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It's about matching power level to what your story needs. Cthulhu should be something ultimate. In pulp settings ultimate power is a bit nebulous, in pathfinder it's level 20 plus mythic.
However, the hint is that Rovagug's prison isn't inside Golarion - it's actually outside the entire Great Beyond. The main problem I have with that is that we have evidence of Ravagug's dramatic imprisonment in the form of the star towers, where Zon-Kuthon stitched the world back together. ..actually... that's conflicting information. Zon-Kuthon sided with the other gods against Rovagug, who planned to destroy the world. The Rough Beast and his minions were caged within the earth, and Zon-Kuthon stitched it shut. and Once the Rough Beast was imprisoned, the surviving gods nursed their wounds and returned to their homes in the Great Beyond. During this time new gods emerged, such as Shelyn, sister of Dou-Bral. For unknown reasons they quarreled, and Dou-Bral went beyond to the spaces between the planes and was transformed by something outside of reality called Zon-Kuthon.
So I'm playing a druid in our Rise of the Runelords campaign. We're level 11 now and just over halfway through the book. I used to be skeptical but now I can clearly see the "druids are way too good" argument. To the point, I can use call animal to call any animal in the area of up to cr 11. Also, I have vermin heart so I can use the spell to call vermin in the area of the same cr. Once they arrive they are most likely indifferent. I need to make a 25 on a wild empathy check to make them helpful, and after that I use the request table in diplomacy. I'm level 11, so taking 10 already gives a 21 (meaning I could just have the animal be friendly and still be able to ask for dangerous aid), but i also have a charisma mod and a circlet of persuasion. So what I've used this for most in the past is calling large birds to fly us around southern Varisia. Recently though, I've used a roc to lift an ogre off a dam and drop to it's death. And then to fight a bit more stuff after that (very much a slippery slope). I guess my ending thought and question I want to bring to discussion is:
Would having awakened vermin be silly? Or the vermin heart feat?
You may not take a 5-foot step using a form of movement for which you do not have a listed speed. via 5-foot-step See also underwater-combat
Sort of, but it's more a problem with the alignment system in general, and how we rate beings made of aligned energy on the same system mortals with tendencies. aka a LN for outsiders and LN for mortals mean kind of different things. I can pull CG off well enough, and even NG for the most part, LG is rough. Conversely NE, LE are easy, but CE is awkward. CN was hard until I started playing in skull and shackles.
Having finished two adventure paths after doing a 6-7 years of avoiding higher level stuff, I am not sure that's actually the case. Our casters felt that DCs just were not high enough. Our sorcerer tried and failed to measure up to our scythe barbarian, staff magus, or zen archer. The best things our casters could do was cast level 3-4 spells on allies (haste, invis sphere). Though in the final part of jade reagent, disintegrate was used to destroy cover. The more fundamental thing is that a party isn't supposed to be "equal", it is supposed to be complementary. If everyone is fighting for the exact same piece of cake (corner, center with no sides, side not a corner), then you end up making a crappy cake.
Why conquer those who are basically most friendly around you. Cheliax isn't really in a position to conquer anyone right now, to much trouble with insurrection. It's powerful front covers a society of opulence and excess that isn't as powerful as it ought to be. Also the forest borders of Nidal murder whatever enters it, and I imagine Her Majesty's Army is thinking "if it ain't broke..." Also from the Nidallese point of view, Cheliax is the example of "bad bargaining". You should read the Nightglass novel.
I would have called some sort of check to pass the rum ration to the rogue. All in all it is punishing on those not trained in stealth/sleight of hand.
climbing ropes in a non-combat situation should be fine.
Also: I'm not the op or part of his group taking 10 is purely a safety measure—you know (or expect) that an average roll will succeed but fear that a poor roll might fail, so you elect to settle for the average roll (a 10) you can make an excuse to always be in some sort of danger ("ever got a cold?" no to a con check for cold weather for 10 mins, "ever accidentally inhaled sea water?" no to swim checks, "ever accidentally swallowed bird poop?" no to perception checks). It actually makes things like dumping str and such stink (since they cannot make many dcs by taking 10). We take immediate danger to mean something is trying to murder you in a round by round basis.
sounds like the DM is playing kind of nice. Usually the keelhauling would not allow a cleric to take his holy symbol. In fact, before most combats I recall getting stripped down. 25 point buy helps a lot. We typically go 15 pt buy for APs. How long was the cleric without his holy symbol? Gillman is just going to rock some of the f-you water encounters. How did you guys handle the skill checks early on? Rum rations? So you've got competent players, 25 point buy, and advanced races working well in your favor at the very least. For the part where they tell you to go out in the middle of the ocean and you're attacked by shrimp monsters, we had gunslinger, alchemist, rogue (no ranks in swim), and druid. We almost died there. The other HUGE thing for us was healing. We had no cleric, and Sandara isn't always around. Since the game goes day by day, lashings at night can REALLY hurt. I'd say it actually easier from there on.
Logistically my players are efficient :p:
They teleported outside of the castle , went through the wall on a blind side, and encounter monk guy. He didn't call for help (based off his tactics). They beat them, go downstairs(I made that trap a bit harder, it grabs the players and pulls them into the spikes. My players have airwalk/fly/etc always on, so bit traps are just a joke), fight dragon. Then they figure out the most efficient way up, the sorc using disintegrate to make a tunnel around major rooms and ends up in the throne room. They would have teleported if they didn't have all the seals. fight opens up with the battle-mind-linked sorcerer and wizard casting wall of force (seperating Jr, and the oracle from the ninja and Anny), wizard casts haste. Magus force hook charges anny, but didn't realize anny had combat reflexes so he takes 2 hits. Magus does 130ish damage, and anny returns the favor with 4 hits, all of which hit and drop him to dead dead. Oracle and JR ethereal jaunt, JR runs into the middle of the party. Party finishes off anny (zen archers are BS, banned from now on), Oracle dismisses ethereal jaunt, jr's turn he challenges and full attacks teh zen archer, hitting him 3 times, with 1 crit, dropping the zen archer to dead dead. Party works on JR (barbarian does minimum 30 dmg at this point, so a full attack hurts bad), oracles turn comes up and tries to maze the sorcerer, but the sorcerer had spell deflection up. JR moves to attack an npc, only gets a single attack off (a miss). NPCs finish off JR and wait for the oracle to get out. She surrenders.
another plan:
another plan was to just teleport the group in so that Ameiko just "fell" into the jade throne. as a player said "I think that means we win..." So yea.. npcs are more friendly actions, Shalelu was very effective with the bow, and koya's heals were essential. The party was lucky the ninja was worn down by the teamwork score, he didn't next to nothing the whole fight (positioning was bad).
See ultimate equipment, page of spell knowledge.
Okay holy cow does this come up more often that it ought to. A agree that this is how this should work... But gaseous form seems to just be a terrible spell/ability. It gives you dr vs magic, and a slow move speed (granted you can move through a lot). But where does it say the creature cannot be harmed (a generous reading of "insubstantial"?)? Example: a powerful oni in JR flies up and goes gaseous form to heal up mid fight to regen health, all glances at gaseous form just say that's a dumb idea. My though has been an insubstantial condition would be useful.
Just finished JR yesterday... So here's what I would say is best to cut for the sake of time. Dungeons. Some Dungeons are quite long and just there for filler. Brinewall castle, Ravenscaeg, Spirit Road, and Murasaki Penance, can all be gutted a litle bit. You may want to cut caravan travel altogether, but this can change how books 3 is played. Book 3 is one of the most memorable and iconic parts of the AP because it is the actual crossing of the ice cap, so I'd be careful with it. You may want to forgo XP altogether, and just level up when the AP recommends you level the players up. also: Munasakaru's Penance is sooooo long. But my players just invisibility sphered half the dungeon anyways.
I'm looking at building a level 1 druid, and clearly the AC is amazingg that early. But how does it falloff? Looking at the badger... by level 5 it's got heavy armor prof and an o-yori (magical?). The falloff will be it's attack mods I guess, but there are still buffs. If all else fails, cast anthropomorphic animal on it and have the wizard cast weapon prof katana.
This came up in our Jade Reagent game. Seeing illusionary wall being cast, then seeing a new wall appear would be proof that an illusion isn't real. So to take it further does still spell make it impossible to identify a spell?
you must be able to clearly see the spell as it is being cast Otherwise illusions are terrible against anyone trained in spellcraft.
wait... wat...
Shadow Eidolon:
A shadow caller’s eidolon is at once a thing of shadow called from the deep of the Shadow Plane and his own shadow; the two are inseparable. When his eidolon manifests, his shadow lengthens and finally detaches from him as a creature unto itself. For as long as the shadow caller’s eidolon is manifested, he and the eidolon do not have distinct shadows, regardless of the presence or absence of light. This lack of a shadow replaces the magical symbol that identifies the summoner and his eidolon. This ability alters the summoner’s eidolon ability. Is that shadow caller supposed to be distinct from Nidallese casters graduated from the dusk hall....
specifically: ARG 42:
Drow Magic: A few half-elves with drow ancestry exhibit
the innate magic of that race. Half-elves with this trait have drow blood somewhere in their background, and can cast dancing lights, darkness, and faerie fire each once per day, using the half-elf ’s character level as the caster level for these spell-like abilities. This racial trait replaces the adaptability and multitalented racial traits. ARG 42:
Water Child: Some half-elves are born of elves
adapted to life on or near the water. These half-elves gain a +4 racial bonus on Swim checks, can always take 10 while swimming, and may choose Aquan as a bonus language. This racial trait replaces the adaptability and multitalented racial traits. Those are the only others you get. What I've been wondering is whether half-elves can trade out elven immunities for other elven traits that replace elven immunities.
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