of being within fog. DC 32 (25) Climb (Athletics)
Treasure
Creature
G:
Creature Note: Due to how PF2 rules work a group of cr4 pegasi would not be able to buck a party of 11th level characters. I made these evil champion pegasi to at least have a chance. Creature Rating 7 is still VERY low and I am considering bumping them up to 8 or maybe even 9. Wicked Champion Pegasus (6) Garden of Death
Traveling
TYRANT GARDEN MIASMA POISON 9
H1
H2
Creature
H3
H4:
Treasure 289g 2s Diamond dust (500g) Potion of Healing, Greater x 6 Scroll of Remove Curse x 2 Elemental Gem (Fire) Hazard
Creature
H5
Creature
H6
Creature
Character Should be Level 12 (Standard Difficulty Class 30) I1
I2
Treasure
Creature
I4
Treasure
Creature
I5:
Treasure Bottle of Air Hazard
I6
Creature
I7
Treasure
I8
Treasure
Creature
I9
Creature
J1
Creature
J2
Treasure
J3:
Checks DC 35 Diplomacy Check to sell books Hazard
Treasure
J4:
Checks DC 30 Perception (Hidden Compartment) DC 20 Recall Knowledge (Nature) (Solar Eclipse) Treasure
Creature
J5
J6:
Check DC 33 Trick Magic Item (Occult) (operate pyramid) Creature
Hazard
J7
Treasure
J8
Creature
Pathfinder Adventure Path, Rulebook Subscriber
NOTE: All creature JSONs and pdfs are located in the folder at the link. Holidays over I'm back at it! The Messenger
Creature
A:
Creature Ilorona Meeting the Goddess
Treasure
Creatures
Into the Lands of the Tyrant
B:
Treasure (Creatures) Scroll of Banishment Scroll of Heroism (6th) Scroll of
C1:
Creature Horse Thing Warsworn C2:
Checks DC 28 Survival (Door Work) DC 20 Perception or Recall Knowledge (nature) (Jam) C3:
Checks (Normal Rules for Cold CRB) Treasure
C9:
Checks Note: Any negotiations with the Etioling here are subject to the fact that he is currently Stupefied 4. Note also that he must also make flat checks to cast spells. Treasure
Creature
D:
Treasure Onyx Gems (92) (5g each) Wand of Vampiric Touch Murderer’s Knot Creature
E: DROWNING FAITHFUL HAZARD 11 HAUNT Stealth DC 32 (trained) Description A lake’s edge haunted by the spirit of hag who loathed and targeted creatures of faith regardless of their affiliation. Disable Religion DC 31 (master) to exorcise the spirit or Intimidation DC 31 (expert) to rebuke the spirit and drive it back into the lake. Suffocation [reaction] (force, death, paralysis, fear, mental, occult); Trigger A creature moves within 50 feet of the shore of the lake while wearing a holy symbol. Effect The creature is restrained and lifted ten feet from the ground. The creature then must make a Fortitude DC 30. Critical Failure:The creatures lungs immediately begin filling with water and are required to follow the rules for drowning on page 478 of the CRB. Failure: The creature begins vomiting water, takes 1d10 negative damage and is stunned 2. Casting spells requires a DC 15 flat check. Success: The creature resists the spirits attempts to drown it but is still restrained and stunned 1. Critical Success: The creature is still levitating 10 feet above the ground and may not stride but is not stunned and is not restrained. Magical effects that allow the breathing of water do not stop this effect. Creatures that are naturally not required to breathe air are not affected.
Pathfinder Adventure Path, Rulebook Subscriber
Book 3 initial draft conversion done.
H2
H3
Note: With a DC 25 Make an Impression (Diplomacy) check on the five clerics of iomedae here they will use their battle medicine ability to heal a character for 2d8+15 hp. They are saving all their spells for the multitude of wounded here. H4
Creatures
H5
Guard of the City (3)
H6
11.
I2
CREATURES
I3:
Check DC 20 Decipher Writing (Occultism) DC 30 Perception Treasure
LYRE OF BUILDING ITEM 7+
Creatures
I4:
Treasure +1 greatsword +1 striking flaming longsword +1 striking halberd dwarven full plate (worth 60g) Justice’s Needle (disintegration ballista bolt) Special: If the target has the undead or fiend trait then their save against its effect is always one step worse. If the target critically fails their save they take the maximum of the bolts effect (120 damage) If the person interacting with the bolt knows the name of the target they can whisper it to the bolt before it is fired. As a result the next strike with the bolt is considered to have true strike against that target. Creatures
Event 1
J1.
J2
J4
Effect
Event 2:
Note: I may have underpowered the nightwing here because I’m concerned regardless of the bright light around the tower affecting it’s light aversion, the shot from the bolt, and the effect of the consecrate it is still a fight somewhat beyond the powers of the party. I’m (at this point) considering giving any divine characters in the party a boon from their god or goddess or just Iomedae. That boon would be a casting of Avatar on that character… which is a 10th level spell but would even things out a bit. Equipment
Effect
Creature
J5:
Treasure Bag of Holding Type IV Healer’s Kit (4) Antitoxin (2) Greater Potion of Healing (9) Ointments 1g Creature
J6
Treasure
Hazard
K
Pathfinder Adventure Path, Rulebook Subscriber
I would appreciate anyone who feels like it (who might be thinking of running this themselves) to look at the Vault Breaker and Otyugh Soothsayers to let me know if they are... viable. D Edit:
POISONED LOCK HAZARD 5
MECHANICAL TRAP Stealth DC 23 (trained) Description A a small canister of poisoned mist has been attached to the lock. Attempting to open or attack the gate / or lock causes the canister to spray a 10 foot area with dangerous poison. Disable Thievery DC 23 (trained) on the wire depressing the canister’s trigger. AC 19; Fort +17, Ref +15 Hardness 12, HP 50 (BT 25); Immunities critical hits, object immunities, precision damage Spring [reaction] (attack); Trigger A creature tries to open the gate or attacks the gate without first disabling the device. Effect A poisoned gas is sprayed into a ten foot area extending outward from the door. Diluted Mindfog Mist (poison); Saving Throw DC 24 Fortitude; Maximum Duration 6 rounds; Onset 1 round; Maximum Duration 6 rounds; Stage 1 stupefied 2 (1 round); Stage 2 confused and stupefied 3 (1 round); Stage 3 confused and stupefied 4 (1 round) E
E2:
Checks DC 20 Perception (Bodies) DC 20 Perception or Survival (Battle) DC 25 Perception (Valuables) Treasure
Creatures
E3
E4:
Check DC 24 Fortitude Check Critical Failure: Stunned 1 and Sickened 2 for 1 minute Failure: Sickened 2 for 2 rounds Success No effect SOOTHSAYER OTYUGH CREATURE 7
E5
Creature
E6:
Checks DC 23 Perception Treasure
PUTRID OOZE CREATURE 11
E7
F. City Sewers
F1 Treasure
Creatures
F2
Treasure
Creatures
F3
Creature
F4:
Checks DC 32 Force Open (Athletics) (Door) DC 34 Disable Device (Thievery) Hazard
F5: DC 20 Recall Knowledge (Naure) DC 25 Recall Knowledge (Religion) Treasure
Creatures
Pathfinder Adventure Path, Rulebook Subscriber
It became a running joke in my Skull and Shackles campaign that the true danger and the eventual bbeg would be a jellyfish. The party was nearly tpk'd by jellyfish monsters a couple of times. The joke was that the day they became the new rulers of the Shackles an army of jellyfish wearing above water breathing apparatuses would march on the lands of men and start a terrible war that would be the next stage of the campaign.
Pathfinder Adventure Path, Rulebook Subscriber
Notes:
I'm also considering adding elements to raise eyebrows with the group and give kudos to those who pay attention. Like a half-dug hole in the clearing where the nobles are discussing the psychopomps etc. Today's Build: I mentioned in another thread how I was concerned about the Guecubu. I finally came up with a choice that I think is pretty inventive (pat on back). I am not sure if the rot grub turned out too powerful or good enough but I gave it a shot. None of the conditions felt right. It thought about clumsy... not enough. Drain... too much. Just damage and a possible stun seems good. I made the daemon's spell lists using the divine spell list but as sorcerers. I think... their lists might be a little weak on damage. Debuffs they are good but... it might require future edits. Taking a break here at what I consider the mid-point of book 2. J11:
Checks DC 20 Recall Knowledge (Lore Engineering) DC 20 Recall Knowledge (Lore nobles or Religion) Creatures
J12
J13
J14:
Checks Athletics DC 16 Treasure
Hazard
J14:
Creatures VENEDAEMON CREATURE 5 NE MEDIUM DAEMON FIEND Perception +12; darkvision, magic sense Languages Common, Daemonic; telepathy 100 feet Skills Arcana +13, Acrobatics +10, Athletics +10, Deception +13, Intimidation +11, Nature +13, Stealth +12 Str +2, Dex +4, Con +4, Int +6, Wis +3, Cha + 5 Magic Sense (divination, occult) A venedaemon senses magic (without expending an action to cast the detect magic spell) within 60 ft. AC 19; Fort +9, Ref +12, Will +15; +1 to saves vs magic HP 62; Immunities death effects; Weaknesses good 10 Speed 25 feet, 25 feet fly Melee [one-action] tentacles +11 (evil), Damage 2d6+5 bludgeoning plus 1d6 evil Divine Innate Spells DC 22, Spell Attack +14; 4th dimension door (x3), 3rd dispel magic (x2), slow (x3) Divine Prepared Spells DC 22, Spell Attack +14;; 3rd: Chilling Darkness, Crisis of Faith, Vampiric Touch, Blindness; 2nd Darkness, Enlarge, See Invisibility, Sound Burst; 1st Bane, Command, Fear, Ray of Enfeeblement; Cantrips: Acid Splash, Chill Touch, Detect Magic, Forbidding Ward, Shield Arcane Soul-Crush (necromancy, healing, manipulate) [two actions] A venedaemon may consume a held soul gem, allowing it to cast any of its spells known without using a spell slot. For the daemon to use this ability, the consumed gem must contain the soul of a creature with rating equal to or greater than the spell level of the desired spell. J16
J17:
Checks DC 25 Perception LIVING WALL CREATURE 4 N, LARGE, CONSTRUCT, EARTH, MINDLESS Perception +11; darkvision Skills Athletics +12 Str +5, Dex –2, Con +5, Int –3, Wis +2, Cha –3 AC 18 (14 when broken); construct wall; Fort +11, Ref +6, Will +10 HP 70, Fast Healing 2; Hardness 7; Immunities bleed, death effects, disease, doomed, drained, fatigued, healing, mental, necromancy, nonlethal attacks, paralyzed, poison, sickened, unconscious; Resistance 7 acid, cold and fire; Weakness 5 slashing Construct Wall As animated broom, but reduced to AC 15 when broken. (see Bestiary) Speed 10 feet Melee [one-action] Wall Fist +14 (magical), Damage 2d8+5 bludgeoning plus Grab Crushing Push [attack] [two action] A living wall adjacent to a creature that is also adjacent to a barrier (such as a dungeon wall, gate, or another living wall can slam that creature into that barrier for 2d8+10 points of damage. As part of this action the wall may attempt a Grapple (Athletics) check to restrain that character. Fleshy Link: If two living walls are adjacent to each other they can form a link and coordinate their attacks. When the walls strike they do so simultaneously and the attacks of one creature do not count against the multiple attack penalty of the other. All damage to the combined walls is split evenly and for all purposes it is counted as a creature of its new size (see below). 2-3 = Huge 4-5 = Gargantuan 6+ = Colossal J19:
Checks Recall Knowledge DC 20 (Arcane) Creature
J20
Pathfinder Adventure Path, Rulebook Subscriber
My background writing in progress. Basically a rough draft. Avenger of the Coffer:
“Because if I can’t protect Rosler’s Coffer, you’ll be damn sure I’ll avenge it.” Rosler’s Coffer has suffered a great number of trials over the last few years. First the orcs of the Hold of Belkzen invaded and villagers who didn’t escape their rampage were put to the sword or sold into slavery. The defenders at the Bastion of Light fought to the last to protect the retreating civilians and for years the village remained in the hands of the invaders. When they were finally driven back many of the Coffer’s citizens returned only to find that a massive creature had taken up residence in the Bastion and haunted the area around it. After several adventuring groups had tried and failed to remove the beast a group of Pathfinders, one of them a former resident of the Coffer, arrived in the village and set out to kill the rampaging beast. It was that same former resident whom you came to idolize in the days that they spent hunting the beast. You followed in the group’s wake marvelling at the life of an adventurer and hoping that you too could one day be just like them. It was when you decided to steal away in the dead of night to watch their final battle when it all unraveled. When you unwittingly caught the creature’s attention your hero saved you at the expense of their own life. Their last words pleaded with you to protect The Coffer and the people in it. It’s been two years since that day and you have spent every waking hour of your life preparing to defend the town and it’s people.
Family of the Coffer:
“I used to be an adventurer like you, and then… love happened.” You were pretty sure you had a solid future ahead of you in the adventuring profession. You left your home with stars in your eyes and a thousand tales between your ears. “The Five from Sandpoint”, “The Jade Empress”, “The Taldan Razors”, and “The Silver Ravens”. Those tales were all well and good but you were going to be better. You didn’t count on falling in love. Suddenly adventure paled in comparison to a life with your beloved. When they told you about the idyllic town where they grew up and how it would be a great place to raise a child… well their were worse ways to propose. You’ve lived in the Coffer for ten years. You were there for the exodus when the orcs came and you were there for the creature at the Bastion and you’ve raised a child through all of it. You wouldn’t have it any other way. Choose two ability boosts. One must be Constitution or Intelligence, and one is a free ability boost. You’re trained in the Diplomacy skill and the Cooking Lore skill. You gain the Bargain Hunter skill feat. Faith of the Coffer:
Required: Follower of Sarenrae “Somewhere deep down, I wonder if the Bastion of Light can ever shine again.” You left Rosler’s Coffer years ago. You were a refugee who fled with your family from the oncoming orcs and eventually settled in Vigil. Things were hard for you and your parents and in the end they did not survive the hardships. It was within the faith of Sarenrae that you found solace and hope. It was a kindly halfling priest named Norreth Albo who noticed that despite what little you had you were ever present at service and eager to help those in need. Seeing something in you he offered to take you under his wing and train you in the faith. When Norreth Albo suggested that his next great mission was to return the light of Sarenrae to the Coffer many of his superiors were supportive but doubtful. Your training finished, he offered you the chance to return to your home and help him rebuild the Bastion of Light. You arrived only recently and were surprised to find that some families you had known before fleeing the war had returned as well. Memories of home came flooding back and you were reminded just how good a place this had been. If anyone can see the Bastion and the Coffer back into the light it’s Norreth and you’re going to be there to help him. Choose two ability boosts. One must be Constitution or Wisdom, and one is a free ability boost. You’re trained in the Religion and the Vigil Lore skill. You gain the Student of the Canon skill feat. Hero of the Coffer:
“Gods help me if these people ever wise up.” You’ve only been a ‘resident’ of the Coffer for about a year. You’ve never been a particularly moral or upright type of person. In fact, many would claim that you are a filthy criminal and that just about everyone would be better off if you were rotting in a cell. That’s what makes your current situation so strange. About a year ago you and your pals Cythriel, Zondus, and Rozdak got yourselves kicked out of a local bandit group. The boss wasn’t too happy with Cythriel, the meanest damned elf you’ve ever met, telling him he was a waste of space and that folks would be better off if she was in charge. Well, one swift run through the wood later and you lot had to find somewhere to hold up. Zondus suggested the Coffer. You think it went something like, “It’s a whole town of rubes who are just back to build their town back up,” and, “We could be running the place in a week!” Unfortunately, that wasn’t exactly true. The Coffer folks didn’t take to Cythriel’s yelling and mostly treated you all like fools. Things were looking pretty sparse, and a couple of the ‘Coffer Crew’ were suggesting moving on to greener pastures. That’s when your old boss the bandit chief strolled in and started threatening folks. With no real intention of being noble Cythriel suggested jumping him and getting a bit of revenge. It didn’t go well. In the end you were the only one who pulled through. All your idiot friends had gone on to their final rewards. And yet, The Coffer has, on the whole, agreed that you are a BIG DAMN HERO and can’t stop thanking you for saving everyone’s lives. At first you were just happy to take all the adulation and the praise and maybe get the hell out before they figured out the truth. It wasn’t long though before you realized just how good these people were. The Coffer is full of folks who just want to lead a good life and have been dealt a bad rap. You know very well what that’s like. Maybe, you can give up all this crime nonsense. Maybe… just maybe you can be just a normal joe who just happens to have ‘hero’ on his list of credentials. Maybe these people, and this place are worth fighting for. Choose two ability boosts. One must be Dexterity or Charisma, and one is a free ability boost. You are trained in the Society skill and the Games Lore skill. You gain the Streetwise skill feat. Blood of the Coffer:
“Shrikes, Forever Faithful.” There aren’t a huge number of long time blood residents of the Coffer left but you are one of them. To hear your mother Arbella tell it you are as near to royalty as the town can offer. You must have heard the story a thousand times. Ervin Roslar rides off to fight the Whispering Tyrant, a paladin in service to Arazni (back when she was still a herald of Aroden). The man himself didn’t count on returning and declared that the town would be his resting place. He did in fact fall the undead hordes but legend says that his body never made the return trip. “To the hell’s with those who claim that Roslar was part of some scandal,” your mother would say. “We are descendants of one of the Red Shrikes and you should be proud!” It’s on that basis that she has been pushing for years to find herself in position to become the Coffer’s mayor. You’ve been groomed for years to help your mother see her political goals come to fruition. You’re entirely sure if her promises of your noble bloodline to one of the Red Shrikes is true but if even half the tales that are told about them are true they are a daunting example to live up to. As the Remembrance Day Festival approaches your mother has been particularly frantic to make sure that it goes well. Many of the preparations have been at her orders and she hopes that the results will convince the town to elevate her to the position of Mayor in the coming year. Perhaps once that happens, things can go back to normal. Choose two ability boosts. One must be Constitution, or Charisma, and one is a free ability boost. You are trained in the Deception and Lore Shining Crusade or Lastwall skills. You gain the Charming Liar feat. Knight of the Coffer:
“I am a Knight of Ozem, until my dying day. For Lastwall, and for Iomedae.” You lost everyone when the orcs attacked Roslar’s Coffer. For whatever reason the entirety of your lineage was taken. It was a solitary Knight of Ozem, Ser Alistair Grunvier, who haulted you out of the ruins of the town and carried you crying from the destruction. Grunvier was set to take you to Castle Everstand to join the rest of the refugees but he noted a fire in you. It was he that suggested that someday, “With hard work,” you could make sure that others would not have to suffer the same fate that you had. It was he that told you, that someday you could become a Knight of Ozem. Without hesitation you offered to be the elder Knight’s squire and have served in that capacity for years since. Even when it was said that the Coffer was being resettled you accepted that your mission had become bigger than one town and the entire nation of Lastwall and in the case of The Whispering Tyrant and his minions, all of Golarion needed what protection you could offer. Today, you are on the cusp of joining the Knights as a full member. Sir Grunvier has also chosen this time to retire from service claiming that you are a fine choice to take his, ‘place on the line’. With some gentle prodding you were convinced by the old soldier to go home to Roslar’s Coffer for it’s Remembrance Day ceremony. He suggested that the rebirth of the town would be a good reminder of what the Knights fight for. Choose two ability boosts. Strength and Wisdom, and one is a free ability boost. You are trained in the Athletics and Lore Knights of Ozem skills. You gain the Hefty Hauler feat. Stone of the Coffer:
“As Implacable as the Stone They Work” While some in town claim that they come from the Coffer’s ‘royal’ blood there likely isn’t anyone more deserving of that title in the Coffer than you and your family. You have been able to mark the name of your family for generations back and every generation has been a stone worker. It’s said that your family made the very tomb that Roslar was to be buried in. A common joke in town is that your family makes tombstones for its youngest members when they turn sixteen. Some members of the family leave but in the end almost all come back and there has always been a mason to work the stone. You, or your parents, may not be on the council (and surely members of your family have been in the past) but it’s understood that folks turn to you and yours about matters of importance to the Coffer. The wars came, the family left, and they returned. Folks are saying that a priest from Vigil is coming down to rebuild the Bastion of Light. “There is always stone to work,” your mother was fond of saying. Seems she was right. Choose two ability boosts. Constitution and Wisdom, and one is a free ability boost. You are trained in the Crafting (Stonework) and Lore (Engineering) skills. You gain the Quick Repair feat. Goblin of the Coffer or Kill Ghost?: “The Kill Ghost?s are a unique composition of the complete insanity of goblins and the pretentious civility of the modern gentry” For the majority of their existence, the approximate length of time largely unknown, The Kill Ghost? goblin tribe of southwestern Lastwall were known as the Gutcruncher tribe. They were a local menace and potential allies of the orc hordes of the Hold of Belkzen. It was a chance meeting with a rather boisterous local noble and self-proclaimed ‘friend and confidant of the Knights of Ozem’ named Lord Alphonse Fanshaw of Vigil that would change their worldview and name something of a contentious subject in the region and vigil itself. When Lord Fanshaw was leading an ill advised ‘sortie’ against the orc forces he was badly injured and lost consciousness. He awoke to find himself in the care of the Gutcrunchers who, as goblins do, were planning to, ‘eat the longshank’. It was Fanshaw’s incredibly flamboyant and indignant reaction to his capture by goblins that quite possibly saved his life. Espousing a great deal of, ‘Do you know who I am?,” anger the goblins found themselves enamored with his wild mannerisms and bouts of rage. Lord Fanshaw found himself a long term visitor to the Gutcrunchers while he healed his considerable wounds. His indignant disgust with the lack of amenities became incredibly popular among the Goblins if used in the incorrect context: “You call this tea?!” when asking someone if they want to have tea, “Don’t you know who I am?” when introducing oneself, “I’m surrounded by fools!” when exclaiming the virtues of ones tribe and so on. While Lord Fanshaw did eventually leave the Gutcrunchers (in quite a huff) he left a lasting impression on them. His exclamations and lamentations that he was not able to ‘face the undead threat’ highest among them. The Gutcrunchers became obsessed with the idea of being ‘proper gentlegobbos’ which, from their time with Fanshaw, was entirely judged on one’s ability to kill undead. The tribe’s chief came to a decision, wholly supported, that they would now forward be called the Kill Ghost?. In honor of their guest they no longer hunt or harass longshanks (A gentle gob not hunting gentleshank. Only deadshanks!) and have devoted themselves to fighting undeads to be proper gentlegobs. They frequently craft salvaged materials into ‘gentleman-like’ clothing which has lead to a unique outfitting of scrap metal top hats and metal skirts. A mark of distinction is the empty metal loop placed around the eye that only the greatest gentlegobbos wear. The Kill Ghost?’s have become tenuous allies with the village of Roslar’s Coffer. They send small trading groups to the village from time to time. The town barely tolerates their bizarre behavior and there is contention between the villagers as to whether they should ask a group of the Knights of Ozem to wipe them out or just leave them be. Choose two ability boosts. Dexterity and Intelligence, and one is a free ability boost. You are trained in the Stealth and Lore (Undead) skills. You gain the Terrain Stalker (Forest) feat.
Pathfinder Adventure Path, Rulebook Subscriber
Yeah, kudos to him. I have to admit I wouldn't be able to keep my cool as much as he is with how well they seem to be rolling over those giants (which says more about me as a gm than the glass cannon guys). I think if I was still going to run 1E these last episodes at the very least would have me banning antagonize. :) (j/k don't want to start an argument)
Pathfinder Adventure Path, Rulebook Subscriber
F10: Note: This one was rough. I am sure there are problems with her. In addition I used the playtest version of the witch. She isn't 100% a witch but she does have some of the abilities. Creature
Kiss of Death (death, negative, manipulate) (one action) The catrina gives the target a long and passionate kiss. If the catrina manages to maintain this embrace for three whole rounds and the target takes damage each turn the creature dies. DC 22 Fortitude Save
Cackle (auditory, sonic) [one-action]
Life Boost (uncommon, healing, necromancy, witch) (two actions)
Occult Innate Spells DC 22; +14
Primal Prepared Spells DC 22, +14
Feats
Spirit Touch A catrina’s Strikes affect incorporeal creatures as though etched with a ghost touch property rune and deal 1d6 negative damage to living creatures or 1d6 positive damage to undead.
Equipment: Brooch of Shielding, Diplomat’s Badge, Wand of Levitate
Pathfinder Adventure Path, Rulebook Subscriber
War for the Crown. Hands down. I have enjoyed when it hasnt been about fighting. Ive enjoyed the intrigue. I have never been more proud in the changes Ive made on the fly in an adventure. The character building has been amazing. My players seem to really enjoy it. I feel like Ive never told a better story in gaming bar a few Call of Cthulhu games. Also, Taldogis.
Pathfinder Adventure Path, Rulebook Subscriber
The way I'm currently planning on handling it is to have the npc who informs the group tell them that in addition to dying that their spirits wont be moving on to the boneyard. This will hit hard as those who lived from the onset will remember having to leave behind loved ones there. However, allowing themselves to be destroyed will severely weaken Tarry Baphs. Basically all the obols and shard will become synced and the spirits of the heros will gain a connection to his phylactery. Taking a cue from Cole's suggestion early in the thread the second he reforms at his phylactery five kids are born with obols representing each of the heros. Due to his connection to them he loses a Mythic tier per obol now connected to him. He would then need to go on the defensive as his phylactery is no longer an artifact and he is far weaker. The whispering way would go from finding a way to free him to finding a way to capture these hidden individuals (as killing them just causes them to reborn) so he can find a way to magically seperate himself from the heroes souls which now essentially stand eternal vigil over him. I may even in a later campaign spring the fact that one of the pcs has an obol on them or reveal that a close acquaintance has one. Throw in a whispering way capture squad or something.
Pathfinder Adventure Path, Rulebook Subscriber
In my game the group knocked out Sir Gul and he was put up on trial by Baron Okerra. Since Okerra was on the outs with the party he found him guilty but since he was more on Bartleby's side during the book 2 affair he just banished him from the county. Later on in book 4 when the party assassinated the Chief Enumerator of the Vault and Chain Pytharreus called in Sir Gul to be the interim Chief Enumerator since he had previous experience with Eutropia's Razors (What the regular populace call the party). Unfortunately for Gul the group infiltrated the Pillar as guards and templars and managed to get him into an empty room, drop a silence dust and killed him pretty quickly. They were pretty happy to close that 'mistake' of letting him be tried instead of killing him.
Pathfinder Adventure Path, Rulebook Subscriber
With the release of the document cited above I'm going to go back and do some touch ups on all my old builds for creatures in addition to treasure allocations. Obols:
Obol Rebuild
Resistance Negative Energy equal to current HD. (or 1/2) +1 Status Bonus to all Saves v.s. Spells with the Negative sub-type. Character attacks with natural and melee weapons now count as silver and magic for the purposes of overcoming UNDEAD resistances. A1:
Note: This stuff is really in flux because I've been inspired by the Find the Path Podcast (really good btw) to basically go full survival horror and put the party in their sarcophagi with the stuff they had at a remembrance festival in Roslar's Coffer... or even just in burial shawls. Obviously if someone plays a wizard or alchemist things could get squirrely. Added one ironshod quarterstaff, a broken suit of chainmail and a morningstar to the tombs. Crowbar Flint and Steel Common Lamp x 3 Hammers x 2 Hooded Lantern Pint of Oil x 8 Dented Pewter Mug A2:
Checks
DC 14 Perception Check to find pearls listed below. Treasure
Creatures
Bone Chariot
An ostovite cannot use its own attacks while ensconced in its bone chariot, and damage done to a bone chariot does not harm the ostovite until the bone chariot has been reduced to 0 hit points, at which point the skeleton crumbles and the ostovite can attack and be attacked as normal. Multiple ostovites can combine their abilities to animate the skeletons of larger creatures, so long as they all ride within the same bone chariot—each additional ostovite increases the maximum rating of the corpse that can be animated by this ability by 2. - Note: Change to the description of the creature. The ostovite has managed to graft a fine longsword into the arm of its bone chariot for defense purposes. Bone Chariot Humanoid
A3:
Treasure Wand of Create Water Healer’s Kit Minor Healing Potion x 5 Silver Holy Symbol of Aroden Candles x 12 A4:
Checks DC 15, 18, 22 - Society or Religion DC 15 - Occultism or Religion Creatures
Treasure
A5:
Falling Slabs Trap (Adapted from Slamming Door on page 521 CRB) Stealth DC 16 (trained) Description Touching the decaying shelves where the stones lay causes them to fall onto an unsuspecting target. Disable Thievery DC 15 (trained) on the shelves before they are interacted with. AC 16; Fort +10, Ref +2 Hardness 5, HP 20 (BT 10); Immunities critical hits, object immunities, precision damage Tumbling Stones [reaction] Trigger Touching any of the stone baring shelves in the room causes them to fall into the adjacent squares. Effect The stone slabs deal 2d6+5 bludgeoning damage to anyone beneath or adjacent to the shelf when it collapses and pushes them out of its space in a random direction. A creature that succeeds at a DC 17 Reflex save takes no damage and rolls out of the way in a random direction. Treasure
A6:
Checks
DC 20 Athletics to open tomb Creatures
Toxic Slurry
Find the Target
A7:
Creatures
Ostovite (as above) Bone Chariot Horse
Treasure
A8:
Ostovite (As Above) A9:
Flash Beetle (Bestiary) A10:
Creatures Mitflit (Bestiary 192) Animate Hair
Empathy
Infestation [1]
Muderous Whispers [1]
A11:
Puzzle I think this puzzle can be left as is. Maybe up damage to D8. Other Ways to Access
Treasure
Creatures
DC 15 Perception to notice
A12: Checks Religion or Arcana 15 (this id’s the binding runes not the crystal itself) Spectre Orb Stealth DC - Description Touching the orb strikes the character with a burst of negative energy and the image of a howling tormented face.. Disable Occultism DC 17 (trained) on the orb before it is interacted with to harmlessly dissipate the negative energy within. AC 13; Fort +10, Ref +4 Hardness 5, HP 20 (BT 10); Immunities critical hits, object immunities, precision damage Negative Blast [reaction] Trigger Touching the orb with their hand (even gloved) causes the orb to blast dark energy into the target. Effect The orb deals 2d6+5 negative energy damage to anyone touching it. A Reflex DC 17 reduces the damage by half. A critical success means no damage at all. Treasure
Pathfinder Adventure Path, Rulebook Subscriber
Hey everyone! My next big path (and only one for the foreseeable future) is going to be Tyrant's Grasp but I'm currently making the effort to convert it to Second Edition. It's slow going but I feel like even if nothing comes of it I will learn the system a lot more while I'm finishing up Jade Regent and WftC. So here is my google drive doc with my current work on Dead Roads. I would appreciate anyone calling out any major problems with the monster's I've tried to build or the changes I've made. Thank you! Note: This document intentionally does not contain anything more than relevant dice rolls, creatures and treasure and a conversion for the Obol powers.
Pathfinder Adventure Path, Rulebook Subscriber
I run three games right now (I admit I have a problem) and I am genuinely hoping that at least my Tomb of Annihilation and Jade Regent games will be done by August with War for the Crown finishing hopefully by Christmas. Actually I doubt all that... but one can hope. Once those three games are done I will either start running a Starfinder game... or TRYING to adapt Tyrant's Grasp to PF2E. I'm also toying with a few Vampire 5E games. To actually answer the OP's question though... I used to enjoy building characters for fun in HeroLab and now I just ask, "What's the point?" So that hit me.
Pathfinder Adventure Path, Rulebook Subscriber
If you are looking to expand on the main villain of the campaign and add more flavor about them into the early path (which a lot of people suggest) there is Legacy of the First World (for NPC building options) and The First World, Realm of the Fey to better understand the motivations of the BBEG. Since you are also fighting a lot of humanoids I tend to suggest The Monster Codex for all of its readily built variations on basic humanoid enemies like ogres and trolls. Of course that isn't strictly required.
Pathfinder Adventure Path, Rulebook Subscriber
1.) Emerging guns. 2.) In an instance like that with a player who seems extremely dead-set on something I would probably allow it. Telling them they are wrong will only cause friction and stress. But... sometimes I can be accused of letting my players have wins so I can cut them down later. 3.) The party can survive without a trap-finder. There are actually ways to get around traps that don't require a rogue. Remember any character can find a trap with perception. It only takes a character trained in disable device to disable one and a rogue or investigator (some archetypes) to disable a magical trap. 4.) There is a thread somewhere here on the boards that has a LOT of community content. One of those posts has a document... a gazetteer of Sandpoint and its environs. It can be pretty helpful. 5.) Sounds like you have it covered. There is likely a pawn pack for Rise of the Runelords you could order if you think you need one. I usually (when playing in person) use the same minis for everything (a troll for a giant, or a decent representation for random humanoids). You sound pretty solid on what you need. What I would do is get the feel for running the game and think about ways you want to handle certain mechanics. When I played in person I would write up these entire sheets of paper for upcoming encounters that had notes about abilities and an initiative track etc. It's different for all DMs. 6.) My suggestion is to make sure that in any given situation (like the group searching a room) you take the time to look at each player and ask them what their character is doing. If they are talking to an NPC make sure you say, "Who is taking the lead on this check (diplomacy etc)" and then ask what they say and ask if other characters want to provide input as aid another action and what they say. I think you will find that the players will often default to the player with the higher bonus and aid them with their check to get the best result. Just don't forget to get input from all your players when you can. Finally my biggest advice is to not get too hung up on things. Let the game flow and if you think that some rule or restriction (within reason) is going to slow things down or make the game less fun let it slide in the moment. Everyone should have fun. The rule of cool. The most important rules in the game. IMO. EDIT: Sandpoint GM Guide
Pathfinder Adventure Path, Rulebook Subscriber
In addition there are plenty of people who the characters actions have influenced up to this point in the campaign. As Latrecis mentioned the elves of the Dismal Nitch. Any soldier of the Asmodean forces who has become disillusioned with the Thrune's rule. Some smug type from Vyre who decides to take a few months off from the decadence and get into some ultraviolence. Etc... Maybe the Queen from Vyre sends one of her agents to work with the PC's to protect the focus of her affection (if she has one in your game).
Pathfinder Adventure Path, Rulebook Subscriber
I'd like to say that this book in particular (and seemingly the path itself) are turning out to be my favorite to run... perhaps ever. The way my players have engaged with the story from the mystery of the Night Swan to the question as to whether they are the actual villains has been great. Some of the awesome NPCs (particularly Veletto and the Night Swan) provided such interesting backstories for me to build off that my players have had an amazing time. :D They are just about to finish up the book this Sunday and I'm not sure how they are going to react to their characters having to go back to being their old personas. :D
Pathfinder Adventure Path, Rulebook Subscriber
I wouldn't be surprised if the vocal hostility that seems to fill every single thread had something to do with it. They have tried to get player and customer feedback before and the forums were so lacking in constructive criticism that it all seemed to stall. I know reading these forums makes ME less likely to take part in the playtest process. Hopefully it is just the just con schedule and technical problems.
Pathfinder Adventure Path, Rulebook Subscriber
I think you may have covered it in your original post but I can not stress enough the importance of trying to keep players from playing 'stupid' evil. When my group tried to play this path things just escalated into more and more atrocities to justify 'being evil' and eventually the game just died on the vine before the end of the first book.
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