wspatterson's page

I really wish a Mary Sue character wasn't such a big part of this storyline.

Sigh...my Razor Coast game has died a sputtering death just as I was about to throw some solid story elements at the players.
I'm very sad.

Hola. Okay, I need help getting my party on the right track.
Before I posted about the party having motivation issues, because each one had a different motivation. They sorted that out by having each of their current characters joining the Explorer's Guild. So,that hurdle has been overcome, but now I have a new one.
None of the characters has a connection to the Razor Coast at this point, with one Tulita character getting killed & the half-elf from Port Shaw being retired, and I've been having them do things in Freeport, the pirate city. They've just hit 5th level & they're now ready to tackle the Razor.
The matters that they've dealt with in Freeport have all run their course. There's really nothing much left to those plots, but the players are absolutely convinced there is more going on. They've created their own red herrings and are hellbent on following these "clues" to the bitter end.
So, how can I steer them towards the Razor Coast?

So what kind of motivations do your various parties have? My group has been having difficulty figuring it out.
Probably doesn't help that all four of the original four PCs have died. I had started them at 1st level & have been using Freeport stuff to get them to 5th.

I don't know if this has been answered anywhere else, but I didn't find anything. Why are guns both piercing and bludgeoning?

Ah, my mistake. That's what I get for reading the boards at work and splitting my attention.

If you're a lizardman, I could see the sacrifice being kosher. For the vast majority of other folks, not so much.

He's not talking about a regular familiar, though I would still say thumbs down to it. He's talking about a familiar that you got through the Improved Familiar feat, which are all intelligent creatures. So they're intelligent even if you have dismissed them.

To most societies, sacrificing an intelligent being is an evil act. Lizardfolk are a little different in that I don't think they really have a concept of good or evil. Regardless, I don't really see the familiar really going along with it, familiar or not.

This seems less like a rules question & more like an exercise in frustrating people.

Seriously, why is this conversation even happening?

Those skymetal double doors, the ones that give off heat all the time, has anyone figured out a value in gp for them?
Thanks!

The Pathfinder wiki entry for Sandpoint. Listed as a resident.

http://pathfinder.wikia.com/wiki/Sandpoint

I just came across the name Deputy Galthanas Silverthorne as a resident of Sandpoint. I don't recall seeing this name in Rise of the Runelords, so where did he come from? And what is he, as far as class and race goes?
Thanks.

For someone who can't cast necromancy spells, Sorshen seems to be involved with a lot of necromancy.

I've had the Heidmarch's comment several times that they do have other groups doing things, and one of the most significant things happening is attempting to thwart the plotting of the cult of Lissala, who appear to be attempting to raise another Runelord. So that gives finding the shards a little urgency. And to further drive home that point, I'm going to have them end up facing off against a hit squad sent to Heidmarch Manor in an attempt to eliminate the Society. I'm expecting a chaotic battle.

Nice. I was in the process of converting them all too, but this saves me a lot of effort. Are you going to do all the other subtypes as well?

Probably not. This was a random inspiration that hit me & the inspiration has played itself out.

Rakasta
Mountain Rakasta
Humanoid (rakasta)
+2 Str, +2 Dex, -2 Wis
Medium size
30 ft move
Low-light vision
Nimble faller – Rakasta always land on their feet even when they take lethal damage from a fall. They also gain a +1 to their CMD vs trip attempts.
Keen senses - +2 to perception
Jumper – Rakasta are always considered to have a running start when making an Acrobatics check to jump.
Natural attacks – Rakasta have a bite attack and two claw attacks. The claw attacks are primary attacks, and the bite attack is a primary attack unless a weapon is being used, then it is a secondary attack. The bite causes 1d4 damage, the claws cause 1d4 damage.
Weapon familiarity – All mountain rakasta are trained in the use of kasas (war claws) – see below
Languages – rakasta, common; bonus languages: whatever is appropriate for the setting
Kasas (war claws)
exotic light melee weapon
Damage: 1d4 19-20/x2 S
Note: Kasas are worn over the hand like gloves, and the user cannot be disarmed. A buckler may be used with this weapon, though if the buckler is used, the claw may not be for that round. Rakasta typically fight with a pair of kasas, and may count them as natural attacks if they choose.
There are several different types of rakasta, but the mountain rakasta are perhaps the most common. They are a nomadic people: proud, with mystic traditions, and a belief in the superiority of their race. They don’t particularly lord this belief over others, they just accept it as fact. They are a warrior people, though they are not excessively aggressive towards others. They do, however, respond to threats quickly and decisively. In addition to their hunting and warrior traditions, rakasta are skilled artisans, making beautiful rugs and artful bowls and cups that they trade.
In the prides there is an elite warrior class, the hatra, who ride into battle astride large cats. These elite serve as the personal guard of the pride’s chieftain, and they have their own code of honor that dictates their behavior, such as never refusing a challenge, never leaving wounded behind, neither give nor expect mercy and never surrender. The hatra only fight with kasas, considering the use of other weapons beneath their honor.
The customs of prides from different regions may vary. For instance, some may not have hatra, or the prohibition on the use of weapons besides kasas may be much more lax.
Hatra are rangers with the beast rider archetype. Their animal companions are large cats, whatever is appropriate for the region that the pride lives in.
Base Height Weight
4’10”/4’6” +2d10 140/125 2d10x5

Middle Age Old Venerable
45 60 90

Domestic Rakasta
Humanoid (rakasta)
+2 Dex, +2 Con, -2 Wis
Medium size
30 foot move
Low-light vision
Keen senses - +2 to perception
Cat’s luck – Once per day, when a domestic rakasta must make a Reflex saving throw, he or she may roll twice and take the better of the two rolls. This ability must be used before the saving roll is attempted.
Curiosity – Being a curious lot, domestic rakasta gain a +4 on Diplomacy checks to gather information, and Knowledge (history) and knowledge (local) become class skills. If they choose a class which already has either of these skills as a class skill, they instead gain a +2 racial bonus on that skill.
Natural attacks – Rakasta have a bite attack and two claw attacks. The claw attacks are primary attacks, and the bite attack is a primary attack unless a weapon is being used, then it is a secondary attack. The bite causes 1d4 damage, the claws cause 1d4 damage.
Languages – rakasta, common; bonus languages: whatever is appropriate for the setting
Domestic rakasta are those that have adapted to living in city environments. Though not as heavily built or strong as their nomadic kin, exposure to city living has made them hardier in many ways. They tend to try to get on well with everyone, and tend to be very curious about their non-rakasta neighbors. They have long ago abandoned what they view as archaic and out of place warrior codes of conduct still embraced by many of their nomadic cousins.
Base Height Weight
4’10”/4’6” +2d10 120/95 2d10x5

Middle Age Old Venerable
45 60 90
Mountain rakasta have tawny coats, though silver grey or reddish are also possible. They tend to be lighter around the jaws, chin and throat. Domestic rakasta may have slightly more variety in the coloration of their coats, depending on the region they live in.

Louis Lyons wrote:

Now that Paizo's moving to the 64-page format for its modules, is there any chance of a high-level Bastardhall module in our future?

I would absolutely ADORE an AP about Bastardhall.

Bastardhall sounds more interesting than the current or last two APs. A bigger than normal adventure might be a good thing. Paizo could really stand to mix things up a little.

I was thinking about giving Mandalli some levels in ranger. Maybe go two-handed weapon style.

Well then, guess I should come up with something. My Shattered Star group has some evil cultists coming to dinner, they just don't know it yet.

He sounds neutral to me.

Certainly one can do some evil things while still being good -- I'm sure that Martin Luther King spanked his kids, which is technically assault and torture.

But torturing and killing defaulters,... That's beyond Dickensian excesses.

No, spanking your child is not, technically or otherwise, assault or torture. Someone other than the parent spanking a child will, in many places, be battery.

Anyway, this NPC is, at best, neutral.

Are Heidmarch Manor's defenses detailed anywhere?

Isn't there more than one picture of Shalelu with green hair?

Are you going George Lucas on us?

Some of the non-Paizo APs take you from level 1 to 20, though I'm uncertain how much in-game time passes. And of course Shackled City, Age of Worms & Savage Tide go from level 1 to 20, but would need to be converted from 3.5 to Pathfinder.

Eh, not really my thing.

I just wouldn't invite him back to the table. Just end it now as nicely as you can, because the longer it drags on, the less nice it will end up being.

Paizo monsters rarely ever do anything so sensible.

After some persistent google searching, I found the name Thehydrax, who is mentioned in all of one sentence in Dragons Revisited. Thehydrax is also apparently brass. Hm.

Is it a brass dragon or a bronze dragon that lives in or near Korvosa?

So, has anyone's group actually managed to ultimately end up in the position of having at least the majority of the Grey Maidens in the Lady's Light still alive, and has that group then attempted to help the Maidens start anew in Magnimar?

The group in my game marched in through the gates of Magnimar with something like 22 Grey Maidens and introduced Oriana to the Heidmarchs, but I honestly don't really know what would happen after that. Thoughts? The group did, essentially, keep their liquid cash, but they let the Maidens keep all of their equipment. And the Heidmarchs are suddenly looking at almost 2 dozen heavily armed women warriors and going "Oookay, so this was dropped in our laps."

Input would be appreciated. Thanks!

Despite the higher than animal intelligence, it is a creature with a certain nature. You might get it to the point where you can control it, but breaking it of its nature would be extremely difficult. Despite the "evil" alignment, I highly doubt it sees itself as evil. I doubt it even thinks in those sorts of terms. It more than likely thinks in terms of strong vs weak, stompy vs crunchy and tasty. It comes from a world where compassion has no place. Compassion gets one killed.

It should be a tough road at best.

I wish they'd kept the original wording for this feat from the Crimson Throne AP. There was no room for misinterpretation.

This sounds like a pretty entertaining AP, but I seem to recall some complaints about the railroad. This left me thinking, "Aren't they all basically a railroad?"

Anyone using Obsidian Portal for their game?

The gist of this AP is: party gets ship wrecked, the other survivors represent different factions the party can make nice with & they find a map to an ancient city in the middle of the jungle that they pretty much need to want to go to. Because if they don't, then there is no story. That about right?

I'm sure that family sword of Ameiko's would take a dim view of a PC killing her off just to get her out of the way. Honestly, if it were me, I'd have such a dishonorable act disqualify the PC as a scion.
Though my gaming group pretty much hated the AP, so the point is moot.

Didn't the elder things create the shoggoths?

Captain America
Thor
Batman
Wonder Woman
Savage Dragon
Martian Manhunter
Aquaman
Thing
Hellboy
Silver Surfer

The assassin got what he was asking for. No use crying over spilled lubricant.

One time in a game of mine, the LE rogue told the CG ranger that if the ranger got in face he'd kill the ranger's girlfriend while making him watch before he killed the ranger. The rogue then failed a sleight of hand roll vs the ranger's perception while trying to apply poison to his dagger. On seeing that, the ranger killed the rogue. The rogue's player then whined about how PvP shouldn't happen. You're playing characters who usually respond to threats by stabbing the threat. I don't want PvP in my games, but if you really want to avoid it, don't do things that beg for it. Don't start nothin', won't be nothin'.

Has everyone started their parties off at 5th level, or has anyone started with a 1st level party & worked up to 5th before starting Razor Coast proper?

When I ran this, the PCs were the center of things, but I had stat summaries for the town guard members & a few named NPCs who seemed likely to be the types to defend the town. With a few exceptions where NPCs were directly backing up the PCs, I kept the action somewhat abstract. There were a few instances where the NPC back up made a big difference. That smith & his dogs were startlingly effective against the bears for a few rounds, with a little arrow support from the goblin-hating ranger.
Jakardros & Shallelu were also present, & the two teamed up tended to wreck face.
In the end, only two giants & the dragon escaped. They also only managed to kidnap 2 people. 14-16 townsfolk (combattants & noncombattants) were killed, as well as two of the smith's dogs.

Oddly, the group in my game used their wish from the deck to ensure Kroft ended up on the throne. She, in turn, made on of them Field Marshall & he then ran the Arkpnas out of town. Glorio plots his revenge even now.

You could always persecute his characters mercilessly. :-)

So, the minotaur, Korg, has a feat called hurl. It says to see the appendix, but I can't find the description of the feat. Can someone tell me which page it's on?
Thanks.

Besides the fact that covering the world with ice is just stupid, Golarion has quite a few very powerful spellcasters, both good & evil, that wouldn't be too keen on having their playground wrecked. I suppose the PCs getting involved might keep the death toll down, but at the end of the day this whole freezing the world thing would just lead to a significant smackdown of Elvanna.
I'm guessing Elvanna is presented as being unhinged? Otherwise, why would she want to rule a world of frozen corpses & starving servants?

I admit, the rock thing is possibly the most stupid thing I've heard in recent memory.

Wow, this game is a train wreck. Why on earth woukd anyone waste their time with this bs? Seriously, it isn't worth it.

How have people had abundant amunition work with gunslingers? Obviously it will work on bullets, but what about the black powder that goes with it, etc?

The art of the phooka is one of the worst pieces I've seen in a Paizo product in a long time.

As for flesh eating phookas, those stories exist, but they're the minority. There are a lot of stories of phookas scaring the living crap out of people just for fun. There are also lots of stories about them being helpful.

Just to speak in general terms, it's not like everyone associated with any of the lower planes is in a club. You can still have a devil step on another devil, yelling "My toy!"

If I'd run this, I'm pretty sure my player's would have crucified me at the end. Fortunately, we all agreed the premise sucked.
Railroading, however, is pretty much goung to happen in any of Paizo's APs.