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Beyond the Pool of Stars by Howard Andrew Jones is an excellent Pathfinder Tales novel featuring lizardfolk characters. It was the first novel in the Tales line I listened to on Audible and is still my favorite. I was very much looking forward to the Audible version of the follow up novel, Through the Gate in the Sea, but the audiobook never released.
What is the advantage over simply putting the PDF on my device? Apart from simple rules reference, Dized intends to provide tutorials for many of the board games it supports. They say it is better than YouTube tutorials, because you can use it step-by-step while playing your first game, as opposed to watching a full game tutorial before playing. I've seen Dized at Gen Con for the past two years and it sounds helpful for a game night situation where the group picks up something new and no one knows how to play. Instead of waiting for someone to read the rules or the group instead deciding to play something more familiar, you can just jump in and play. While the Kickstarter FAQ said that the app and rules are free, it also mentioned credits to use some of the game content in either a single game pack purchase or a monthly fee. I understand that to mean some content will only be accessible as in-app purchases, so it is possible the tutorials are premium. However, they also say that game publishers choose to charge or not charge, so I'm curious to see some of those costs if there are any yet.
Both of his Pathfinder Tales books were excellent and I very much enjoyed listening to the Audible audiobook versions.
ICV2 had a good article showing off the minis in the preview pack. The little detail in the hobgoblin’s necklace and belt are very cool! Since the Preview Pack has a price in line with the iconics, I imagine the alternate paint means more detail vs regular Battles paint.
If replay option 3 can be programmed to calculate your recorded sessions and appear on players' account pages next to GM stars and/or games played, then it sounds great. However, it shouldn't be another bookkeeping item for players to have to spend 30 minutes reconciling chronicle sheets and recorded sessions every few months to check. If it can't be calculated within the account page, then replay option 1 would be the next best option for veteran players to help fill tables and continue playing. I don't know if an automated reset date on replaying would also help. Set a date, like six or seven years, where sessions that you played that long ago are re-opened for replay.
I'd like to see chronicles sheets much more streamlined (option 2 or 3) and for the boons and unlocked items earned on a chronicle sheet to apply to all characters you play. This allows a player to have all of that information readily available, rather than searching through all of their records for a boon they thought they have, only for it to be for another character. Within the game, I see it as Character 1 discovering information and/or locating a relic. That is all returned to the Pathfinder Society after the scenario. When the player plays future scenarios with different characters, the Pathfinder Society provides you with all of the information and/or access to items the player's characters had earlier earned. (i.e. the partially used arcane wand your fighter picked up can be purchased by your wizard.) Use the Scenario Logsheet for each character and the chronicles for the player.
One of the most common topics I hear discussed from players is that the vast majority of gear listed on chronicle sheets is not relevant to the player’s character that earned it. Either the character has earned enough Fame to be able to buy an item of that cost without the chronicle sheet or it is gear the character has no use for. Since the Pathfinder Society (in game) is a collective group with a tenant to cooperate, I would like to see more shared between a player’s pool of characters. If your fighter acquires a partially used wand of magic missile, assume it is returned to the lodge for your magic user to later use. The same would hold true for some boons based upon new knowledges acquired or NPCs influenced. If a player’s -1 character discovers a safe path through the mountains, assume that he/she mentions that in his report and if the player’s -2 character returns there, he/she would know about said safe path. Also, if character -1 influences an NPC, then the NPC may have more respect for other Pathfinders, including character -2. If gear is going to be printed on chronicle sheets, then making it available at reduced cost would have an impact on the items that are kept after an adventure. That would add extra flavor to characters’ stories, because they can share exactly how they acquired the items they’re using. Rather than simply buying a cloak of resistance, they will have a story of the item being taken from an orc chieftain. With the few sessions of 5e AL I’ve played, the magic items all had stories to them.
On a more serious note, a special using pregen characters from the Pathfinder Tales novels would be very interesting. It could also tie in to the announced character decks for the Adventure Card Game by bringing the stories of those characters to a wider audience who may not read the novels.
We BC before goblins, set in prehistoric golarion time I still want to see We Be 5pace Goblins!, but perhaps that will be next year after Starfinder is released. We can't expect a WBG every year. A replayable Free RPG Day scenario featuring the Occult Adventures iconics would be very cool to see. Something set in Pathfinder, but using Starfinder monsters sounds more likely, which would go well with the First Contact product being compatible with both systems. For past convention specials, we have We Be Aspis, We Be Aspis 2, We Be Elementals, and We Be Kobolds. Since Crystal Frasier announced how she likes a variety of oozes on a previous Know Direction podcast, I want to see a We Be Ooze special! :)
Awesome work, guys! Do you have plans to make the vector data of the land features downloadable? I've been wanting to develop some custom maps in ArcGIS for a campaign, which would follow a character's journal. The steps of finding a coordinate system and georeferencing maps to draw the base layer has kept me from it.
Do you have some spoiler-free suggestions for additional resources released since the original AP that could be implemented to make the experience better? We're potentially sticking pretty close to the Core Rulebook and early hardcovers, but I'm wondering if Occult Adventures, Ultimate Intrigue, Horror Adventures, Villain Codex, Harrow Handbook, Inner Sea Gods or anything else would be beneficial to players and the GM playing through the hardcover version. Perhaps something brief, like the following, to avoid spoilers: [EXAMPLE ONLY] Ultimate Intrigue (GM) - Light to moderate use of Intrigue rules
Several years ago, a group of players in our region created a family of Qadiran brothers - The Brotherhood of the Shifting Sands. Unfortunately, we haven't had our full group together to play in a couple years. It was also more fun when we were in the Qadiran faction and not Exchange. In every scenario, we establish trade deals to earn our family more income (not mechanically, but in a strictly roleplay sense). Making life miserable for anyone Taldan is another priority. Our fighter types refuse to speak the common tongue, so all in-game communication is in Qadiran and we rely on our more charismatic brothers to speak with all lesser folk. One of the main goals was to create a group of characters with teamwork feats, like outflank and swap places. Most PFS tends to be characters that are built uniquely by individual players. We built a well-balanced group that could end combats quickly and were a lot of fun to roleplay together. Twins Mausum ("monsoon") and Toofan ("typhoon") are cavalier/rogues dual-wielding keen kukris. The cavalier dips grant them the ability to hand out teamwork feats to allies. They retrained rogue levels to Unchained rogue for more shenanigans. Aasifa ("storm") is a cavalier/fighter who dual wields sawtooth sabres enhanced with lead blades from ioun stones. Al-Ra'd ("the thunder") is our front line fighter with a tower shield. Social stats are all dumped, so he's not too bright. However, rescued a guard dog in Taldor, which he lovingly named, Puppy. He retrained a few feats and added a level of huntmaster cavalier in order to raise his own animal companion buddy. :) Naar Min-Alfuuq ("Fire from above") is a grenadier alchemist who launches bombs with his bow. He can also hand out infusions to other brothers, like True Strike. Sadin is our bard, translator, and expert trade negotiator. Sahib as-Sahar ("master of magic") is a sorcerer specializing in toppling magic missiles, in order to trip enemies and allow our fighters to take them out quickly. Ayser al-Hakeem ("Ayser, the wise") is a dual-cursed life oracle who grants misfortune on our enemies. My character, Junayd ("small army"), is an APG summoner with a quadruped eidolon, Shaitan. Shaitan's appearance is similar to a crocotta/leucrotta. He taunts and demoralizes enemies.
Steve Mulhern, the SE WI VC, and Daniel Ziermann, Milwaukee VL, ran the previous season at Game Universe in Franklin, but I haven't seen any posts lately. PFS RPG and ACG games are posted on Meetup.com/mmorpg.
Thanks, all. Yes, it is a question from a GMs point of view and how the forces inside would react to the courtyard battle. It just seemed like an interesting decision for the players to make, but most are new and used to PFS where encounters are short. They want to heal and rest long enough to regain spells, but I assumed the party would have kept going and depleted most of their resources by the end. One possible wrench: Vale is still with the party. He hasn't had an opportunity to escape.
One word: BONEKEEP! If they are a group that has been playing together with optimized characters, then even that will be a cake walk. We had a team work through all three levels without any problem in CORE mode. Level two may have been the toughest if you choose any of them. I hoped level three would be more challenging, given that it was a 5-9 and not a 3-7. That just meant that our characters had a couple extra levels too. I'd suggest starting with 3-26 Portal of the Sacred Rune and run through the Cult of Lissala arc. Everything is a 7-11, but Severing Ties. Get them to 4-26 The Waking Rune for their final scenario before retirement and run it in hard mode. 3-26 Portal of the Sacred Rune
Storval Stairs and Elven Entanglement are good to work into that schedule.
Eleven:
Eleven CR 9
XP 6,400 Female young human (Jadwiga) psychic (amnesiac) 10 NG Medium humanoid (human) Init +3; Senses Perception +18 ----- Defense ----- AC 18, touch 17, flat-footed 15 (+2 deflection, +3 Dex, +2 enhancement, +1 natural) hp 46 (10d6+4) Fort +6, Ref +9, Will +12; +2 trait bonus vs. Shadow descriptor spells and effects., +2 trait bonus vs. fear ----- Offense ----- Speed 30 ft. Special Attacks dark half (2 bleed, 11 rounds/day), phrenic amplifications (intense focusOA, overpowering mindOA, relentless castingOA), phrenic pool (8 points) Psychic Spell-Like Abilities (CL 10th; concentration +15) 1/day—detect thoughts (DC 14), telepathic bond Psychic (Amnesiac) Spells Known (CL 10th; concentration +15) 5th (3/day)—dismissal (DC 19), explode head 4th (6/day)—black tentacles, mass pain strike (DC 18), telekinesis 3rd (7/day)—excruciating deformation (DC 17), fly, mind thrust III (DC 17), mindscape door (DC 17), synaptic pulse(DC 17), telekinetic maneuver 2nd (7/day)—alter self, hold person (DC 16), inflict pain (DC 16), mind thrust II (DC 16), pain strike (DC 16), sonic scream (DC 16) 1st (7/day)—command (DC 15), detect thoughts (DC 15), ear-piercing scream (DC 15), feather fall, heightened awareness, hold portal, mind thrust I (DC 15), ray of enfeeblement (DC 15) 0 (at will)—daze (DC 14), detect psychic significance, know direction, lullaby (DC 14), mage hand, open/close (DC 14), prestidigitation, read magic, telekinetic projectile Psychic Discipline Abomination ----- Tactics ----- Before Combat Eleven senses the motives of those near her and casts detect thoughts to determine if they are friend or foe. If she is alone and threatened, she chooses to flee. If she is with allies, she uses her powers to defend them. During Combat Eleven begins combat with nonviolent spells, such as daze, command, hold person, open/close, telekinetic maneuver, and prestidigitation, in an effort to distract, embarrass, and slow her opponents. Once her allies are threatened or she foresees violence from her opponents, she manifests her dark half and targets opponents with pain in the forms of mass pain strike, sonic scream, telekinesis, and dismissal. Her captors trained her to use powers on small, innocent animals, but so long as Eleven is in full control of her powers, she refuses to use powers like explode head on creatures who pose no threat. Morale Eleven takes all steps necessary to defend her allies, including placing her own self in danger to distract and/or remove their greatest threat. ----- Statistics ----- Str 8, Dex 16, Con 10, Int 18, Wis 12, Cha 16 Base Atk +5; CMB +4; CMD 19 Feats Additional Traits, Alertness, Greater Spell Penetration, Magical Aptitude, Spell Penetration, Unforgotten Traits courageous, desperate resolve, shadow dissident (nidal), suspicious Skills Disguise +9, Escape Artist +8, Knowledge (planes) +17, Perception +18, Sense Motive +19, Sleight of Hand +6, Spellcraft +21, Stealth +7, Survival +5, Use Magic Device +13 Languages Aklo, Common, Dark Folk, Orvian, Yithian SQ amnesia spell slots, amnesia spell slots, detect thoughts, dowsing (survival), gatekeeper (knowledge [planes]), prognostication (sense motive), read aura (perception), repressed memories, spell recollection, telepathic bond Other Gear Commset (borrowed from party), courtier’s outfit, disguise kit, fashionable accessories, travel cake mix (2 lbs) ----- Special Abilities ----- Amnesia Spell Slots (4th-Level spells, 1/day) Recall a spell from the psychic list. Amnesia Spell Slots (5th-Level spells) Recall a spell from the psychic list. Dark Half (2 bleed, 11 rounds/day) (Su) Dark side grants spells bleed damage to one target. Detect Thoughts (Sp) Cast detect thoughts, or expend 1st or higher spell slot to do so. Dowsing (Survival, 1/day) You can produce mysterious writing that pertains to the immediate future. Gatekeeper (Knowledge [Planes]) Once you are aware of a soulgate, DC 30 Knowledge (planes) check to open it. Intense Focus (Ex) 1 pool point for +2 to conc. check as part of casting spell, 2 for +5. Overpowering Mind (Ex) 2/4 pool: increase Will save DC of linked mind-affecting spell by +1/+2. Phrenic Pool (8/day) (Su) Pool of points you can use to modify psychic spells as they're cast. Prognostication (Sense Motive, 1/day) You are skilled in means of folk divination. Read Aura (Perception, 1/day) Read the psychic impressions left on objects or in places. Relentless Casting (Su) 1 pool: roll twice and take better result to overcome SR for linked spell. Repressed Memories Your past is blank slate, your memories gone. Spell Recollection (1/hour) (Ex) Recollect a spell from the psychic spell list. Telepathic Bond (Sp) Cast telepathic bond, or expend 4th or higher spell slot to do so. Unforgotten Reduce any nonlethal damage you take by 1 point, to a minimum of 1 point. Sources and Notes: Sources: Advanced Class Guide, Advanced Player’s Guide, Character Traits Web Enhancement, Heroes of the Streets, Inner Seas Races, Monster Summoner’s Handbook, Occult Adventures, People of the North, Technology Guide, Ultimate Campaign, Ultimate Equipment, Ultimate Magic I liked the flavor of the amnesiac psychic, because throughout the show, we’re seeing many of the flashbacks of Eleven’s captivity. I considered the tranquility psychic discipline, because the bonus spells fit very well with her powers and she is quite peaceful throughout the show. In the end, I chose the ambomination discipline, because I think we’re still learning more about how she gained her powers. I felt that manifesting the dark half was a good description of what she endures when using her powers. It clearly causes problems for her if she goes too far. It also adds a bleed effect on opponents when using some spells, which we saw her use near the end of the season. I like traits and I think the right ones can really help provide a good background. I chose the Additional Traits feat, in order to pick up a couple more. Suspicious details her relationship with “papa” and the “bad men”. Courageous helps identify her rough childhood and how she will persevere. Her gear is quite limited, but has to include the right disguise, walkie-talkie or “Commset”, and travel cake mix for waffles. "Lego my travel cake mix" doesn't have a nice ring to it, but you make do. The spells all seem to fit quite well. Apart from what is detailed in her tactics, I liked feather fall, hold portal, and a few others. I think even Papa mentioned something about lullabies growing up, so I threw that 0-level in as a nod to it. I think it is clear that they trained her to attempt other powers we haven't seen. Explode head isn't too far off from the combat spells we've seen her use, but it seems like she still has limits to what she wants to use on certain creatures. If the Ley Line Guardian Witch could use psychic spells, I think that one would have been great to use too. It has a good cost-benefit effect of making your spells more powerful, but with a chance to become staggered.
I originally had the same question about the use of table, instead of player. However, after reading it again, my interpretation is that the table can pool together receipts twice per game, if they have spent enough. Once for a standard $10+ benefit and once for a $50+ enhanced benefit. When it calls for gaining both benefits, I read that as one standard and one enhanced. I don't know what else both would be describing.
Does anyone have suggestions for house rules of Remove Fear within the Horror Adventures fear rules? The book offered the optional rule for changing immunity to fear to fear resistance, so I'm curious if anyone may have had some similar changes with Remove Fear, such as lessening the effects of your current fear level.
I felt the need to come back here and say that Steve West actually did an admirable job with Howard Andrew Jones' Beyond the Pool of Stars. I signed up for Audible's two credits per month and listened to Beyond the Pool of Stars first. I listened to much of the book on one trip and didn't want to put it down. I also thought Steve West did an excellent job with the narration; so much so that I wanted to find his other work, because a few of the other narrators have been mediocre. Karen White reading Mother Bears, the short story prequel to Skinwalkers has been difficult to listen to. It almost sounds like her words were recorded and spliced together, because it doesn't flow well at all. I thought maybe it was just the audio sample for the product and that it all couldn't be like that. Skinwalkers sounds interesting, but I may have to read that one separately. Karen White's performance had a breathiness and strange, panicked emphasis... That's about how I'd describe it.
For events that have two or more scenarios, we'll post a Meetup for each scenario. That works out pretty well to define the table assignments between the different scenarios, but then we'll have to determine the sub-tier on-site. We set the RSVP limits based upon the number of GMs we have, so 7 (1 GM and 6 players) or 14 (2 GMs and 12 players). Meetup recently changed waitlists, so anyone can signup when an event is full and be automatically added when an RSVPed player drops. One way you can avoid the e-mail blasts is to create filters in your e-mail client. Personally, in Gmail, I create a label (or folder) for Meetup. Then I set everything sent from Meetup to use that label and skip the inbox. That avoids getting message alerts on your smartphone.
Being LG, maybe you could whisper prayers to your deity repeatedly. If you are "cackling" to extend a buff hex for your allies, it could be something like, "Bless them, Sarenrae. Bless my allies. Grant them your wisdom... etc." If you've seen Vanessa Ives praying in Penny Dreadful or look that up on YouTube, I think that would have a LG effect of "cackling".
I believe it is #3. There were a few discussions of it here, so it would probably be corrected in the guide's next revision.
I ran three groups at Gen Con and let the boggards explain how the magic item would work. The players agreed on their own command word, so the kids enjoyed having a bit of creativity with that. The first group chose "Pancakes!" Overall, this was a great Quest series and I had a lot of fun seeing how each group of kids handled things differently. Five hours was a bit long on the attention span of some kids, but they had a lot of fun by the end. Unfortunately, we didn't have time for the dragon in the first group, but the others were really excited for that. One young player was playing the Lini pregen and wanted to make it his pet! The other group was just as happy to say they fought a dragon. Is this available for download? I'm having trouble finding it. Since this released with the new Pathfinder Academy Transitions lessons at Gen Con, I imagine they'll be announced with a blog post at some point.
Under GM Rewards: The ability to apply a special GM Star reward Chronicle to one character, available as a free download at paizo.com/pathfindersociety. Is this correct or is it one GM Star reward chronicle to each character? (i.e. xxxxx-1 can be a Student of Scrolls, xxxxx-2 can be a Student of Spells, etc.) Additionally, the Work as a Team boon on the Student of Swords chronicle allowed you to grant a player your free reroll using your GM bonus. That may need to be reworded slightly, since there is no more bonus to the roll.
The party receives a reward at the end of Swamp, but the text mentions that its powers are not revealed until the next Quest. I didn't read anything on how they would learn of its powers and the item's description suggests that activation requires a command word. Should it be assumed that the boggards explain the use of the magic item and how to activate it or is this something a spellcraft check would identify for them? |
