Pathfinder Adventure, Adventure Path, Lost Omens, Maps, Rulebook, Starfinder Adventure Path, Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber. Organized Play Member. 48 posts (2,588 including aliases). No reviews. No lists. No wishlists. 11 aliases.
Pathfinder Adventure, Adventure Path, Lost Omens, Maps, Rulebook, Starfinder Adventure Path, Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber
BigNorseWolf wrote:
season 0s don't have those so you leave it blank.
Thanks, that answers my main question.
Rigby Bendele wrote:
The prestige points are indicated in the Secondary Success Document.. They get one point for completing the primary and one for completing the secondary.
The players that drop out get rewards based on how much their character completed. 3 encounters = 1 XP. You'll have to add up the gold listed in the "treasure" section of the encounters to determine how much they'll get.
Thanks - figured out the prestige points bit on the completers (1). The others dropped out without actually completing any encounters but the form (as opposed to the chronicle sheet) doesn't ask for XP/gold.
Pathfinder Adventure, Adventure Path, Lost Omens, Maps, Rulebook, Starfinder Adventure Path, Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber
Hi, I'm registering the results of an event. This is my first (probably last) time doing this.
It's a season 0 scenario. Players succeeded in the primary mission but not the secondary (per the secondary missions downloadable for the early seasons).
It was an online event. 2 players dropped out early on. The 4 remaining completed.
The form asks for missions completed A/B/C/D.
So ...
- missions completed = just A? I'm unclear on how this A/B/C/D thing maps to the primary/secondary (or whether it's the acts in the scenario)
- prestige points = 1 for the players who completed and 0 for those who dropped out (?)
Pathfinder Adventure, Adventure Path, Lost Omens, Maps, Rulebook, Starfinder Adventure Path, Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber
I'm in the middle of Crypt, after a restart.
Current Plan is:
- Crypt of the Everflame
- Masks of the Living God
- Fangwood Keep
- City of Golden Death
- City puts the characters in Razmiran, but I think Conquest of Bloodsworn Vale next, with Kingmaker add-ons. Another alternative is transplanting From Shore to Sea.
Pathfinder Adventure, Adventure Path, Lost Omens, Maps, Rulebook, Starfinder Adventure Path, Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber
UnArcaneElection wrote:
^Speaking of which, the Messageboards Avatar Icons set could use some more variety. Last time I did an exhaustive check (which admittedly was quite a while ago), some concepts seem difficult, even when not doing anything nearly as weird as what I posted above -- for instance, Humans seem to be short on Icons for people who don't look like they came from Avistan, and some common Animals are also missing or in short supply, for instance needing a lot more types of dogs and cats, as well as other Animals commonly used for Familiars and Animal Companions.
Yes, very much agreed. It would also be in Paizo's interest, I think, for all the various NPCs in the scenarios/modules/APs to be represented.
Pathfinder Adventure, Adventure Path, Lost Omens, Maps, Rulebook, Starfinder Adventure Path, Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber
- Figure out the class, and maybe the race
- Figure out how I want the character to fit into the campaign
- Play with archetypes and traits in Hero Lab. I'm not sure how much archetypes really help from a crunch point of view, and I do think for an archetype concept there are often better ways of building the character than to use the archetype, but they do help tailor the idea of a character, so I like them
- Think of a name (this is a big deal, in terms of importance the character, but usually quite quick)
- Write a short introduction from the character's perspective - for me this is the key thing - taking into account all the background generated by the chargen process. The usual focus is the character's earliest or most formative memories.
- Write a further more practical para on how the character looks, behaves etc. from an onlooker's point of view.
- Probably go round and revise a couple of times, but to be honest that tends to be more on fairly basic mechanical stuff, especially gear.
Introductions for some characters:
Jibril Carver, Dhampir Slayer - Mummy's Mask:
They say that every slave in the world passes through Katheer.
That was my mother, I think. A trophy from Taldor, sold in the Great Market. Bought by … someone. No, by something. By my father. A monster.
I never knew either of them. My mother died as I was born, covered in sigils and consumed in the fire, the fire that’s always been reserved for our kind. The priests did their best, observed every guidance, fulfilled the ritual of saving. Now, I might even walk in the sun. But such rituals can only ever save the child. The mother is always lost.
She was lost at the moment my father acquired her, perhaps at the moment the slavers took her from … from where? I like to think of some peaceful Taldan farm, perilously close to the Qadiran border, but bathed in temperate seasons, cycles of blossom, fruitfulness, leaf-fall and snow. I have never seen the snow.
I never knew my father, but I know his kind. Old and dry as the Qadir sands, faithless and feral, slaves - in their own way - to the hunger and the thirst, for blood.
The priests called me Jibril, for the angel. They taught me my nature. I am become an angel of death and undeath: a devout, determined, destroyer. This is my calling: to seek out these abominations, to destroy them, to defy them as they defy death itself.
I remember waking, one day, in a scorched, dead forest, bare black bones all that remained of what had so recently been so green. Before that, well, it’s a mystery to me who I was. It’s still a mystery to me now.
I know this: one parent, elven - long lived, graceful, wise; the other, human - brave, painfully mortal, impulsive. I knew neither. Nor did I know childhood friends, toys, pets. I woke that morning burned afresh, along with all about me.
I had acquaintances, of course. Small, dark wisps of smoke accompany me at all times, tugging and murmuring at my shoulder. Call me to spark, to smoulder, to smoke. Urge me, finally, to fire and flame.
In my dreams, I see them still, my parents: smiling tenderly at me, reaching out, for soft, peaceful moments. Then the sparks fall like rain, about them and upon them. The blaze devours them. Everything must eventually spiral into flame.
And thus we are consumed - before we wake.
Creon 18, android slayer, Kingmaker:
He remembers opening his eyes for the first time. Seeing the sky through darkened branches. Birds calling between the trees.
The sudden realisation of being. In one movement he sits up, sloughing off the liquid in which he had bathed and been reborn. He is in some kind of cradle, in a clearing, in a wood. The cradle is the size of a fully grown human figure. His size. It’s traced in circuits, once glowing, now fading. There are whispers in the darkened trees beyond.
He pulls himself stiffly from the cradle onto the ground below. At the foot of the cradle, there are some simple clothes. He puts them on, slowly, first leggings, then a shirt and over that a rough smock. As he finishes pulling the smock over his head, he notices a figure nearby, emerged from the woods. Another apparently-human form. It wears a long cloak, but its face is visible. Circuits, like those on the cradle, trace across its face, suddenly glowing with fear and urgency. The figure screams:
RUN!
He runs, keeps running, behind him the sound of human voices, of horses, of hounds, of armour, of weapons. The woods are set afire. He continues to run.
Eventually, he finds himself by a river. Whoever else was with him in the wood is nowhere near. Only the sounds of animals and - in the distance - the sight of the smoke in the burning forest. All he has are rags. On the undershirt is a label, with a name and a number - Creon 17. He is, he decides, the next Creon.
He remembers the lean years. With the gangs on the Brevoy border, far away from the Technic League. Learning the bow, and how to concentrate on nothing but the kill. Seeing, time and again, the glowing circuits trace his own skin, mend and raise him when he was hurt. Seeing the fear and hatred this aroused in those he had thought to be his friends. Learning, ultimately, to hide, as best he could, his true identity.
If he stops concentrating, there are other memories, not his own - not quite, at least. Of long metal corridors, of windows onto nothing, of centuries of darkness. Of the things that dwell in the void beyond, that can creep as far as the windows and reach through them, that can take crewmen - or change them utterly - with a thought or a whim.
He believes in nothing but the memories. No gods for him. The memories hold a secret, the whispers of past lives form a pattern. There are answers in the woods, in the rivers, in the forgotten places. He’ll find those answers - all of them.
Kassam Oskuri, Fetchling rogue, for Murders' Mark:
I was born in the Shadow District of Magnimar, under the Irespan, in the umbral corners, where gather the families of my kind, the kayal. I have not known my own parents. They are … faded? Travelled? Gone elsewhere. It is the destiny of my kind, to seek out the darkness, to wrap the shadows around us, for comfort, for nourishment.
At night, in dreams, sometimes the voices haunt me. Hidden, shadowed, cloaked in an essence of darkness. I know then, that for all they seek, they seek me still; and I am, thereby, consoled.
Jonas Synd, sorcerer, originally designed for Iron Gods:
“Hide in plain sight. Let shadow be your friend. Our master will find, bind, send, mend and, if it is his will, end you. Serve him, now, until it is his whim that you do not. Go to Numeria, for that is where his truth will be revealed.”
Brother Caleb’s parting words hang in Jonas’ mind, as the gate to the shrine closes behind him and then slowly begins to shimmer from existence.
Thus far, Jonas has only known the Cult, the Belief. They call it many names: the Void that Binds; the True Abyss; the Inevitable Path. The master and his brothers must surely wake, must fall upon the world like a crashing wave from the stars, and what lies beyond the stars. And the world would finally be cleansed.
Before even he was born, Jonas, like his father before him, - and his father’s father, for untold generations - was given to Yog Sothoth. In that time, before he quickened, he was branded and shaped for the tasks that now lie ahead. He must find a way to the other side of the world. He must seek the secrets of the stars. And, through those secrets, the Cult, the Belief, would ascend, and finally touch the edges of the Void that has called to them for so long.
Jonas sighs, the weight of the task already heavy on his shoulders. But there is no going back. He pulls his cloak about him, picks up his backpack. And sets forth.
Kabius Synd, warpriest of Yog-Sothoth, and Jonas' brother, also for Iron Gods:
The gate opens onto a snow plain, somewhere in the Golushkin Mountains, on the border between Numeria and Brevoy. Kabius, who hasn't used a gate before, stumbles through and tumbles into the soft white ground. He lies there for a moment, considering how he got here.
First, of course, there was Jonas. Kabius Synd’s younger brother had always been the one, in whom were vested the hopes, the desires and for that matter the future of the Cult. Jonas carried the bloodline. And Jonas had been given since birth to be the cult’s emissary to Numeria, where it was rumoured could be found some kind of stairway to the stars.
So Jonas was sent forth.
But nothing had been heard from Jonas in over two years. And so Kabius - who had no destiny of his own, but to protect the shrine, to walk its border, to defend the threshold - was sent in turn to seek out his brother, to recover whatever secrets Jonas has found. Perhaps to save Jonas and bring him home, or alternatively and if necessary to kill him for what he may have become.
Kabius gets to his knees as the portal shimmers out of existence behind him. The snow flurries around him, caught by the biting chill wind, so that it blows in circles about him as it falls. He smiles grimly at the omen, reaches beneath his cloak and takes out the wooden symbol that hangs from a slender cord around his neck. He raises it to his lips and kisses the black spiral that is carved upon it.
His life is nothing. Jonas’ life is nothing. There is only He Who Waits Beyond the Gate.
Kabius stands, picks up his pack, and - without ever looking back - sets out from the mountain, in search of his brother.
===
Kabius came about when the GM said he wanted a divine caster to make up the group, not an arcane one. But neither of the Synd brothers were actually picked up, scions of elder gods being a step too far (and I didn't think it worked to change the deity). They lie in wait.
By the way, as a GM, I also typically write a (usually longer) prologue, partly for the benefit of the players (and it often binds the starting group into the story) and partly for my own, figuring out what threads and NPCs are going to be important to provide a degree of momentum. I generally spend a fair bit of time on this.
Pathfinder Adventure, Adventure Path, Lost Omens, Maps, Rulebook, Starfinder Adventure Path, Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber
Jared Thaler wrote:
No, you cannot add new players. You can replace the PCs of the player who left with an equivalent Pregen (As if you were adding a pregen to make the table legal.)
So I can add 2 pregens (of appropriate class) to the scenario and bot them (for the rest of the scenario)?
Do they have to have the same names, if so?
Jared Thaler wrote:
Sometimes circumstances prevent a player from completing a scenario. Reasons include—but are not limited to—personal emergencies, device battery issues, venue problems, and bad timing. To mitigate the impact on the table, GMs may exercise their discretion by adjusting the scenario’s subtier to accommodate the table’s new APL, bring in the pregenerated character that most closely resembles the lost PC, or postpone the game until all players are able to complete the scenario. In the event that a character sheet is no longer accessible due to a loss of battery power, the player may play the pregenerated character and apply the scenario’s rewards to his original character. In all cases where the GM applies one of the above remedies, rewards for all players are based on the lowest subtier played during the scenario.
Our posts crossed. Many thanks for this - question/clarification above still applies. I'm guessing that the answer to the first part is yes, given the context of Tonya's answer in the link.
Pathfinder Adventure, Adventure Path, Lost Omens, Maps, Rulebook, Starfinder Adventure Path, Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber
Jared Thaler wrote:
You cannot add PCs to replace PCs who have died.
You can however replace the PCs of players who have gone AWOL with the closest equivalent Pregen. (On my phone, or I would give you the link.)
Given that it sounds like they lost the fight as a direct result of you not knowing you could do that, I think it would not be unreasonable to "wind back the clock" a little bit to include the pregens in the fight, and see if it would have changed the outcome.
Thanks. The proposal is to replace the PCs who went AWOL with new players, mid-scenario. If that's possible I think it wouldn't be necessary to turn back the clock. There are 4 players, 2 are down. I was proposing to introduce 2 new players and have them play the rest of the scenario. We're about at the end of Act 2.
Pathfinder Adventure, Adventure Path, Lost Omens, Maps, Rulebook, Starfinder Adventure Path, Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber
Steven Huffstutler wrote:
If the GM is deciding to end the game where some of the people are not dead but in a disadvantageous position, they cannot just decide that the players are dead or captured.
They must discuss the options with the players and come to an agreement about how to handle it.
Actually the players agree. But I'd prefer to find some way of continuing the scenario if possible, hence the question as to whether some additional players can join at this point. The two "dead" players have not bled out yet, but the remaining two are both outnumbered and fragile. If not, the players would prefer to just finish rather than act through their own destruction.
Pete Winz wrote:
Since you mentioned that this is the start of a series of linked scenarios run as a campaign, it might be worth asking if the first scenario is one of the "evergreens" (written only for level 1-2, such as The Confirmation, The Wounded Wisp, and the Consortium Compact). Evergreen scenarios can be played any number of times for credit on a 1st level character (plus once with a 2nd level character), so if that is the case, you could start again with the same scenario.
Nope, it's Frozen Fingers of Midnight.
Alanya wrote:
If the rest of the group still wants to move forward after a TPK, then I'm guessing you have a dedicated group (now that you've weeded out the others), and should only have positive experiences going forward!
Well, as long as they don't all die half way through a scenario every time ...
Pathfinder Adventure, Adventure Path, Lost Omens, Maps, Rulebook, Starfinder Adventure Path, Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber
Faelyn wrote:
#4 - Correct. The players can create new PCs, but they cannot attempt this scenario again even though they did not complete it unless the following is met: GM star replay is available or the PCs are played in Core mode, then you can replay every scenario once more.
This is indeed Core - but you were I guess referring to the ability to replay it in Regular?
pH unbalanced wrote:
So I guess if you were able to find players willing to take a chronicle with 0xp and 0 to 1pp and burn their ability to play the full scenario, there's an argument to be made for bringing in replacement characters. It might also be the case, though, that those rules only apply to modules and AP chapters.
I may be able to do that - we're trying to get through a campaign of linked scenarios, so I might be able to get players willing to sign up for this one on reduced reward if they can get into the rest of the campaign.
Can anyone else confirm if I can intro new PCs on this basis?
Pathfinder Adventure, Adventure Path, Lost Omens, Maps, Rulebook, Starfinder Adventure Path, Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber
Following the player disappearance (and non-replacement) mentioned here, the remainder of the party experienced, effectively, TPK.
I'm trying to figure out what next. The group still wants to persist with PFS (I have to say, I have my own doubts after this and if there's one more negative experience I will personally give up PFS on PbP). I'd like some advice on cleaning up the scenario:
- those players who disappeared - I should register/hand out sheets such that they played the scenario, exp gained, etc.
- characters killed - also register/hand out sheets, mark the characters as dead
- 2 characters were actually killed, the remaining 2 were trapped in a situation from which they couldn't escape - treat all as dead?
- Restart with newly created characters? But none of the players can replay this particular scenario, despite not completing it?
For future reference - I can't add new players mid-scenario? Have them rush in and join the fray?
Pathfinder Adventure, Adventure Path, Lost Omens, Maps, Rulebook, Starfinder Adventure Path, Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber
I actually just looked in on this thread again, which seems to have metastasised.
One suggestion I would have is that a L1/2 PC should be allowed to be botted and potentially die without anyone getting too worked up about it. I'm running campaigns as linked scenarios and if it's anything like APs there seems to be a higher drop off rate for new players than those who are long term committed to their character (not always the case).
Pathfinder Adventure, Adventure Path, Lost Omens, Maps, Rulebook, Starfinder Adventure Path, Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber
Hi - I have a scenario I'm playing on the board, and - as per usual - a couple of players have disappeared. The first, I had the PC just vanish as the scenario had barely started (this happens so often that I'm convinced some people here just play a win/lose game on getting through a recruitment and aren't interested in actually gaming); the second PC disappeared a few weeks in, having posted very sporadically.
So I'm now down to 4 real players and one zombie PC.
For the sake of the feel of the campaign, I'm inclined to bot the 5th player and then to lose & replace him at the end of the scenario (I'm playing a campaign of linked PFS scenarios); is botting PCs in this way OK under PFS? Any limits on what the character, as a GM NPC, can do?
Pathfinder Adventure, Adventure Path, Lost Omens, Maps, Rulebook, Starfinder Adventure Path, Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber
Saiman wrote:
FedoraFerret wrote:
dotting for interest
I'm new to this style of PbP.... what is this dotting for interest? I've seen quite a few say this.
From the FAQ:
Quote:
What's up with the dots?
They indicate threads you've recently posted to.
What is "focus," where do I find it, and what does it do?
Click the "focus" link to hide all threads in a forum except the ones you're most likely to be interested in—threads with dots, or threads with "(x new)" posts. The focus link is at the top of the main page for each forum, below the "add new thread" link.
So posting in a thread means there will be a dot next to it when you review a list of threads. Focusing will show only the dotted threads. So people "dot" to mark threads that interest them, by posting, often just the one liner you're seeing, in those threads.
Pathfinder Adventure, Adventure Path, Lost Omens, Maps, Rulebook, Starfinder Adventure Path, Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber
oyzar wrote:
Why would you want to chose inflict? Inflict usually deals less damage than a melee attack with a weapon, but offers a save for half. It'll certainly deal less damage than your mystery spells most of the time. Being able to heal someone in a pinch is always nice, even if it isn't your primary focus.
It depends on what fits with the character (which I haven't worked out yet). But thanks for the advice.
Pathfinder Adventure, Adventure Path, Lost Omens, Maps, Rulebook, Starfinder Adventure Path, Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber
GM Mawgrim wrote:
oyzar wrote:
What mystery will the oracle have?
Unsure at the moment - I've advised the player of the oracle that the recruitment thread is up and running so that he can post here once the character is more finalized.
I am that soldier. Thinking flame (with inflict) but have to send it to GM for approval.
Pathfinder Adventure, Adventure Path, Lost Omens, Maps, Rulebook, Starfinder Adventure Path, Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber
Thanks all (again). I asked for the HeroLab file (which is apparently available) to try and figure it out. There's nothing sinister here, I don't think the player is breaking the rules in any way, but I am trying to get my head around it as the plan is to go through a long campaign and I would like to keep track of who has what.
Pathfinder Adventure, Adventure Path, Lost Omens, Maps, Rulebook, Starfinder Adventure Path, Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber
Firstly thanks for the answers. Secondly a supplementary question.
I have one candidate player who has played 2 scenarios (not ones I am running) previously and is still L1. The idea is to put him on slow track until he syncs with everyone else.
But he has to my eye an amazing amount of gear for an L1 character - masterwork armour, masterwork composite longbow str+4, wand of CLW, 10 or so potions/scrolls. My guess is somewhere above 2000GP list price if I was playing non-PFS.
By my calculation a player with 2XP should have around 900-1000GP max from scenarios, 150GP starter cash and maybe 40GP from downtime if things went well.
So is there something I've missed whereby this is possible/normal in PFS? Just trying to figure this out (and if the player in question is reading this, I'm genuinely trying to figure this out as I don't really know PFS).
Pathfinder Adventure, Adventure Path, Lost Omens, Maps, Rulebook, Starfinder Adventure Path, Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber
Hi, I'm new to GM'ing PFS but not to GM'ing PbP.
I am setting up a Core campaign as a series of linked PFS scenarios from Season 0/1, playable via PbP.
To clarify on the process for player/event registration ... I think:
- I use event registration to register an event and mark it as online
- Do I have to point to these forums somewhere?
- I mark the scenario in question as PFC
That's it?
When I move to the next scenario in the campaign, I assume I just create a new event (?) and go through the same process, even if the PbP is in the same gameplay thread (?).
... and do the relevant paperwork at the end of each scenario in terms of handing out Chronicle Sheets.
Please correct me if I have any of the above wrong. Thanks.
Pathfinder Adventure, Adventure Path, Lost Omens, Maps, Rulebook, Starfinder Adventure Path, Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber
Hi, this has probably been asked before ... I'm new to GM'ing PFS btw.
The PFS guide says:
"All Tier 1 scenarios and Tier 1–2 sanctioned modules are available for unlimited replay with a 1st-level character for credit. The sanctioned modules may also be played with a 2nd-level character once for credit in each mode. GMs may receive another Chronicle sheet each time they run one of the Tier 1 scenarios or Tier 1–2 sanctioned modules, but may only apply a Chronicle sheet to one 2nd-level character per adventure."
Does this mean that a player who has played a tier 1 module before can do so again for full credit, so long as they use a 1st level character? I'm just kicking off a run through a series of scenarios, and some players have played the first few scenarios before. I'm assuming I can say, on the basis of the above, that as long as they have a character on level 1 it's fine.
Pathfinder Adventure, Adventure Path, Lost Omens, Maps, Rulebook, Starfinder Adventure Path, Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber
I think an AP could take its lead from Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell - in that book there are strong connections between the fey and Great Britain circa 1800 ...
Probably a spoiler for Jonathan Strange, a book you should read if you haven't already done so:
the fey are manipulating British high society at the time of the Napoleonic Wars, including a direct involvement in the madness of King George III
This would allow an extended look at the First World (one of the more fascinating ideas in Pathfinder, IMO), as well as Taldor, by connecting the two, and probably provide enough meat for an AP, which would also not just be a rerun of Hell's Rebels with slightly altered alignments. It also fits the Andoran/Galt uchronia of the latter part of the 18th century, and could possibly take in Galt (and even Andoran) as well.
Pathfinder Adventure, Adventure Path, Lost Omens, Maps, Rulebook, Starfinder Adventure Path, Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber
Minor additional suggestion - switch off personalisation for free downloads. Trying to download the Roleplaying Guild Guide - a free product. That fires off a personalisation request and gets trapped in the same queue. Why DRM it in the first place?
Pathfinder Adventure, Adventure Path, Lost Omens, Maps, Rulebook, Starfinder Adventure Path, Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber
Chemlak wrote:
I suspect that the Paizo tech team will be taking a good look at this as soon as they have a chance to breathe, but right now the focus is on keeping the site stable enough to handle demand.
It's not stable enough to handle demand. It's stable enough that the rest of the site doesn't fall over in the face of demand on this particular area, but it's not handling demand. In other words, it's stable enough to be stable, and that's it (and achieving that goal seems to be the limit of the ambition at this point).
I think what the team need to take a good look at is whether an owned-hardware approach is best for a system that seems to have highly elastic load requirements, or whether they should be putting this in a cloud service. Should say, I have no personal interest in them doing so (in terms of being, e.g., an employee or shareholder in Amazon etc.) other than having a number of documents that I paid for (not via this current promotion) that I can't download.
Pathfinder Adventure, Adventure Path, Lost Omens, Maps, Rulebook, Starfinder Adventure Path, Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber
Corporal Jazzming Brokato wrote:
You still around, shady?
Yes, I've been travelling (I'm normally in London, have been in San Francisco all week) this week, and feeding my other two campaigns, so a bit distracted. Am flying back this evening (accidentally, not deliberately, avoiding the superbowl) and will post a little more on this one later. It's still in plan as per my long post at the start of the week.
Pathfinder Adventure, Adventure Path, Lost Omens, Maps, Rulebook, Starfinder Adventure Path, Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber
Matt Adams 259 wrote:
I'm a little worried about the multi armed ability of the Kasatha, but I can see them working well in the adventure path. Give me a good backstory and character and I'll consider them.
No restrictions on class or race other than they must be from one of the hardcovers unless you clear a 3rd party race with me. (Obviously, no bestiary monsters unless they can be characters normally.)
Not applying (I'm running the campaign myself, currently under recruitment, and was just having a look at the other recruitment threads) but as I'm sure you'll be aware the player's guide has this:
"For story reasons, the Iron Gods Adventure Path assumes that there are no PC kasathas. You’ll need your GM’s permission to play a kasatha, because if you do, several plot elements woven throughout Iron Gods will need to be adjusted."
Pathfinder Adventure, Adventure Path, Lost Omens, Maps, Rulebook, Starfinder Adventure Path, Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber
TwelvePointFivePercent wrote:
Hmm. Looks good, but for one detail: I think you're thinking of pathfinder point buy, yes?
20 pf point buy produces stats that are about the same as the ones 32 point buy does in d20, so if you were thinking of pathfinder, I'd recommend you go with that.
Pathfinder Adventure, Adventure Path, Lost Omens, Maps, Rulebook, Starfinder Adventure Path, Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber
OK, some campaign background:
Setting:
It's 2320AD. Mankind has spread to the stars, first in starships using the stutterwarp drive, then, in the last hundred years, by connecting the settled worlds together via the stuttergate instantaneous transport gateways.
Earth is nominally united, and governed from its virtual reality based, physically distributed capital of Olympia. In fact, it's too soon to have pulled together and merged all the national and ethnic interest groups, which continue to fight for prominence and recognition. Building the stuttergates, and terraforming new worlds, demands a substantial part of an existing entity's GDP, and only the richest groups are capable of making such an investment. Those worlds that originally settled by colony ships but not able to acquire a stuttergate link have been largely abandoned. But the worlds connected into the new interstellar network are booming.
What happens when a gate fails? It happens, sometimes. The technology is only a century old, after all. Starships continue to maintain communications. A maintenance crew is sent out from Earth, by the Terran Government's Interstellar Communications Agency, to help with the re-establishment of communications. Recently, however, the link to the world of Nova Roma has collapsed, and no subsequent communications have been received. The maintenance team is to be sent, literally, into the unknown. Alongside it is an investigation team from the ICA's Special Cases Group, who've been tasked with getting to the bottom of the situation. That investigation team, dear players, is you.
===
Other stuff:
Stutterwarp works in the same way as in 2300AD, roughly. I'll probably use their ship designs.
AI - AI does exist but there are no super-smart ship "minds" as in Iain M Banks - those AI's that super-develop - at least as far as everyone knows - tend to accelerate towards a position of either transcendence or catatonia - difficult to tell from the outside
Anti-gravity - doesn't exist. Ships need to have rotating sections to generate artificial gravity. Space to planet communication is still via relatively primitive rockets/shuttle type tech.
Anagathics - fairly advanced - most people who can afford it are effectively immortal, though the technology was only developed in the last century and so has had limited social impact thus far
Magic and psionics - will be introduced during the campaign - not known to the players or to the wider public at this point.
Virtual reality - used for distributed communications, including limited AI "bots". Between worlds and between stars, it's more limited - if it doesn't travel by the stuttergates (and the network does exist) it's limited by the speed of light.
Near-earth - there are gates on the moon, Mars and some of the outer moons. These worlds were used for experimental implementations of the gates and - in Mars' case - for experimental terraforming. Most of the lunar systems are now mining colonies.
Genetic engineering - not widespread, but the experimental Moreau system has thrown up human/animal hybrids, which after a long "abhuman rights" controversy were given full rights within the interstellar polity 50 years ago
Corporations - numerous. I'll produce a list later. Human civilisation is effectively capitalist
Aliens - life has been found on numerous other planets, but no sentient life has been found. Evidence of previous civilisations, tens of thousands of years old, has been found on a handful of worlds. But it's unclear how advanced those civilisations were.
Worlds - worlds have typically been settled by national interest groups rich enough to fund a gate. So there is for example a Texan world, a French world, a British world, an Arab world, etc. On some of these worlds there's still a debate going on about human versus ethnoreligious rights. We'll stay away from 21st century politics though.
Tone - no NSFW. Note there's also a horror element to the campaign and I will probably also include a sanity mechanic. I plan to keep it relatively non-linear and players will be invited to contribute ideas for the background.
Posting - I'd look for at least once a day, although slower at weekends.
Background - level 5, 20 point buy initially, all human, no advanced or prestige classes at the start of the campaign, but tell me what you intend to use at the start of the story. Come up with a background, you can make up the world background for yourself, in terms of nationality, culture, etc.
Players - up to 6
Start - some time in February. I'm running one other campaign and have a further one (Iron Gods) starting before this, so this is next in the queue. I'll look at the initial interest and then decide how long to open recruitment.
Pathfinder Adventure, Adventure Path, Lost Omens, Maps, Rulebook, Starfinder Adventure Path, Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber
OK, in terms of sources:
- D20 Future, generic material - mostly OK, I think the Dogfighter AC won't be useful or relevant; Xenophile should note no sentient aliens (but there might be down the line, and there are widely known non-sentient ones at the start of the campaign). Most the campaign stuff is not relevant for character creation - I may use the Genetech material. There will be Franks and Moreaus.
- D20 Modern - mostly OK, including the campaign stuff. I plan to allow Psionics and Magic down the line.
- Dark*Matter - mostly OK
- Urban Arcana - the character stuff mostly OK. Don't plan to have a ton of D&D monsters though.
- Cyberscape - mostly OK
- Future Players Companion - mostly OK but not the races
- Modern Players Companion - mostly OK
Couldn't track down my copy of Future Tech - I do have a PDF and will check it in the morning.
Tech level will be mostly PL8 (bearing in mind there is terraforming) but without anti-gravity and in fact most of the D20 future stuff on spaceships won't be relevant. More on the background tomorrow.
Pathfinder Adventure, Adventure Path, Lost Omens, Maps, Rulebook, Starfinder Adventure Path, Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber
Hi, sorry didn't get round to this today ... will try and post something on the source material before I turn in, but on stats, don't worry it would be a 20 point buy. I'll post something on the background tomorrow as I have a couple of hours before a flight.
Pathfinder Adventure, Adventure Path, Lost Omens, Maps, Rulebook, Starfinder Adventure Path, Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber
Darkfire142 wrote:
I also am a fan of D20 Modern and I have a lot of books and supplements.
What among these books are allowed for character options?
D20 Core
D20 Future
D20 Future Tech
D20 Cyberspace
D20 Urban Arcana
D20 Modern Player's Companion
D20 Modern Player's Companion 2
D20 Martial Arts Mayhem
D20 Martial Arts Mayhem 2
I assume as it is a futuristic setting it probably has no magic although Psionics may be a possibility correct?
I have the print version of Modern Player's Companion, which I think combines the PDF vols 1 and 2. Similar for Future Player's Companion.
I need to go through the books but basically - at a very high level - not Martial Arts Mayhem (I don't have it), but some subset of options from the rest plus Future Player's Companion, Dark Matter (and would have to check others).
I'll figure out and provide a precise list of what does and does not work. Mech rules won't, as an example, and "space pilots" won't be particularly relevant. Magic and psionics probably will - this is dark matter/urban arcana in a far-ish future setting.
Pathfinder Adventure, Adventure Path, Lost Omens, Maps, Rulebook, Starfinder Adventure Path, Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber
karlprosek wrote:
This sounds pretty cool. I used to play a fair bit of d20 Modern, mostly Urban Arcana but with some Future thrown in for cybernetics. In my head I'm imagining a Prometheus kind of group- scientists with a support team, sponsored by a company and with a clear goal in mind (explore this "doorway" and report back). Is that what you have in mind?
For the initial scenario, yes. I'll post more detail at the weekend, but they'd be sponsored by a government agency.
Pathfinder Adventure, Adventure Path, Lost Omens, Maps, Rulebook, Starfinder Adventure Path, Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber
Hmm. This went quiet for a few days and I was getting worried the interest level would be too low. Seems I was wrong - excellent! I'll post a more detailed background tomorrow.
Pathfinder Adventure, Adventure Path, Lost Omens, Maps, Rulebook, Starfinder Adventure Path, Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber
Nohwear wrote:
Your set up sounds very interesting. However, personally I would prefer a different system. Is there some more open system that you know well enough to run? Alternatively, is there some system that I could teach you or something?
Thanks (really!) for the offer, but I like d20 modern (and I do know a fair number of other systems), and it's part of the reason I'm keen to run the campaign.
Pathfinder Adventure, Adventure Path, Lost Omens, Maps, Rulebook, Starfinder Adventure Path, Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber
Hi, I’m thinking about running a d20 Modern/Future Sci-Fi/Horror campaign and wanted to check interest. Idea is as follows:
- Use d20 modern/future and relevant supplements (not modern path, etc)
- Setting is 300 years in the future
- Travel between inhabited worlds is via doorways as per Dan Simmons’ Hyperion, John Barnes’ A Million Open Doors, etc.; FTL travel, in spaceships, required to set up the doorways uses Stutterwarp (from 2300AD - but the 2300AD geopolitical background would not be used). I’d expect most of the action to take place on planets and stations rather than in space, though (no ship to ship combat, for example).
- “Mythos” based on Pathfinder Dark Tapestry
- Players all start off as human; there has at this point been no first contact with sapient alien races
Just an idea at the moment. The opening adventure would involve the party investigating a broken “doorway” on a world under terra-formation.
It will probably take me a month to prep everything and I have a couple of other campaigns, one underway and one about to start, but this is something I’ve been keen to do for a while. Want to check interest before I undertake the prep.
Pathfinder Adventure, Adventure Path, Lost Omens, Maps, Rulebook, Starfinder Adventure Path, Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber
Preference would be IG, then CC, then MM
Fine:
All Paizo 0HD Races.
99% of Paizo Classes and Archetypes.
Most of Paizo Traits and Feats.
Most Paizo Spells.
It Depends:
15 PB, 20 PB, 25 PB, 30+ PB...
Indifferent:
Unchained's Background skills (maybe with some modifications).
No thanks:
3rd party races (maybe).
Race Builder (race points to be determinated).
Template(s).
Evil Alignment.
3rd Party Classes and Archetypes (maybe).
Gestalt.
3rd Party Traits and Feats (again, maybe).
(maybe) 3rd Party Spells (Big Maybe).
3rd party stuff I'm generally fine with outside an AP (it's a good idea as DoubleGold said to limit it to one publisher though) but in an AP it can go all over the place.
Pathfinder Adventure, Adventure Path, Lost Omens, Maps, Rulebook, Starfinder Adventure Path, Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber
James Jacobs wrote:
justmebd wrote:
For the Record: I LOVED Mythic. It totally worked for me.
In the spirit of the thread:
Has Paizo ever considered putting out a "Dungeon" style Magazine/product? I know there are 3rd party sources out there for this kind of stuff, but I was curious if Paizo ever has entertained the notion.
Not really. We've been having greater success with our current products than we did with Dungeon. In a lot of ways, the Adventure Path IS the evolution of Dungeon.
I agree, but I miss the Polyhedron part of Dungeon far more. For me it was the high point of innovation for the 3/3.5 era.
I'd love to see an alternative AP line where each AP effectively included a new setting/genre.
But that would probably require you to have some kind of D20 Modern like core rulebook, and a whole bunch of other distractions. As I say, I'd love to see it but I don't expect it.
Pathfinder Adventure, Adventure Path, Lost Omens, Maps, Rulebook, Starfinder Adventure Path, Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber
For Divine Magic, Amethyst (of which there is a PF compatible version available) has equivalent systems for both Cleric and Druid, but in the latter case (and in general) magic users have totem objects, rather than animal familiars.
In general however, I would combine re-statting with templates, and look for templates that don't change the CR.
Pathfinder Adventure, Adventure Path, Lost Omens, Maps, Rulebook, Starfinder Adventure Path, Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber
I ran a "vanilla" version of Golarion for a while and then wanted to try running a game without alignment (or, in Unchained terms, without alignment except for outsiders, so demons still = bad). This had a number of knock on effects. In particular - since outsiders still have alignment but countries don't - Cheliax and Andoran needed to become a little more ambivalent. We started a new campaign.
I ended up basing the core area of Cheliax/Andoran/Galt/Taldor (and subsequently everywhere else, as I needed to add elements) roughly on Western Europe around 1650. This gave me a grounding for thinking about the interaction between the countries, and the personalities operating within them.
So:
- Andoran, rather than being some idealised version of post revolutionary America, became based on the United Provinces of the Netherlands, which at that time was in the middle of its Golden Age, and operating as a kind of constitutional monarchy.
- Cheliax, I based on Britain under the Protectorate, or rather an extension if Cromwell - rather than leaving his weak son Richard as a successor, had managed to establish a new dynasty, albeit one a bit like the Caesars of I, Claudius. The result still isn't nice (at all), but is also less easily just characterised as "evil".
- Galt - there was actually a set of short civil wars in France around this period, called the Fronde. It was during this period that the real life D'Artagnan began his career, probably as a spy for Cardinal Mazarin. So I extended that period and let it get out of hand, effectively having the French Revolution happen 130 years early, in the middle of the Three Musketeers.
- Taldor is based on 17th century Spain, in decline and turning in upon itself
- Absalom is based on Venice
... and so on
For the religious side, I needed Cheliax to be worship a less obviously evil deity, and created a new one, Asmodar, by combining Asmodeus and Abadar. I ended up with with this as a basically monotheistic religion, confronting the polytheists of most of the rest of Golarion (to try and emulate a Protestant/Catholic opposition). The polytheists still think Cheliax worships demons (and there are demons), but at least the Chelish now think different.
I could go through this more, but it really comes back to having to make the Golarion setting "fit" believably once you take alignment out of the picture.
