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Thanks for the advice! They'll be coming off of Plaguestone so I think an easy mode tower with a tough boss might be the right difficulty.
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Hi all, As the title says, we will most likely be starting this adventure at level 4. I'd like to keep as much of the circus parts and scenes as possible. For experienced GMs, What dungeons / encounters would you want to cut if you ran this a second time?
At that point in the AP, the players probably have teleportation magic, or shadow walk; an ally in Sargaeta; connections to noble families who have further connections throughout the Inner Sea region, or other sea-faring friends. As long as they spend some time, I'd allow them to buy some big-ticket items. I always try to connect the first couple big purchases to a roleplay opportunity. One of my players positioned themselves to became the New Newt at the black market and kind of glad-handed a bunch of nobles into procuring items for the Silver Ravens. So I think between some easy skill checks and a couple of scenes, they were able to then buy whatever they wanted. I put like a 34,000 gp limit on individual items. The New Newt was also a crafter, so I didn't feel like I had to open up the market to the point where they could buy anything they wanted.
So this was something a player asked about the bearded devil, although it didn't actually come into play: If a creature is under the effect of the infernal wound, would an elixir of life overcome the counteract check automatically since the item is alchemical and not magical? The DC to Administer First Aid to a creature with an infernal wound is increased by 5. A spellcaster or item attempting to use healing magic on a creature suffering from an infernal wound must succeed at a DC 21 counteract check or the magic fails to heal the creature. At first I thought that maybe you would still need to overcome a flat check to administer it, but then I thought maybe the healing would go through and allow a new flat check, but would not remove the wound. Again, I did not have to rule on this as the party had already used the wizard/alchemist's elixir of life that day, but I thought it might be helpful for future GM's to have a ruling on.
I'm assuming from Mike's post above that the fix was changing the progress points for the competing teams. My downloads page has still not updated the scenario, so is it possible for someone to share that table here? Thanks in advance! Thanks Mike! That worked great.
You can't do this because quick draw is an action to draw AND attack. You would not be able to quick draw at the end of your turn after already using three actions.
I made him a ranged fighter/ranger due to my group's make-up and needs at the time. I had a few of the Silver Raven NPC's statted up for the Masquerade in particular at level 9 but thankfully they were not needed. Chuko
That is awesome, your players are very lucky!
Re-reading it now, and it seems like there should be 46 guards total. 8 guards in each of the four guardrooms posted at all hours (32 total); 3 in the common room; 6 on the battlements; 5 in the guard quarters sleeping. So yeah it's definitely well-guarded. Considering the road is the only safe way up the mountain and it's a chokepoint, that sounds like a solid defense. Condensing those into four troops could definitely make sense.
At that level attacking the Menador Gap, my group basically had two party faces and two damage dealers. I was missing one of the damage dealers for that session, so when the rogue with +30 disguise and a stacked hat of disguise/stalker's mask decided to help disguise the group as Chelish bureaucrats who wanted to inspect the keep, I allowed it. The troops were told to stay in the stables while they finished the inspection. When the stealthed rogue saw Lucien walking around the various rooms inside the keep, she used the full round action with the Stalker's Mask to disguise as him and then went and told the guards to leave the keep while he was still in the other building. I think the point of the guards is to give them some easy combats/encounters before some of the tougher ones inside the keep. If your party is super combat focused, then yeah, it's a slog no matter what. If your group likes tougher combats, you probably are right to make them troops and enlarge the keep size a bit. It is supposed to be a crappy outpost though, with not a lot of guard presence. If I remember correctly, Lucien is ashamed to have been given that position because of its minor importance in terms of Chelish security.
From James Jacobs I think I adjusted up to 28 guards. Some people were saying 40 about a year ago in this thread
Oh yeah, absolutely Warped I feel that way too. Your comments have gotten me thinking a lot about my campaign and asking one of the players a lot of questions about her favorite encounters. I am going to run this a second time with a completely different group in a year or so, and a lot of your comments are things that have made me think about how it went the first time. The bells are absolutely something that has the potential to be hand-waved or just handled by NPC's if it will become more of a chore for the players. I was lucky to have a player playing a warpriest who was also an ex-Asmodean, so he handled a lot of the bell stuff with some scrolls. His parents were also redactors and so some of the bell scenes revolved around them. One of the big things in the campaign for us that I wish I got to involve the players more in was the Song of Silver itself, but no one played a bard. You always need to keep your players in mind first, but I really love the world of Kintargo as fleshed out in the books, and tried to keep a lot of what was already built in the AP. So far, I haven't had many players in the new campaign share what they will play, but I'm looking forward to a bit more messing around with the world as some of the other posters on these boards have mentioned.
I think it's definitely a little bit weird and it was a pain in the butt to run, but I disagree that there exists a big "last fight" in the temple really. The only two might be the nave, or fighting Barzillai. My group immediately tried to stop the ritual in the middle of the temple once they opened the doors, had an awesome nearly 20-round combat, ran away and came back. Then they came back in, found Barzillai's room, and fought him until he teleported away. Then they still had tons of the side rooms to clear, many of which I just handwaved because they had already had the two signature battles in the temple. The real last fight of the book is Barzillai attacking the Silver Span during the celebration, which can only be accomplished by cleansing the temple, which certainly could be hand-waved, or altered to be mostly narrative. The main reason I kept Asmoden is because the players really messed around in the room that had his arm, and they were throwing it around and joking about the body parts in the cases. When they saw the one-armed Asmoden, they all had a nice moment of realization.
Once Ravounel becomes a free country per the negotiations, Barzillai's transformation begins due to the clauses placed in the Kintargo Contract/Cheliax Covenant and his genius loci transformation. Would the players (barring the character who might be going somewhere else) allow for Kintargo to be haunted and decimated by Barzillai for 5+ years without doing anything about it? I'm pretty sure the description says that if Barzilla has the timeframe of years as a genius loci he would be able to recruit a large cult and take over most of Ravounel. It might actually be a cool idea if they forgot all that information and just headed off for a few years only to find out that Kintargo had become a terrible hellscape in their absence. Like alternate 1985 in Back to the Future II.
The two ways I foreshadowed it: 1) The paladin in our group realized at some point that she had been reincarnated from a past life. Due to her closeness to the soul anchor, she started getting flashbacks from multiple past lives she had lived. The player had also (not realizing the very nice AP tie-in) thought that she might have been evil in her original life, and during an out-of-game discussion said something about maybe having been a hag. She turned out to be Nasperiah's mother who couldn't protect Nasperiah from the mean streets of Vyre. This helped the party really personally invest in the soul anchor story. 2) The warpriest in the party also had a death experience where after he was raised he remembered living 30+ years in heaven, which gave him the mental benefits of being middle-aged, without the physical penalties. The party knew this was strange, and this also spurned on the soul anchor research. Mahathallah wants to rebuke death, so if they are researching these artifacts, you might want to have one of your more cowardly PC's be approached by a cultist or have a dream where they are promised extra knowledge beyond death.
It's called out in the first book that all animal companions, familiars and similar allies are going through the same fugue state as the PC's. Without going into spoiler territory it makes sense that your eidolon would have the same amnesia your PC has. As for calling your eidolon, maybe work with your GM, or ask him if he's come up with the solution for how you would call it upon waking. He may have already come up with something.
I had some bugs with the left click not registering every once in a while. A pretty major bug but one that isn't going to make me not play the game. I got the ship, and it seems like the management of that will be pretty fun, at least for me. I honestly finished PoE 1 so long ago that I forget what choices I made in that game, but it's fun to see some of the reactions to the watcher. I should give Tyranny another try, but aspects of it really bugged me, mostly how bad my choice paralysis would get based on faction stuff. The default for PoE 2 doesn't show how what you say defines your character, so I've done a little bit better at actually roleplaying in the moment, rather than selecting answers to build better reputation.
Hi all, I run a weekly Pathfinder Society game, (and Starfinder right now once a month) at my apartment in Jersey City, NJ. We have had some really good membership and new players show up, but over the last month we've been missing players and occasionally have been unable to fill a table. If you live in the area and are interested in the group, please check out the Meetup group here: https://www.meetup.com/Jersey-City-Pathfinder-Starfinder-Society-Meetup/ If you have any questions, just ask!
In a way I feel bad for not volunteering to run SFS instead of PFS at Paizocon after hearing this sentiment. I try to GM a SFS game once a month with my PFS/SFS group and I've only done about five games so far. We have had 2-3 players signing up most weeks and have had to cancel a few times. It has led me to prefer PFS just because we usually can get a full table for that, but I really want to get into the nuts and bolts of Starfinder.
I'm also doing some light prep-work on this, NobodysHome, and would appreciate the link to that timeline if you have it available. Thanks! Thanks! I need to re-read these threads again. I'm probably not going to start running this until August but it's nice to have everything compiled in my notes.
I'm also doing some light prep-work on this, NobodysHome, and would appreciate the link to that timeline if you have it available. Thanks!
I'd imagine it's very different for every group. Also if my group met every week or twice a month we'd move through at a faster clip because there would be less to recap and refresh for the players per session. I just went through all of my old e-mails and this is what I found: 1st Book ~40 hours
We meet once a month for 8-10 hours, and started in January 2016. We will be finishing book 5 and starting book 6 next session in mid-April 2018. I plan to complete the campaign by this summer and we'll start Strange Aeons.
My players had no problems with odds and evens only because they decided to make it ridiculous and would wager 20+ rolls against Lorelu. Rolling and counting that many dice was the only "fun" of the game. BornofHate, Blackfinger looks awesome and I might add it during the final book when they're relaxing at the Oakrib Inn. My group really liked devilpins, though we only played it one time. My plan was always to use these games when players can't make it or are showing up late and I need to kill time, and thankfully I haven't needed to do that.
When my group detected magic during looting after the massacre, they identified the permanent polymorph spell. I think there is a description that up close the likeness of Barzillai is not perfect, or at least the polymorph plus the hats of disguise on all the other devils helped them put it together. They didn't exactly discover that it was a devil, but they did take to calling the impostor "Rubber Barzy" from then on. Either way they're going to immediately be dealing with Barzillai's reprisals so it's not like they're going to be in the dark for that long. All it really does is point out the inanity of his plot. If you read through most of this thread you'll find some changes other GMs made to make the massacre seem more devious and intelligently planned.
Of course... I do have plans for a particularly epic Adventure Path that has long been close to my heart, one that I’ve been eager to launch for nearly a decade now. It’ll be a few more years until it sees print, but if it works out, it’ll be worth the wait, and maybe—just maybe— it’ll take players to a higher level than ever before. Sorry if this has been asked before on here, but does this quote refer to Return of the Runelords, or a yet-to-be named AP?
I don't run Theater of the Mind enough in my home game to be confident enough to do so in PFS, but it's definitely a fun idea. I've played with some GMs in PFS who rarely put maps down unless we've rolled initiative and I think it's a really effective way to keep players on their toes. As to the main point, I think I like what Walter said: we should all be helping each other get better! At first PFS is really overwhelming because of the breadth of experience of the players and GMs, but if you are willing to get critiqued, and eventually give some, it can be super rewarding.
Couple of questions on Aramaya: if she uses combat patrol on her turn, she is able to move during her attacks of opportunity. Is she able to use the ki ability granted by her feat Gliding Steps during this AOO movement, or only normal movement on her turn? Typically spending ki is a swift action, so even if she does this during her attacks of opportunity she should only be able to gain this benefit once during the round, right? If she is able to push someone back using her attacks of opportunity, does that end the PC's turn in the square into which they were pushed? I think she has a really cool build and I'm excited for that combat, but I also don't want this to be a case of GM fiat allowing her to be incredibly strong.
Hi all, has anyone started getting volunteer assignments?
As an aside to cash's question, in the Hell's Rebels adventure path... Spoiler: Was Mangvhune/Varl Wex/Skinsaw Cultists a story line that you heavily developed, and if so, do/did you have any long-term plans for that story beyond the scope of the adventure path?
My group really didn't have issues with Barzillai's plan. They are terrified of Barzillai and see the Dance of the Damned as one of the few times they have gotten to know him in terms of his arrogance and egotism. He's so sure of his own plan working that he's willing to reveal it to all the people in attendance. I suppose he thinks that after the battle some onlookers might recall seeing azatas flying away and devils chasing them down to attempt to save the city from the rebel menace. If your party does really poorly during the ball you could play up that idea of Barzillai triumphing against the rebellion. Book 4 is going to be done in less than one week in-game, so it makes sense that the noble families are still coming around to eventually make some concessions with the Silver Ravens. Like you said, there's more important stuff going on.
Hi James, In one of the GM threads for Hell's Rebels you mentioned that Nidal was originally going to have a much bigger focus with the Kuthonites at the Shadowsquare. What shape was that going to take originally?
I ran Wrath of Thrune with another group, and I really think it would be a great one-shot for anybody running Hell's Rebels because it's so close to Kintargo. There have already been some character interactions between players' different characters which has been a lot of fun. The investigator researching the death of one of the evil PC's is now on the case in Kintargo as well (both characters were sibling Sarinis; one evil, one chaotic good) A few of the evil troops from Wrath of Thrune were hanging out at the Oakrib Inn during the initial approach to the Menador Gap. Only two of my Hell's Rebels players were involved in the evil campaign, so they got a little treat, but it would have been so much better if everyone had that insight into the GR in Kantaria. It would also give the players a really good reason to close the Menador Gap after realizing that Kantaria has been returned to the hands of Thrune.
So he should be able to cast it without a problem since he can breathe water. You could maybe do some stuff with the electricity damage arcing more because of the water, or doing more damage, but that falls under the GM discretion bit.
Corinstian has status up on the erinyes devils, so he probably would send some non-ritual people up to look as well once the erinyes devils take damage. Maybe he would send up Zella? I would maybe just do two waves of the nave complications side bar. Maybe 6 priests show up and Zella in separate rounds. My party had an idea to use cloud kill in the center of the ritual and had one hell of a battle. I think doing the side rooms first should be rewarded, so I would be hesitant to send too many npc's after them.
A sprawling undercity exists under much of southern Kintargo, where the city’s original buildings were buried and built over to raise the low-lying reaches of Jarvis End, Old Kintargo, and Redroof above the seasonal flood zone. Many of these tunnels now double as sewers, while to the north, the more modern drainage tunnels below Villegre and the Greens are less prone to concealing hidden chambers. Both regions are somewhat dangerous, with the typical infestation of sewer-dwelling criminals and scavengers and long-forgotten traps and hazards. Taldor’s “Red General,” Cherletra Andos, declared herself lord-mayor of Kintargo on that date and used her political clout to wheedle engineers and gold to update the small community’s infrastructure, including a massive undertaking to raise much of the city’s elevation in what are now the districts of Jarvis End, Old Kintargo, and Redroof to combat seasonal flooding. Reshaping the city in this way provided Kintargo with a unique undercity; many of the local basements are former first-floor shops, and old roads now serve as sewers. By the time of Cherletra’s death 14 years later, Kintargo had grown from a thriving fishing town into a wealthy trading and manufacturing city. I think you definitely hit it on the head, though I'd imagine their sanitation system is somewhere just pre-Victorian in terms of its design due to the fact that it was at least somewhat engineered. Maybe there are Canterbury Tales-esque insults thrown out by members of the elite on the northern side of the Yolubilis about their smelly southern neighbors.
This was a great video! Helped a lot with getting over some of my fears of painting.
He's rich and comes from the ruling family? It does say he raised him since he was a hatchling, and Lucian has handle animal +15, so it's not insane to think he has given Zailosorn all the required combat training over his life. So yes, he basically has GM fiat that might be given to a PC, and most "boss" enemies in Hell's Rebels have PC-level wealth, power or special qualities. There was also discussion in this thread about him using vital strike on ride-by-attack, which technically shouldn't be allowed based on RAW. In the end, most of the GM's here have posted that he wasn't much of a threat even with the wyvern mount, so I think it's ok to run him as written.
Some of the best moments in my game so far have come from having actual RP or combat based on the random events during rebellion weeks. I think the system works fine for players who don't min-max. But if your players are into optimization, then I can definitely see how the rebellion rules could push them towards some pretty high power levels. Most of the extra feats only affect skill-based stuff, and late in the adventure the party will desperately need those skills. I am going to most likely run Hell's Rebels again in a couple years for a group that's played Kingmaker, and that group definitely optimized the kingdom building, so it will be interesting to see if most of the concerns here come to bear. I think if I were to remove it I would still keep the benefits from allies, like the favors from Sargaeta, or Vandalfek being able to do some recon for them. Shensen obviously needs to exist if there's no PC bard.
Can a week or two early count? I actually had my players asking a lot about Nidal when they found out about Shadowsquare and a rumor that Coristian and Aluceda are hanging out. It might be interesting for them to follow your unpublished thread!
That spreadsheet is great to put it together in my head. Thanks! Also, this is my first ever con AND first ever time GMing society games. I'm super pumped to do Starfinder Society stuff since my main home group will probably stick to Pathfinder adventure paths for a little bit. Anyway, you should definitely think about it! I don't wanna be the only newbie out there.
I don't know why people think she's carrying grenades. Those might just be a couple cans of soda. Great job on the story! Really excited to read more about the iconics.
My group had a warpriest (champion of the faith) archer PC who just destroyed pretty much everything, plus a paladin, so they were both just completely overcoming the DR of everything. Most of the crowd was actually killed by cockatrices, which the group didn't decide to kill until after they had gotten rid of "Barzillai" and Jilia. They ended the ball losing only 72 people. I'm excited to see how the warpriest operates now in book 4, with the extra authority points gained by Barzillai, although that player missed the first session of Book 4. There was already a near TPK in the Silver Star due to some unlucky smites from the fiendish green hags.
My party had a similar idea to put the blame on Faydreth, but sounds like your party came up with a clever idea to have Faydreth get caught red-handed. They've started their attack on the temple, and killed Exemplar. The fight in the courtyard took all night after about an hour of planning, and people were working the next day so we stopped right after they cleared the courtyard. Since they have no divine casters they should be ok to return twice before Exemplar rejuvenates.
The book specifically calls out that Natsiel gives Barzillai Hetamon and he becomes host to the Hellwasp swarm if the PC's don't rescue him, AND Barzillai gains 40 authority points. Which is potentially terrible. My players are already going to lose a friendly NPC due to reprisals, and they've been pretty adamant about trying to save as many people as possible. I think there are plenty of mechanical ways to keep your players from entering the climax of the book too early.
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