slayer_of_gellcor's page

I made a Human Rogue. It is generally the first character I make in every new system, as it’s one I’m familiar with. He’s a scoundrel, a con artist, etc. iconic. He ended up with a +1 Intelligence after assigning ability scores - giving him 11 Trained Skills at first level. I was eyeballing the Human Ancestry feat to pick up two more, but 11 was actually way too many Skills. I picked up everything I thought he should be able to, plus Craft and Arcana, because I guess why not. I had a similar experience making a Half-Orc Ranger (5+Intellligence Skills).

Next I made a Dwarf Monk to try something different. He ended with a +0 Intelligence. It’s not that I ignored it, just that other things seemed more important. He got 3 Trained Skills. That feels so few that I can’t really get to all the things I feel like he should. A Barbarian: same deal. Being Trained means so much, it opens up any baseline fears and grants a +2 swing from being untrained. It means a lot more than the difference between Expert and Trained.

At higher levels, it felt like no one got enough higher level training and/Expert and Master ranks don’t seem to do as much as I hoped. They unlock Skill Feats, but those have seemed unimpressive and only get an extra +1.

Overall, I think that the number of Skills should be slightly closer, Skill feats should be easier to get into, and many of them should just be granted as an aspect of being an Expert, Master, Legendary with that skill.

I agree. Choosing Skill Feats at the lower levels are interesting enough, but I found that the options were limited - particularly with the requirements to be Experts, Master, or Legendary of the skill in question to be able to select many of them. That really starts to limit the options for higher level skill feats.

Compounding this is that characters get so many Skill feats compared with the other feats. I feel that the rate at which characters get skill feats and the rate at which they get the ability to access the higher level feats don't move at the same rate. There either needs to be a LOT more options, which likely they will eventually make with future books, etc. But in the meantime, the choices are just not there.

In building a 10th level Half-Orc Ranger - one that I played in 3.0; 3.5; 4E; Pathfinder without problem. He elevated to Master in Survival, which fits the character well, then was up to Expert in Stealth and Intimidation. I ended up taking Skill feats that didn't relate to the character but were the least offensive option. Assurance for Survival is pretty phenomenal, and that was the first one I picked up. The other Survival feats are just lackluster. Experienced Tracker is worse than the class ability that my Ranger got a few levels later. Planar Tracker is...fine I guess, but just not who the character is. Legendary Survivalist looks cool...so I'll wait for 15th level for that.

So I picked up Terrain Stalker, which looked okay. Quiet Allies, and the ran out of options. I chose Intimidating Glare and Underwater Marauder because of the options those at least sounded useful and interesting.

So the group discussed what they knew about the area, and determined that heading to the Sanos Forest to seek out Gnome druids would be the quickest way to get Zeldu back on his feet. I determined that they would agree to help them as long as they dealt with the haunting in the Shimmerglens. I figured their connection with the First World would perhaps make this disruption important to them, and ultimately: it was a way to refer the group to Chapter 4. Additionally, as Laurelai had outleveled Rosie, Rosie released her as her cohort. She decided to search for a new one, and decided that a gnome bard would be useful to the party. The group dealt with the haunts, and I added in an encounter of a pair of mad treants which was actually fairly harrowing. They made a lot of their saves so didn't have to deal with a large number of the challenges.

They were completely sympathetic with the nymph, and really approached her to help put her at ease. Even after she started screaming and raging at them, they kept calm. I used the opportunity to have the nymph lock onto Rosie, our cleric who had just connected with her long-lost love. The nymph saw her as a kindred, as she had also knew love that had been taken away by another. This was foreshadowing to a plot that would be coming up when Rosie would learn that her long-lost love is actually married to someone else!

Rosie swore that she would find Lamatar and reunite them. As they returned, the gnomes followed through on their bargain and revived Zeldu. Around this time, they heard the dam breaking, and left the forest in time to see Turtleback Ferry getting flooded with water. They decided to head straight to the dam rather than searching for survivors, thinking that unless something happened with the dam, there would be less chance for survivors.

The ogres on top of the dam gave them little to no trouble. Yulah decided to take a level of Barbarian and now, wielding a Giantbane Orc Double Axe, while raging, and power attacking she can easily drop over a hundred points of damage on a single target. The next chapter will definitely be interesting to see!

Grazuul harried the group with a handful of nasty hits. The cleric, though, planning ahead, cast Hydrophobia on him, causing him to intensely fear the water and leap outside. In addition to removing his cover bonus to AC, this cut him off from his ability to regenerate, and made the fight considerably easier.

The group ran into the Pit Fiend, and ultimately decided to set him free. They did convince him to tell him how the dam worked before letting him go. I'm not certain how I'm going to play the Pit Fiend coming back at them due to the humiliation. I think I'm going to tie him in to their backstory plots. Perhaps he might become a scourge of the criminal underworld in Korvosa, perhaps he might possess one of the NPCs they have relationships with, and inflict some havoc that way?

On to Hook Mountain, the group dropped off some supplies at Fort Rannick, before beginning the trek up the mountain. Everyone could ultimately make the climb with assistance, except for the gnome. They decided to saddle him up on Yulah's roc while the rest made the checks. The fight with the roc proved to be the most dangerous of all. He swept in and hit Rosie, pulling her off the mountain. The group had to use a combination of Hero Points, creative thinking, and some strategy to save their cleric from being flung off the side of a mountain.

Getting to the top, of the mountain. They quickly regrouped, and began exploring. The ogres, while they pack a punch, melt in the face of Yulah and her orc double axe. The group skipped right past the hags, who I believe promptly fled, reading the writing on the wall. I debated bringing them back in as a foil later on, but decided to just have them leave. The group was about to run back in to Lucrecia fighting alongside Barl, they have a Pit Fiend out there with some enmity against them, as well as other individuals from their past who may come back.

The group destroyed Lamatar with little effort, and moved on to Barl. Having Lucrecia here made the fight a bit more interesting, as she divided the fight up slightly. Additionally, while Yulah was focused on the giant, the others found beating on Lucrecia to be much more personally satisfying. I'd changed Barl to be a Hill Giant, so as to connect it with Yulah's back story. Additionally, there are a few Stone Giant wizards that I felt this would make it slightly less redundant. I also changed up his spell list to try to counter some of their tactics. This was a mistake, as I didn't know the spells well enough to make full use of them. After the fight, I looked back on some of the choices and realized how much smarter I could have played the fight. Ultimately, the heroes won the day. They had one party death at Fort Rannick, and a few other times where their hit points got close. In all: this was probably the best adventure for the group.

I keep thinking that this class would work better using the variant Multiclassing rules rather than standing on its own. Imagine a character who is a rogue, and gets his second identity at 3rd level instead of a feat. You wouldn't have to fight with archetypes, or think up talents for all the permutations of characters. Someone wants to play a Paladin/Vigilante? Go for it. A Brawler? Why not. It gives the flexibility and the flavor without shoehorning in.

I actually really love that you made the call not to send it back. Us fans know just how much time and effort go into building this product, and how much I would want it to be perfect - but as you mentioned, that would be such a colossal waste to have all of those otherwise flawless books in a landfill. Now, 1)Those of us who get our hands on the first run of these books have something obvious to point to, and 2)It's like home cooking. There's lumps, but that's how you know it was made, with love, by people.

I agree that there's got to be a sense of consequence to the behavior. You would be within your right to execute them, but when I've been in that situation, there were groups where following through on that (justified or no) would not only end the gaming group, but several friendships.

Another suggestion:
Have them to wait in the Hells and inform them that they're going to be executed. Justice Ironbriar comes down to inform them they have a visitor. Down comes Xanesha, disguised as a beautiful noble-woman. She offers to get them out of their predicament, as well, if they prove useful, that they will be lavished with riches beyond their comprehension. If they agree, she'll give them charms that change their appearance and they'll be smuggled out of the cells. She'll give them the name of a guardsmen who's abused his position, accepting bribes in both gold and flesh from those he's charged to arrest. (Giving them the illusion of revenge) She wants them to bring him to her alive. If they do, they get 1,000gp, and another name. If they fail, they see her anger and get a sense that she's more than she seems. Keep this going, rewarding them way more than they should for their level. Eventually, (around 4 names or so) she'll give them name of the mayor. If they succeed and she'll offer them 5,000gp. Each time they accept the money, give them a greed point. If they've done all five jobs, they're ready to be harvested themselves. She invites them to the Shadow tower, where Justice Ironbriar is waiting outside with cultists. The rest should fall out from there.

If they refuse right out, you can always kill them. If any of them have a noble background, they may be able to attempt a trial by combat. I imagine in Magnimar that would be one of those things that so few people enact it, that they simply forgot that it was never off the books - which happens. You could always add in some other quest in place of a direct trial. Good luck!

I would actually say that it might be easier to get them to understand, "Great! You found a ruleset that allows you to break the game. We can't do that anymore. Your fun can't trump anyone else's fun - including the ranger, and mine as the GM."

It's a collaborative game. If they don't get that, which they may not. Then, I would go to rule 0. "Xanesha is imbued with power of her Runelord master, and she turns on you. Karzoug turns your ogre zombies into necrotic bombs which literally blow up in your face. Save for half." Bottom line, as was mentioned above - while I don't think it's solely the GM's game to do whatever the heck they want, s/he is definitely the arbiter and charged with ensuring fun for everyone at the table.

Alternatively, I may be misinterpreting your issue: you may be fine with them doing this as long as you can do it back to them in turn. In which case, I would rewrite Mammy Graul as a Gravewalker witch, and she can take over the undead they create if they're within her aura of desecration. They send in the lamia, only to have it coming out and attacking them in kind. At least that might ruin their picnic. Or all of a sudden people have undeath to death scrolls on them. "Great tactic, you got them to spend a round not smacking you. Who's next?"

I would probably get overly ambitious with this scenario, so please bear with me, or disregard entirely.

I would talk with the player of the monk first and foremost. I would tell him that there was an opportunity for him to continue with the character if he wanted, but that it would (at least initially) as a ghost. Not everyone would want their character to be a ghost, and I'd want to get buy in first.

If s/he agreed: I'd run a separate session. Foxglove would be a bit of a nightmare. If you haven't, read "Ghost Story" by Jim Butcher. The main character becomes a ghost, and has to learn the rules in a world of hungry ghosts, and the like. Good read, as were the 13 books before them (imo). I would run solo haunt encounters where the monk runs into the various souls who've died in the manor - including the Foxglove family, but also various passers-by, construction workers, etc., and maybe an allip or something for an actual fight. I would have lots of foreshadowing moments - the floor opening up underneath you, as you see Aldern murmuring the name of his haunt victim. Every now and again, the face of Vorel will appear in mirrors, windows, the floor, etc. Every time, there will be a fear effect, and the monk will go running - perhaps blinking out, and appearing back where s/he died. If successful, the monk would gain knowledge about exactly what Vorel has become and how to destroy him. Additionally, if Vorel can be defeated before the sun rises on the third day (or whatever), he will be raised. He died by a haunt, and if they're able to exorcise the House: he'll be able to come back, but the clock is ticking.

Now, back to the group. I would add in times when they can hear the voice of their friend, or see his visage in the mirror, etc. Attempting to warn them, but it's garbled, allowing them to continue through the house. I would attempt to time it so that they broke right before they got to Aldern (if possible). In the next session, I would bring the monk back - materializing to fight with Aldern (since that or the Skaveling are one of the toughest fights they face). The monk could then impart what he learned, and then the race is on. It takes Hallow spell to exorcise Vorel. That's generally going to be higher level than a cleric in the party can cast, so they may need to run back to town to get a scroll, or someone else who can assist. Alternatively, and my suggestion, would be to make it a ritual. You'll need blood from one in his family. Despite Aldern's transformation: that should probably do. Holy Water. A silver Holy Symbol. An item of importance to the spirit (his books, the broken phylactory, etc.), and then you'll have to withstand the wrath of Vorel attempting to disrupt the spell - earthquakes, sudden cold snaps, fear effects, etc. I'd say 4 rounds should cover it.

If I was a PC: that would be sufficiently epic as a way to bring me back. Again, I know that it's really ambitious, so disregard as necessary. Good luck!

For me, the biggest thing to remember is rule 0. I would advise asking your GM about it, rather than attempting to get support on the forums. None of us are your GM: we can't speak to why he made the decision he did. And ultimately: it is his call. I would be frustrated, too, if I never got to use a really cool ability. I think that sharing that with your GM will help to make him better, and is the only chance of getting anything changed in your game.

In the fight versus Xanesha, I added that she created a Major Image of herself to monologue with the party, laying on her pillow bed. When they attack it, it will disappear, and she'll attack the cleric from invisibility. It'll force them out of their rote tactics, and also give the opportunity
to taunt the PCs, while not giving up her advantage.

We finished off the Hambley farm encounter today. I'm pleased to report that I had a game with considerable less blunders than the last few. The group had cleared out the barn in the last session, and were approaching the house. I placed a scarecrow ghoul hidden under the porch which grabbed the ankle of the ranger as she walked up. They dispatched it quickly, but lost the surprise. I added some description to the house that worked well: A puddle of blood atthe doorway and drag marks towards the kitchen and a full bloody handprint in the kitchen, strange meat and a leg bone on the counter. I also added a room that they were converting to a nursery, which caused the whole group to slump their shoulders, knowing that they had dispatched the lady of the house last week.

Rogor was hiding in the bedroom, where 2 bodies were hung up. My thought was that the smell of the rotting meat would somewhat mask the ghast's stench. He burst out of the closet and unloaded full attacks on the ranger. At the same time, I had more of the scarecrows break through windows to attack from behind. It was a great horror movie moment. One grabbed the rogue and pulled him through the kitchen window back outside. A feint and confirmed crit later, that ghoul was dispatched. Another paralyzed Ameiko guarding the entrance. Before getting to pull off a coup, however, the rogue made it around and landed another crit. His dice were hot last night.

The ranger also got paralyzed, but the cleric was able to fix it. The cleric did contract ghoul fever, but all in all, they made relatively short work of them. It was a nice, scary and brutally quick fight. The group elected not to search the rest of the farm, but did find the life savings. One interesting side effect of having kne of the children be the one to report what happened was that there was a very obvious heir to that money. It made the rogue's attempt to keep it all the more significant as he was now stealing from a child who'd just lost his whole family.

The group headed back to Sandpoint to identify the key (as no one had Knowlege:Nobility). I had Bethana figure it out, as I'd drawn her up as an Investigator with lots of Knowledge skills. They debated taking her with them, but elected to stick with Ameiko. I had them arrive at Foxglove manor at sunset, but the storm had made it prematurely dark. It was important for me to set the horror movie tone. Lightning flashes outlining the gothic architecture of the manor. The caws of the ravens gathering on the stone skeleton of the former servants' quarters. It paid off as I could see the anxiety rising on my players as they entered the house.

The group entered the dance hall first. Our ranger was the target of the haunt. She'd taken Tsuto's flute, and even invested a rank in perform. Of course she went right over to the piano and played an out of tune note. I used handouts for the subject of the haunt, as well as descriptions on what everyone else saw. It worked well as they saw her get visibly freaked out as she got sucked up in the dance. I need to organize the handouts for the future, however as it did see the potential to get them confused. I also found that in assigning the haunts, with three PCs as the targets, our ranger so far has been the target of all of the haunts - which was commented on. Mostly this was by the cleric who felt overlooked as the true threat to the undead in the manor. Little does she know what's coming...mwahahaha

You know the group better than anyone else on the boards, but the issue seems to me, and I'm hearing a similar thought from others, to be much bigger than just losing out on xp. At best, as you explained, it's laziness. But as I assume they are aware that they themselves don't have to climb back themselves and hoist their friend out of the water. That this would be accomplished by rolling dice. If this is laziness, it's meta-laziness, as if the character is not worth the breath spent by uttering the words, "We go back for the cleric."

At worst, this is bullying by exclusion, and needs to be addressed swiftly and directly. I would recommend saying simply and directly in this situation that this course of action is unacceptable. If they truly don't want to go back, then the game will not progress. If you want to use the story, I would have obviously insurmountable odds (read Nualia, Ripnugget, Lyrie, Bruthazmus, Orik, Yeth Hounds and the hordes of goblins wsitin for the party with the obvious conclusion that they're wiped out. The cleric can swim back to shore, and go searching for new adventurers to travel with.

Because it's not just lazy, it's not just dumb: It's mean to someone who is supposed to be a friend, or at least a teammate.

Finished up with the Sanitorium last night. I had the Necromancer raise the tiefling orderlies as fast zombies in addition to his 4 regular. With a cleric and a ranger with undead as her second favored enemy, they were bound to make short order of them. The zombies got one or two licks on them, but nothing terribly threatening. The best I managed was getting everyone nauseated with the stinking cloud. I landed a much needed Ray of Enfeeblement on the ranger, as well as blindness/deafness, but the cleric's spell selection was once again perfect, supported by a prolific use of scribe scroll.

After wrapping up the Sanitorium, they headed back to Sandpoint to notify the sheriff that, amongst all his other problems, he had a necromancer running under his nose, and that this necromancer was not the killer. Added benefit: as they reviewed the necromancer's notes, they realized that Grayst, whom they left alive was likely about to turn. So, they also got to tell the sheriff to send a deputy and probably bring Father Zantus. I'm going to tell them later that by the time they got to him, he had turned and eaten Habe.

They finally got around to investigating the Old Light. Here was a blunder of mine: I didn't want to reveal too much yet, so it ended up being me just telling them that it looked like a lighthouse, but there were oddities that could be explained by Brodert's theory. It ended up feeling like a big waste of their time. They're still convinced that Stoot was somehoe brought back from the dead, even after I told them that he was cremated to keep families of his victims from digging up and defiling the body.

In short, I should have put more thought into the information they could glean, and skill checks for them to roll. They found symbols and identified Pazuzu, and accurately discovered that Pazuzu had nothing to do with undead. Now they're trying to convince people who have the bird carvings to sand them off, which is an interesting side note, but they won't have a lot to communicate to the Pathfinder society when they check in.

They then found a child survivor from the Hambley farm. I got to use the "Mommy ate daddy." line to great effect. They took the kid to Bethana to watch and overfeed, then took Ameiko withthem to the farm. I'd intended on having it be nighttime, and raining, but the timing made it early morning. I'd also overused rain as a thematic device for this chapter. It's been raining pretty much the whole time. Instead, as it was morning, I described a thick fog throughout the farmlands. It prevented the animal companion from scouting too much, and I think set up a nice zombie movie feel. They took paths that took them past only one ghoul scarecrow before they reached the barn. A solid fight with the ghouls in the barn later, and they moved to the house. I had a group of 3 ghouls ambush them at the door, and more are going to break through windows while they're fighting Rogor.

We'll get to the house in our next session, then likely continue on the way to Foxglove Manor -getting there in the evening as the rain kicks up again. All in all, a few minor missteps as I add material, but everyone's having fun.

Not sure if this is official, but this will paint the picture about topography.

Map

Officially launched Skinsaw murders last night. The party had brunch with the mayor who agreed to bring their concerns about shopkeepers not taking their business, so they'll be able to sell goods in town again. Not to Vinder, but to everyone else. I should have slowed down the pace, and let them move around town, but instead, Sheriff Hemlock asked them down to the station for questions.

My main thought, was that our dwarven cleric is wearing the symbol that's important to the killer, they're new in town, they've begun asking questions about Chopper, and the killings from 5 years prior - they're definitely high on the suspect list. The sheriff was conflicted, however, because he's fought beside them, and trusts them. They've learned enough about Chopper though, to understand that Stoot was trusted as well.

They immediately offered to help with the investigation, and their good will has bought them a short leash. A guard will be with them everywhere they go (something I forgot later on).

They did a solid job investigating the Timber Mill. I used a player made map I found on the forums, but it wasn't very clear and there was some issues, like switching which body was where, but we muddled through. They were great eith questioning Ibor, and then went to question Ven Vinder. They (wisely) left the rogue who schtupped his daughter in the hallway, out of sight. This however meant sending in the half-orc with a 7 charisma, and the dwarf with an 11 charisma to do the talking. The half-orc was playing bad cop, then the dwarf decided to play worse cop, suggesting Katrine wouldn't have died if Ven had been a better father. That's when we rolled initiative. Ven succeeded at grappling the dwarf through the bars, and the rogue rushed in to help, which prompted a new target for his rage. All told, a couple points of non lethal damage, and a bruised ego for the dwarf later, they felt confident the grieving father was not responsible, however, they have definitely earned an enemy for later.

The party started suspecting that Brodert Quink was the culprit. They think he raised Jarvis Stoot from the grave to carry on his work. (Yay, red herring! ) Rather than tracking him down at Thistletop, they decided to queetion Grayst. Here's where I forgot my own rules. The sheriff was going to have someone with them throughout their investigation., but I forgot, and no one was with them at the Sanitorium. For the best, given the story, but just a stupid mistake on my part. Unable to talk their way past Habe, the rogue picked the lock. They destroyed the tiefling orderlies. A sneak attack and a crit from a double axe leaving two blood slicks and nothing else.

I had Habe first run to the basement door, before retreating upstairs. The adventure was clear that Habe didn't have keys to the basement, so he was just banging on the door to alert the necromancer to the danger. It was a nice chase running up the stairs. They finally cornered him on the 3rd floor as he was moving to release Pidgit. They asked him where Grayst was so he openednthe door...to Pidgit's cell. This is where the encounter took an interesting turn. They had found Habe's notes mentioning observing Grayst's 'transition'. The party assumed that the transition was Grayst turning into a wererat. Not planned, but a great moment.

They distracted Pidgit with a weapon, and confronted Habe. That's when they heard Grayst moaning. Grayst did a little bit of damage, but was quickly dispatched. Our cleric cast a spell that suppressed the disease for a few minutes, but since he was already quite mad, he launched his attack anyway. Not wanting to kill someone who was sick, they subdued him. Then our cleric channeled: healing the party...and Grayst, so boneheaded moment, but he was prone and still not much of a threat.

The rogue nailed his Knowledge: Local check to identify that the Misgivings was the Varisian term for Foxglove manor. Habe warned them about the Necromancer, and when we concluded, they are convinced that Aldern is the Necromancer, perhaps working in conjunction with Brodert to raise Jarvis Stoot from the grave. They are in for some big surprises.

In all, it was a good session, frustrating for me due to some dumb mistakes. I shouldmhave given a few more weeks of down time, but what's done is done. I was most happy that the work I did setting up red herrings paid off. Despite knowing that Aldern is likely involved, they still don't believe him to be the killer. They're confident that Jarvis Stoot is involved somehow, and they're really starting to wonder about this Sihedron rune. Good things to come.

I keep being amazed when running encounters in this town how much stuff is actually going on in a town with a population of just over 1,200. That wasn't much bigger than my high school, and just thinking that this town has:
-5 inns and taverns
-2 alchemists
-A theater that is competitive with the ones in Magnimar
-The Glassworks, which is known world-wide
-A major cathedral; An active thieves guild; A monastery; A shipyard
-Major relics of Thassilon

Yet, they don't have enough guards to stand up to a goblin raid. Admittedly, one that's larger in scope and organization than is typical. It just feels like the town should be bigger to me. Like 5,000 people or so. Anyone else have that feeling?

The group decided to make the trek back to Thistletop to take out Malfeshnekor. Some highlights:

-The group had previously left an unconscious Orik tied up with a stable, but in negatives Bruthazmus. They found a dead Bruthazmus and their rope which had been split open. Essentially, Orik woke up first and took 20 to break the rope. Bruthazmus started to come to at that point, and Orik decided to bash the bugbears head in. Our rogue is properly terrified that someone else who knows who he is is out there. I plan on having Orik head to Magnimar where he'll attempt to contact Drago. I'm thinking he may make a good recurring foil for Zeldu.

-The rogue was drawn instantly by the gold column. He rolled exactly a 28 and was able to find the twin slots. Added benefit, they assumed that they would need to drop two coins in for fear of a curse befalling them. When I slipped and told them that they only needed one, they were really pissed at "the greedy bastard that tricked them out of two gold."

-The group got really into exploring the Thassilonian ruins, and the descriptions worked out really well to keep them interested. Particularly the communication room. Again, the group was blown away at the over the top nature of investing ridiculously powerful magic that would be sustained for thousands of years to simply show off to their enemies. They also have (correctly) interpreted that Karzoug will be the big bad, but haven't made successful rolls to know anything about him, other than that he is likely on par with Alaznist, who they identified in the Catacombs of Wrath.

-The group is currently 5th level, a bit higher than is intended, but there are only 3 of them. They displayed some terrible tactics in going up against Malfeshnekor (no buffing despite the obvious impending fight, and sending in the animal companion to scout a rather small room). Despite this, some great rolls, and amazing spell preparation by the cleric made for an incredibly satisfying fight with Malfeshnekor. He was invisible when they sent in the Ranger's roc, and he mauled the animal companion (killing and devouring it). Dropped Crushing Despair on the whole of the party, charmed the rogue into saying his name and releasing the binding. He dimension doored away, but was found and charged down by the double axe wielding orc, now buffed with Bless, Bull's Strength, and Prayer, who promptly critted him for about 50 points of damage, killing him.

-The group will pick up next week exploring the Old Light, per the Pathfinder Society's request. Our rogue will be heading to a masquerade held at the Pixie's Kitten, scouting the location and operation for Jubrayl, who they won't let anywhere near the place. Then we're going to launch into the Skinsaw Murders.

In all, a very satisfying session.

** spoiler omitted **

Ok … that worked so well, next question …

** spoiler omitted **

I think it could be really neat if you have the character find some of the father's gear at various points - spread out across the books. Maybe one item in Burnt Offerings (Orik's Shield, perhaps?), maybe Justice Ironbriar will have a ring of his. I wouldn't do just one per book, because that could feel a little contrived, but sometimes have a few items, and other times there doesn't seem to be anything. But it's all pointing towards Xin Shalast.

I think you could also easily justify Karzoug doing a Sherlock-esque moment with the spell.
"I noticed that the party had an abjuration spell in place. In my observations of them, the party seemed not to be winded, despite the altitude, which could be explained by an adaptation to high altitudes, but given the demographic makeup of the party, this seemed unlikely. Far more likely was that the spell was assisting them. Given the length of time between castings, and the fact that the caster is clearly not a wizard, but a cleric, this led me to believe that it must be "Life Bubble". Therefore, my tactics would need to be adjusted."

Or you could just say that one of the times, he was scrying on them when the spell was cast, allowing a Spellcraft check.

One of my go-to plays is to bring out children. My players might ignore an old crusty farmer asking for help, but a crying child saying, "Mommy ate daddy" is going to get them running.

Closed out Burnt Offerings last night. The group dawdled just a bit before heading after Nualia into the Catacombs. They all would have liked to rest, but plunged ahead rather than letting her get further away. I moved some things around to reflect the increased level, and the fact that it was later in the storyline - Korovus stood at the guard chamber with two Sinspawn. Korovus challenged them a bit, while the sinspawn were nothing. The group was sufficiently weirded out by the creature to not want to touch anything, lest they get mutated themselves.

Nualia was in the Cathedral of Wrath with a pair of Sinspawn, and the newly released Tsuto. I figured given his experience, that he would take a 3rd level of Rogue. They'd been attempting to extract information from Brodert, Nualia unnerving him with a calm, while Tsuto worked him over. The party made a beeline for them and skipped over some of the other encounters (No Erylium, unfortunately). I should have placed her directly outside the door, but unfortunately made the decision to keep the encounters in the same rooms they were scripted to be in originally, so she was up in the zombie room, flanked by Nualia's Yeth Hound. I had this brilliant plan that with both of them flying, it would be more likely that the PCs would fall into the pits with a zombie. But the party never even saw them. I could've held onto the encounters for later, but thought 1)They already had enough xp, and 2)With Nualia gone, I figured that the quasit might fly off or below (if possible) to regroup.

The ranger had gotten poisoned in their trip to Thistletop, resulting in being sickened. I casually made mention that she vomited all over herself. The character has constantly reminded the group that she is still covered in her own vomit, now hardened for half a day, and caked in blood and dust from the travel. She very nearly washed herself in the Waters of Lamashtu, prompting the entire group to give up their stealth to remind her that this was a terrible idea - so the bad guys were ready for her.

The dice had been cold for my group in previous games, and so I was a little nervous that would be the case in this encounter. 4 crits later, combined with some smart playing and they slapped Tsuto and Nualia around. I'd rebuilt Nualia as a Warpriest, and they did damage so quickly, she didn't even get a chance to use her Vigor ability to heal herself. Tsuto had even less chance, as he met an angry ranger with Bull's Strength + Power Attack + a Crit for 38 points of damage.

Our Cleric could read Thassilonian, and so I pre-printed some phrases that would appear and disappear quickly - mostly threats, and mocking her. But I also added one, saying "Your town will burn! The dead will rise! They will make bread from your bones! HE will claim your souls!" foreshadowing the rest of the adventure path. The group pieced together that Nualia was female, Lamashtu was also female, and the statue of Alaznist that she successfully identified was also female - they concluded that it most likely was referring to Malfeshnekor, which intrigued me.

I made the decision to have Brodert thoroughly impressed with the cleric's knowledge of Thassilonian history. He was downright complimentary towards her while being completely dismissive of the rest of the party. I decided that I'm going to play him up as a red herring for the next book - conveniently disappearing (to further investigate Thistletop) as the murders begin.

My cleric also cast Detect Magic on the Runewell. I had her be stunned for a round, and also make a Will save. She rolled a nat 20 (again). With her success, I decided that she was able to perceive angry faces swirling in the magical auras. They made the decision to do what they could to end it, and did some very clever deduction to try to see if there was a finite amount of charges on the artifact. So they created sinspawn and noticed it dimmed in its power, so they successfully ran through it's stored charges (quite a bit given the amount of goblins who died above.

All in all, they played smart, they rolled well, and the bad guys didn't have a chance. I worried that as much as they steam-rolled the competition that they might not have felt as fulfilled, but to the contrary, they stayed another hour hanging out and talking about their favorite memories of the first book, and their excitement to see what happens next.

I decided I'm going to keep this thread open as I run through the books. Mostly for me, so I hope I don't bore to tears anyone who stumbles upon this. Thanks again for the suggestions, and keep them coming!

One thing I had up my sleeve if they made a beeline for Aldern, was ro have Shayliss talking with a woman in the Rusty Dragon (or wherever) about a passionate weekend with Aldern at his townhouse in Magnimar (common knowledge). During the investigation, it would be found out to be untrue, and that Shayliss was trying to make the PC jealous. It would seem to give Aldern an alibi, and buy some more time.

Another idea I had was to have some local teens trying to make a name for themselves like the PCs by adventuring. One of them would say that they spent the night at Misgivings and didn't see what the fuss was about (lying: he took one look at the crows outside, and peed himself, while running to his mommy).

The third option I have is for Sherriff Hemlock to check in on the investigation. If the PCs suggest Aldern as a suspect, he'll ask what their evidence is. He can then point out some leaps in their logic. This one will work well if you've used the NPCs as clue bats in the past. Good luck!

During the Shayliss (ahem) encounter, the player she targeted was all about it. He asked if he needed to make a check to determine his performance. Someone suggested, as was used earlier, a Fortitude save, another cited the 3.0 Book of Erotic Fantasy, where there was a Perform (sexual act) skill. Trying to move things along, I told him to pick a skill and roll it if he wanted to see how well (or poorly) he'd done.

Rather than move things along, the group went skill by skill to find the funniest skill possible, some highlights:

Acrobatics
Climb(?)
Handle Animal
Knowledge (nature)
Knowledge (dungeoneering)
(Cunni)Linguistics
Ride
Sleight of Hand
Use Magic Device

Needless to say any skill check for the rest of the game brought new gails of laughter. Also, one of my players was mocking (politely) my map drawing skills, so I told him (politely) to suck it. He promptly rolled Sleight of Hand. Nat 20.

Ran Nualia's siege of Sandpoint last night. All told 50 goblins bit the dust, as well as 20 Sandpoint and Magnimar guardsman. The heroes almost bit it against Ripnugget, and one building burned down. Nualia unleashed four Sinspawn in town hall where the heads of the four families were holing up under Sheriff Belor's orders.

I had Shalelu (with her broken leg) perched on a rooftop, picking off goblins at will. That's Hem remembered the smuggler's tunnels at the last minute and dispatched four guardsman to raise an alarm if anyone camenout of the Glassworks. Round 2 of their fight with Ripnugget, they heard the alarm being raised. Round 3 the alarm cut off. It was around round 10 by the time they started their run to confront Nualia. That's when they heard the shouts from Town Hall across the street.

After dispatching the Sinspawn with the help of Ameiko (newly the head of house Kaijitsu), Nualia had managed to free Tsuto, and kidnap Brodert Quink from the Curious Goblin, and drag the scholar to the Smugglers Tunnels. Next week, they'll follow them into the Catacombs of Wrath, newly recharged with the souls of those who died in the siege.

I had a nice foreshadowing moment when the Sinspawn started sniffing the air when our ranger stepped into the room. Her backstory is full of wrath (tortured at the hands of giants, and fought her way out of slavery; swearing vengeance upon them, also she executed a few goblins begging for mercy.) They started piecing together that the sinspawn geared towards angry types.

Thanks for the advice, and keep it coming!

I ran into this with my group as well, both when they were investigating Father Tobyn's missing bones, and after they found Tsuto's diary. I had a set of bones buried in a stone coffin next to an identical one for Father Tobyn. The cleric had a domain ability to look through a wall or door, so I had her see a set of bones, blackened beyond recognition. When they found Tsuto's book, they requested special dispensation to open her up and to review the bones. After making a DC 25 Knowledge Nature check, my cleric was able to identify that the bones were female, but likely not an Aasimar. She wasn't entirely sure, given the extent of the damage, but it was enough to go on.

In my head, Father Tobyn was meeting with a representative from Windsong Abbey to get Nualia admitted (withholding her pregnancy). This was the night that Nualia burned down the temple. When the grieving townspeople found two burned skeletons in the wreckage of the fire, they didn't look past the obvious. They honored their bodies in a stone mausoleum, surrounded by various offerings, symbols of Desna, and sketches of the two done in memorium.

But that was just how dealt with it.

I began running Rise of the Runelords with 3 players late this past Fall. It actually has run really well for my first AP, with a few mistakes, and a few tweaks that I chose to do based on some of the other posts I saw on the forums.

-We have a female Dwarven Cleric (Rosie). Rosie does not follow a specific deity, but rather the pursuit of knowledge, and the use of this knowledge for the benefit of the world. The player wanted to play an Indiana Jones-esque adventurer, while at the same time filling a very definite need for healing.

-Next, we have a female Half-Orc Ranger (Yullah). Yullah was held as a slave by a tribe of giants throughout her adolescent before finally escaping and finding her way back towards civilization. She definitely has a bone to pick with giants, and also provides some really fun role playing with her 7 Charisma.

-Then we have Pavo/Zeldu. Pavo is a male Human Rogue from Korvosa. He rebelled from his lawfully-inclined family and met up with some rather dangerous thieves. He pulled a job for a particularly nasty Chelaxian mobster, Drago, and fled to Sandpoint before his money ran out. He's operating under the pseudonym Zeldu, which is how he was introduced to the party.

-The party has a knack for destroying goblins. Not that goblins are particularly difficult to destroy, but it seems the dice also have a vendetta against the little buggers. During the Swallowtail festival, I wasn't happy with the transition from the attack near the Temple to getting the group to the North Gate, so I added in a Chase. Specifically, a goblin stole up a baby and ran with it. The players loved it! One thing I did with the chase scene, too, was that I made some of the encounters sticky - meaning that everyone who went through would have to deal with the encounter (a rearing horse, an overturned pastry cart). Others had to be dealt with once (a stuck door, etc.) and any PCs who followed, didn't have to make a check. At the end, they caught up with the now winded goblin who was run through by Zeldu. A funny moment was created when I mentioned that the baby the goblin was still clutching was then going to fall. The CN rogue let the baby fall into the mud.

-Our two female characters are not particularly charismatic, and both described them as unattractive, which made the focus of Alern's obsession sort of up for grabs. The rogue initially was going to sit out the fight, until he was offered a reward. It got me thinking that he would make for a good focus of Aldern's obsession, but then he stunk in the fight, rolling two ones, and forgetting to take his 5 foot step to get a flank. The honor went to the dwarven cleric who critted and killed the goblin dog, and also healed the slightly injured Foglove after he got stuck by one of the goblins.

-I decided to have them venture to the Hambley farm to aid them against an attack by goblins and Bruthazmus (as suggested on the forums), and introduce Shalelu and her badassery there. I had Bruthazmus having broken her leg, and about to smash her skull when the PCs came in to the rescue. It caused Bruthazmus and the Half-Orc to share opposed Intimidation checks before the bugbear melted back into the forest, and also allowed them to save Shalelu's life. This was neat, and I would make the change again in a heartbeat.

-Thinking that with three players, they might need some help with the back half of the adventure, I drew up Sheriff Hemlock (fighter), Ameiko (swashbuckler), Shalelu (ranger/fighter), and initially "Pillbug" Podiker (alchemist), but the party took such a shining to Bethana, the halfling who works with Ameiko, and I really wanted to use the Investigator class from the Advanced Class playtest, that I drew her up as one of those. They asked what her backstory was, and so I told them about being a former house slave in Chelliax, and she and Yullah really connected with throwing off their bonds that it was just too good to pass up. Plus she cooked them bacon for breakfast, and that would endear anyone to anyone. It also really motivated the whole of the group, when she came to them asking for help in recovering Ameiko.

-One hiccup came after they went to the Glassworks. After capturing Tsuto, they really wanted to spend some time interrogating him, which I decided he would pretend to play along with in order to get them to waste time. After wasting a few days with him, they went to Shalelu for help, showing her his diary. Shalelu zeroed in on the name Ripnugget, and directed them to Thistletop. Too late, I thought that I should've used the sheriff to redirect them to the Smuggler's Tunnels, and the Catacombs of Wrath, but they were set on Thistletop.

-Because there were only three of them, and because I added a few RP encounters, despite skipping over the Catacombs they were on target level-wise for Thistletop. The group successfully navigated the hedge camp, even stomping on Grogmurt and his firepelt. They stealthed their way across the bridge to catch the fort unaware. I gave Ripnugget and company Perception checks to hear the battle outside their door, but with walls in the way, being asleep, as well as abysmal rolling: they never woke up.

-Strangely though, sneaking up on the sleeping pickle thieves, the rogue botched his stealth check when performing a coup de grace on one, leaving the other to raise the alarm. It was interesting, because it was not as though the full alarm was raised, it was just that one goblin on watch called out, before being silenced. So I decided that the camp would slowly come awake. First some guards would investigate, then finding bloody bodies, they would alert Ripnugget, who would send a few to find them out, before troubling Bruthazmus and way before alerting Nualia. It created a potential inconvenience, but not the same way if the alarm was raised before they got to the island.

- The group made it down the back stairs and discovered Lyrie after she had just closed up the secret door. This fight was really disappointing because there was no space to move. I've read now that more and more people moved Lyrie out of the research space downstairs where she can be more effective. I also would have liked her to have at least one assistant, or guard - someone to put some space between her and the PCs. It was hilarious however, when I showed them the picture of Lyrie, and our Half-Orc Ranger (who is described as being green-skinned, heavily muscled, scarred, and tusked) decided she wanted to have the pretty dress. The party also, failed miserably to find the secret door taking them to the lower levels.

-The PCs then encountered the goblins sent to look for them (destroying them) but also waking up Bruthazmus and Orik. Orik and Bruthazmus together joined the fight, which was too much for the PCs - and they were all knocked into negatives. In hindsight, I should have directed them to take one of the NPCs with them, but they felt with Shalelu hurt, Ameiko having just witnessed her brother kill her father, Bethana tending to Ameiko, and Sheriff Hemlock gone to Magnimar for backup - they didn't have anyone to call. I could have played Ameiko as a bit more in it for revenge, or to push aside what she had seen. I also could have had Bethana say that all Ameiko needed was space, freeing up one of them, but again: hindsight.

-I decided that instead of drawing up new PCs, I would have Nualia strip them of their arms, and attempt to press them into service. They'd killed her expert on Thassilonian, and she found some of the script in the possession of the Cleric, so she charged them with freeing the Barghest. She made an abysmal Sense Motive check, and the Rogue made a rather good one to convince her that they agreed. I also had Ameiko have followed them to Thistletop, and being captured outside giving them one more party member, albeit who was beat up pretty badly (bad week for Ameiko!). Bruthazmus and Orik led them downstairs, where the PCs promptly turned on them, disarmed them and knocked them unconscious. It was pretty awesome, actually.

-I was nervous that Malfeshnekor was going to rip them apart quite literally, but they elected to deal with Nualia first. Unfortunately for them, I had Nualia take Ripnugget, and some remaining goblins to begin the second attack on Sandpoint, so their confrontation with her is going to be a bit bigger than they hoped.

-We're gearing up for the battle now, and I'm hoping a few things:
1) I'm somewhat hoping that they remember the Smuggler's Tunnels and decide to put up a fight down there. That would be smart, but it would also prevent Nualia from enacting some of her plan: which I think could be pretty epic.
2) I'm splitting Nualia's forces: Ripnugget and his goblins attacking from the North, Nualia and some of her folks using the Smugglers Tunnels, freeing Tsuto and then attacking Town Hall. I debated, because it felt like she might attack the temple (echoes of the past, so to speak) but the PCs have already fought there, and I thought Town Hall might be an interesting venue and help them see the city as a whole. I also think that this will give them a bit of a preview for defending the town when the giants attack in later books.
3) I'm debating having Nualia and Erylium bring up some of the water from the Runewell and force feeding people the water to make them go frothing mad, but the logistics of that seemed a bit odd to me. It also felt out of sorts for Nualia. She's not really sowing rage, she's sacrificing Sandpoint to become a half-fiend.
4) I'm also going to have them kidnap Brodert Quink to help with releasing Malfeshnekor. That way, in Nualia's mind (as she doesn't know that the PCs have doubled back): if the PCs manage to free him, she'll just sacrifice Quink in addition to the others. If they don't manage to release the barghest, she'll have this expert as an ace in the hole. It also will help me set up Quink as a red herring for the Skinsaw Man.
4) Lastly, if the PCs don't run to deal with Ripnugget, I'm going to let him burn down the White Deer. Mainly, I think when we run the Skinsaw Murders, Garridan Viskalai will also be calling for his brother to arrest the PCs, saying that they let his inn be destroyed to help their new friend: Ameiko (who also has inherited a massive estate, the Glassworks, a position in the Sandpoint Mercantile League, and now burned down her competition).

We have a few weeks before we run the next battle. Any feedback would be welcome.

I took out an 11th level swashbuckler last night. It was a conversion of a Fighter/Rogue that I'd made in 3.0 and converted to 3.5, and to Pathfinder. Things I noticed:

-I feel like I do a ton of damage with Precise Strike, although not doubling on a crit makes me feel like there's less of a difference between my crits and my regular attacks. Regenerating Panache is nice, but if I haven't spent anything yet, it feels like a bit of a let down (which I don't think crits should ever be). To be fair, this character previously had Telltale Blow (get sneak attack on a crit) so critical hits exploded in a way that would be difficult to duplicate. Particularly when I can spend panache and deal 1d6+30.

-I'm unsure if Swashbuckler's Finesse is usable on light weapons (typically finesse-able), and one-handed piercing weapons (rapiers, heavy picks, etc.), or light and one-handed piercing weapons exclusively. Specifically, would my Precise Strike work on an unarmed attack? I thought yes, my DM thought no, but both were unsure. If swashbucklers are limited to piercing weapons, it feels actually worse than Weapon Finesse, and is then oddly specific for piercing damage, which is just weird to me.

-Charmed Life felt incredibly appropriate to me. This character formerly had Force of Personality allowing Charisma for Will Saves, but this felt more appropriate.

-I like the changes to Opportune Parry and Riposte.

-I am very difficult to hit. I have a very high AC, and when I felt creatures were likely to hit me, I used Opportune Parry to great effect.

-I missed my skills from being a Rogue (who wouldn't?), particularly Stealth and Use Magic Device which, while Stealth is admittedly a bit of a stretch for a Swashbuckler, I felt that Use Magic Device actually fit the high Charisma character. This wasn't a deal-breaker for me, but made me have an "aww..." moment.

-I want to be able to retain my Dex, and attack without penalty, while climbing, balancing, swinging from a chandalier, etc. There was a time when my character used a grappling hook to move into a flanking position while dangling over a balcony (amazing moment), but while derring-do allowed me a small bonus to the skill, I felt vulnerable, and unable to hit while doing so.

-Lots of deeds require you to keep panache. I feel like the flavor of this class is one that I should want to "go for it", but I actually felt more tempted to horde my panache so that I would retain my effectiveness.

I was thinking a neat exploit might be to be able to convert spells you save against into ooints for your arcane resevoir. It would only work on single target spells, but I could see the Arcanist being like a walking rod of absorption.

Looking through some different Class abilities: I came across this one that I think fits my impression of the Investigator very well. It's from the Martial Artist Monk variant. I've changed it so that it would suit the Investigator's class.

Exploit Weakness (Ex)
As a swift action, an Investigator can observe a creature or object to find its weak point by making a Intelligence check and adding his Investigator level against a DC of 10 + the object’s hardness or the target’s CR. If the check succeeds, the Investigator gains a +2 bonus on attack rolls until the end of his turn, and any attacks he makes until the end of his turn ignore the creature or object’s DR or hardness. An Investigator may instead use this ability as a swift action to analyze the movements and expressions of one creature within 30 feet, granting a bonus on Sense Motive checks and Reflex saves and a dodge bonus to AC against that opponent equal to 1/2 his Investigator level until the start of his next turn.

Although, instead of Exploit Weakness, I might call it Quick Analysis or something like that.

Wanted to post my impressions from a playtest that happened tonight. We ran a party of four. 4th level. 25 point buy. Our party consisted of a Brawler, a Skald, a Bloodrager, and a Hunter. Thoughts on the Skald.

-My wife, who ran the Skald has played a longstanding Bard and several barbarians and was really excited for this class.
-Her main comment was that she didn't feel she got enough Barbarian for the mix. It felt like she was playing a Bard. At one point, while inspiring rage, she dropped back and used her bow, because she was better at it, and it was the smarter tactical choice than mixing it up in melee, but she felt that the flavor of the character was such that she should want to stay in melee. Part of this may come to build choices, as she likely made this character with a Bard in mind, rather than a mix, but also because, other than the Rage song, she didn't have any abilities that really encouraged her to stay in melee, and lots of reasons to stay out (lower BAB, lower HP, lower damage output than our other characters, etc.).
-She felt that Scribe Scroll was tacked on and out of place for the character.
-One thing we found was that since unconscious characters automatically accept the Raging Song, it's possible for the Skald to bring back the dead, so to speak, which is actually pretty cool.
-She felt that Bardic Knowledge was closer to the flavor of the class, but was overall part of why she felt like she was playing a Bard. Similarly, looking ahead to Lore Master felt similarly.
-One issue we ran into was whether or not the Bloodrager could cast her spells while under the effects of the Raging Spell. We'd seen on the boards that the two currently don't stack. Thematically, it seemed that someone able to harness magical effects out of their blood and the power of their rage shouldn't be hindered by other forms of rage, but we were unsure.
-While the rest of us felt it was clear, she was unsure if she could cast her spells while performing a Raging Song, and if she cast said spells, if it would stop her Raging Song. She wanted that language more explicitly stated.
-Initially we chaffed a bit under the 30' range for the Raging Song, however she ultimately came to like it as it was the one incentive for closing in melee with a character that seemed thematically suited for the purpose.
-Looking ahead to the capstone ability, she felt that those abilities could have been gotten earlier and spread out among a few different levels. Her suggestion for a new capstone ability was to target a single enemy and to have the rage and fear build up so much inside them that they needed to roll a Fortitude save, or have their heads explode. That just sounded incredible BA, so I wanted to share that with you all.
-In addition to some of the things that have already been mentioned (weapon proficencies, etc.) suggestions on various abilities were thoughts like a Screaming Charge that could inspire others to gain bonus damage if they charged within the round. Or ways to add sonic damage to melee weapons. Another suggestion was to be able to give an ally the ability to make an immediate melee attack or charge on the Skald's turn. Ultimately, she wanted more reason to mix it up in melee, and more confidence in abilities that would allow her to do so competently.

Wanted to post my impressions from a playtest that happened tonight. We ran a party of four. 4th level. 25 point buy. Our party consisted of a Brawler, a Skald, a Bloodrager, and a Hunter. Thoughts on the Bloodrager:

-The character playing the Bloodrager had a lot of fun.
-At fourth level, they had only a taste of spells, but never cast any of them in any of the five encounters. It always seemed like a better idea to be hitting someone. Particularly was in one situation, where we were having a difficult time hitting a particular enemy, our Bloodrager had True Strike, but would have had to 1)spend an action not trying to hit 2)risk losing the spell either from casting on the defensive (which due to the MAD of the class, they weren't incredibly strong with) or risk a hit when their AC was low due to Bloodraging.
-Particularly fun were the Blood powers. They felt very different from playing a Barbarian. One thing the player did note, however, was that not all Bloodlines were on par with one another, and there was a lot of redundancy. She chose Arcane Bloodline, but noticed that there were a few that added elemental damage, a few that grew claws, and a few that added effects on critical hits. Branching out more and finding new and different abilities to manifest with these powers would really make someone willing to take Fey Bloodline, for instance.
-Damage and staying power felt on par with Barbarian.

I agree wholeheartedly that there is a place for Investigators with Poison Use. But I can see just as many without. I think it should be an option, and not hardwired into the class.

I made an Investigator last night for a playtest, and wanted to share my impressions:

-We used 15 point buy, and I went with Human for the extra skill point.
-I wanted to him Lawful Good, and a champion of the downtrodden - sort of an Intellectual Paladin. This had problems from the get-go, but I still think it would be incredibly fun to see manifest.
-When making the character, I was acutely aware that this class was a mish-mash of Rogue and Alchemist. Bonuses to Craft (Alchemy) didn't seem to fit for me, neither really did Trapfinding. Extracts were nice, and I imagined them as gadgets more than extracts, which helped quite a bit for my imagination.
-I kept finding myself wishing that instead of getting the bonus to Craft (Alchemy) or Trapfinding that I could get a bonus on other skills. I imagined either a Signature Skill - you could say that for Holmes it was Sense Motive, or perhaps Knowledge (skills); Batman might be said to master Stealth, others might beat the information out of people, and so Intimidate might get a bonus. That seemed really interesting to me. I began to imagine my character with a bonus to Use Magic Device, and being a gadgeteer of sorts. Conversely, identifying a potion or poison made total sense. I think poisons could be identified by heal, however, and I could see (again) identifying potions, or other magical implements by my Use Magic Device skill.
-Additionally, I began to think about a trait that my wife took in our current RotRL campaign which allows her to gain a bonus on a trained skill of her choice, which she can choose each morning. Essentially, every day: she can pick to have a bonus on a different skill. That also seemed to fit the Investigator. Finding the proper manuals and guides to take with him into the wilds to identify poisonous plants (Knowledge: Nature), or perhaps a bit of chalk for his hands to assist his grip before an arduous mountain hike (Climb). That seemed to fit nice as well. I think both could fit more the flavor of the class than Craft (Alchemy) and/or Trapfinding.
-Looking ahead, poison use and poison resistance also made me scratch my head. Particularly, for my Lawful Good character concept: using poisons was antithetical to me. Which put me in the position of not benefiting from one of my early class abilities, or altering my character concept significantly. I decided on the former, which isn't too bad, but a bit disappointing. I think they may be better as an optional ability.
-Inspiration is fantastic, although I was confused a lot by the rules. Additionally, there was a section where it said that I could add 1d6 for 1 point of inspiration for Knowledge, Linguistic, and Spellcraft checks, but then there was a talent that let me do that as well. I think this was an editing error, but with how confused I was on them, I wasn't sure. I found it odd that the majority of times I could use my inspiration, I felt as though I was penalized (paying 2 points for 1 extra die). I understand logically, that it's a matter of expense for the benefit of a bonus to your check, however, it would have felt more satisfying if I could use the extra bonus for all Skill checks, or if I could (again) designate a small subset of Skills to use my inspiration on at 1 for 1. Perhaps starting with one of the various talents that opened up what skills you could use it on, and helping to define your character: are you a charismatic investigator, or an intellectual one? Are you Constantine, with Knowledge: Religion or Planes and Spellcraft, or Sherlock with Perception and Sense Motive?
-Finally, as has been mentioned numerous times: I felt that in a few levels: my investigator-self was going to be turned into a ninja assassin with the amount of Sneak Attack I was getting. I wished there was more interesting ways of using skills, and less combat prowess: in short. Definitely some combat prowess, but less stabby, more tricksy. If that makes sense.

I sat down last night to make a Swashbuckler for our playtest. We used 15 point buy, and I decided on a half-elf. My concept was a quick master of acrobatics who would scathe her enemies with her wicked blade, and more wicked tongue! Below are some thoughts that I had:

-Swashbuckling adventure is the thing I love most about D&D. I was incredibly, perhaps too, excited for this class to the point that perhaps I didn't leave room for something not living up to my incredible expectations.
-I began by placing a 17 in Dexterity, but quickly realized I wouldn't have enough points left for the high Charisma that I wanted. Additionally, it irked me that Swashbuckling Finesse was a second level ability (which has been well covered on this forum). It led to me downplaying her Dexterity, and increasing her Charisma- which was actually a nice surprise, but not exactly what I wanted. I also don't think that Weapon Finesse is needed to be a Swashbuckler. I think Acrobatics might be more core to what a Swashbuckler is than Weapon Finesse. With some of the other Deeds, they require or imply the need for having a feat (Combat Reflexes, Quick Draw, etc.) What if the ability expands Weapon Finesse (if you have it) to all light and one-handed weapons, and/or allows Dexterity to Damage if you already have it. That would allow those options to pick up Weapon Finesse when it's appropriate: 1st level, but still benefit from a class ability at a higher level - to avoid class dipping. Also, I think that makes it interesting to see a Swashbuckler from an Asian-themed setting whipping a katana around, or Sinbad with a scimitar.
-Skills felt appropriate. I didn't have a ton of points left for Intelligence, which would have made it better, but I was able to get a high Acrobatics score, plus a slew of Charisma skills. I wish I could see an opportunity to use them more. One of the main concepts for my character, and my conception of a Swashbuckler is the banter, and repartee - using scathing remarks and jests to confuse and confound. The over confidence. I wish there were more deeds that could be used to goad, fluster, and demoralizing my opponent, and perhaps self-motivating while I'm at it. "It's only a flesh wound."
-Darring-do: as someone mentioned, I always thought it was derring-do. I love this ability. The fact that the d6 explodes and you can keep rolling can exemplify the "better lucky than good" mantra of a Swashbuckler.
-Parry: I thought this one was an elegant try to explain an awkward mechanic. Opposed attack rolls feels the way to go. Using an Attack of Opportunity seems, at least initially, appropriate in terms of resource conservation. It does feel like I need Combat Reflexes, though to use my class abilities to their best.
-Riposte: Now I really need Combat Reflexes if I'm going to be able to use this. Additionally, this feels like an extension of the ability above and not its own. I can't Riposte unless I first Parry.
-Recovery: Lovely. I wish at higher levels I could negate the attack of opportunity, and/or perhaps move further than 5 ft. I picture the villain Count Von Evil swinging his sword where I was, as I bound up the stairs, or swing from the chandelier to seek the high ground.

Which leads me to something I was hoping for: rules for swinging on chandeliers, leaping over handrails, fighting while balancing on a mizzenmast, etc. I feel that the Swashbuckler should be the king of that, and I didn't see it. I felt like a charismatic swordsman waiting for 2nd level.

Looking ahead at the deeds, I felt the same way I did when looking at the gunslinger: super giddy excited waiting for some (Perfect Thrust I think it's called) and somewhat confused by others (Called Shots seem more appropriate for a gunslinger than a Swashbuckler, imo.) Also, I'm not sure why I would ever pommel punch anyone, unless it had damage reduction/bludgeoning - I kept thinking that it thematically made sense as using a Feint or Dirty Trick and causing damage to the target in addition to dazing them, or catching them flat-footed. Alternatively, I could easily see doing that Swashbuckler ability to throw my sword and make a ranged attack or maneuver (pinning someone to the door as they attempt to run away).

Quick Charge (4 RP) Your race is quick to leap headlong into a battle. You can charge as a standard action instead of a full-round action.

Ghost Sense (4 RP) Your race is naturally attuned to the spirit realm. You gain Blindsense against invisible and ethereal creatures.

Pack Instincts (4 RP) Your race is trained to fight as a cohesive unit. You gain a +4 bonus to attack when flanking instead of the normal +2.

Goat Gut (needs a better name) (1 RP) Your race can find sustenance in anything with a hardness less than 5, including paperwood, leather, and garbage. You never need to roll to scavenge for food. One day of food consumes one pound of such substances. Consuming part of an object, confers the broken condition on it.

Bloodlust (2 RP) Your race is known for their lust for battle and violence. When you drop a foe below 0 hit points, you gain a +1 morale bonus to hit and damage for 1d4 rounds.

Acclimated; 1 RP: (Prerequisite: None)The race is acclimated to a particular environment (excessive heat, excessive cold, high altitude, etc.) and takes no penalties nor need to make saves for harsh conditions in these environments.

Powerful Build; 4 RP: (Prerequisite: None) This race is massively built. You gain a +1 Size bonus to CMB and CMD. In addition, you are treated as one step larger when determining if abilities like Swallow Whole can affect you.

Jotun Grip; 4 RP: (Prerequisite: None) This race is accustomed to hefting the weapons of their larger enemies. You take no penalty for wielding weapons one step larger than your own.

-Mainly I just like the idea of also being able to wield Medium-sized weapons as a small character.

Primitive; -2 RP: (Prerequisite: None) This race utilizes archaic weapons and technology. You are only proficient with Stone Age weapons and armor. You start at 1st level with 4d4x10 gp worth of gear regardless of class.

-This idea needs some work, but you get the gist.

Mimicry; 1 RP: (Prerequisite: None) This race can mimic any voice or sounds heard. Duplicate sounds made in this way can only be perceived for what they are by a DC 20 Perception check. Relational modifiers for Disguise checks apply.

Hard to Kill; 1 RP: (Prerequisite: None) This race is difficult to keep down. Roll any stabilization attempts twice and take the higher result.

Quick Recovery; 2 RP: (Prerequisite: +2 Constitution racial modifier) This race is known for bouncing back from injuries. This race heals twice the number of hit points after a night’s rest. This has no affect on magical healing.