look forward to playing warrior/rogue grappling knife-fighter from Isger in this adventure path. Think I'll go make him right now........
CMD gets way too high and rises very quickly. Remember the revealed info that the core rules were changed to lessen the usage of tactical feats like trip and grapple? That build would be weak in core, but strong in 3.5.
Razmiran samurai mercenary, to show the Tian how crazy-eyes is done.
oh....forgot bout that.
|
CMD gets way too high and rises very quickly. Remember the revealed info that the core rules were changed to lessen the usage of tactical feats like trip and grapple? That build would be weak in core, but strong in 3.5.
Razmiran samurai mercenary, to show the Tian how crazy-eyes is done.
No, I don't remember that. Where was it revealed and by whom?
It took a bit of forum digging:
"Chris Mortika (RPG Superstar 2010 Top 16), Tue, Apr 26, 2011, 03:59 PM
Flag
| List | Reply
Arodnap avatar
Some people, including some Paizo staffers, felt that the maneuver rules in3rd Edition / 3.5 are too klunky and non-intuitive. With the Pathfinder ruleset, they endeavored to make a system that is cleaner and quicker to play.
To my mind, PF RPG doesn't handle extreme cases as well. In 3.5, someone attempting a maneuver like trip or grapple needs to make two rolls: an touch attack and a maneuver roll, and a target's size modifies each of these. This simulates that (a) it's easy to grab a cow, but hard to wrestle it, while (b) it's hard to get ahold of a squirrel, but once you do get your hands around it, you can do pretty much whatever you want with it. Under Pathfinder, maneuvers against big foes are just generally tougher than against little foes; this works faster, and works fine 90% of the time.
And the final version works pretty much head-and-shoulders better than the Beta test version, where maneuvers were much dicier. Even a PC who dedicated herself to being a trip-monkey would have a hard time tripping foes in her CR weight class. The design consideration, as I remember it, was that some Paizo staffers had grown tired of seeing people trip and disarm and do all sorts of wa-hoo things instead of just,you now, sticking sharp weapons in their foes. Under the published rules, its easier for someone to be competent in a maneuver or two, but the system still discourages folks from trying such schenanigans without proper training."
Don't forget, it is against bab, misc mods, str and dex. And the feats that used to give you +4 now give you +2. Some combat feats got harder to pull off (check the bestiary and the very high cmds) but power attack got stronger. A design choice to make it more about the quick damage.
According to my Book of Exalted Deeds, a falchion should not be allowed for a character with Vow of Poverty, no matter how old, rusty or dented it is. Do you even apply any penalties for being old, rusty and dented? Anyway, Vow of Poverty allows for non-magical, non-masterwork simple weapons only.
"Vow of Poverty allows for non-magical, non-masterwork simple weapons only."
The falchion is non-magical and non-masterwork. I don't apply it to simple weapons only, because the crusaders who historically took vows of poverty used a range of martial weapons (most commonly longswords) including even crossbows.
He got the falchion straightened and serviced recently (blacksmith was not happy with the way he was treating his weapon) and joined a Keleshite Jihad into Geb. For those two states to be on good terms never made any sense to me.
Looking forward to the monsters of the cold, and viking npcs.
"Vow of Poverty allows for non-magical, non-masterwork simple weapons only."
The falchion is non-magical and non-masterwork. I don't apply it to simple weapons only, because the crusaders who historically took vows of poverty used a range of martial weapons (most commonly longswords) including even crossbows.
To be fair, those crusader didn't get all those supernatural benefits from their vows. The restriction on simple weapons is there for a reason, and that's game balance. If one could actually talk about balance when that feat is concerned.
Yes, I allowed the usable weapons to be dictated by proficiency and not the vow, indeed because of balance. The feat is most useful for monks, and the damage of monks goes from 1d6 to 1d8 to 1d10 to 2d6 to 2d8 and finally 2d10. The falchion wielding ninja has a base of 2d4 for normal attacks when using the falchion and stays there. So he jumps ahead a little, but a monk with the same vow and his level will be on 2d6 and have more attacks.
I also pulled its bonuses back because my game isn't high magic. The feat can indeed be over-powered depending on the setting, but ol' Haru has got less bonuses than magic item junkies that brought characters in in recent memory. Course the problem is, the ninja has seen the bounty of Mwangi and demonic temples, monster hoards, pirate plunder, Lengite magics and has been unable to use any magic or masterwork items from these sources.
I predict the monsters will do cold damage.
:P
Oooo pretty.
Who is it on the cover there?
The cover currently displayed is still the mockup. The final cover will feature Shalelu Andosana.
Creative Director
|
Speaking of which wasent the cover shown at Paizocon? Really hoping to see it soon.The cover currently displayed is still the mockup. The final cover will feature Shalelu Andosana.Oooo pretty.
Who is it on the cover there?
We showed off the art that's going on the cover of the first two Jade Regent installments, but not the actual covers.
The cover for the first one is up already. The cover for the second one hasn't been built yet; we'll be doing so within the next couple of weeks though, at which point it can go live as well.
Speaking of which wasent the cover shown at Paizocon? Really hoping to see it soon.
Yes, please!
|
Speaking of which wasent the cover shown at Paizocon? Really hoping to see it soon.The cover currently displayed is still the mockup. The final cover will feature Shalelu Andosana.Oooo pretty.
Who is it on the cover there?
We showed off the art that's going on the cover of the first two Jade Regent installments, but not the actual covers.
The cover for the first one is up already. The cover for the second one hasn't been built yet; we'll be doing so within the next couple of weeks though, at which point it can go live as well.
Well as a humble suggestion perhaps having the two characters from the covers being mentioned In the Golarion day blogs maybe?
|
Creative Director
|
as much as i personally like ameiko kajitsu's story and reappearance after rotrl, i dont think my players will enjoy travelling across golarion to make an npc the empress
Fortunately, we have a lot of other Adventure Paths to choose from if your players aren't interested in this story line.
It's true though... there's two big experiments going on in this AP.
1) Will folks enjoy an Adventure Path with Asian themes and mythology?
2) Will folks enjoy an Adventure Path with NPCs that are as important to the story as the PCs? For this second one, feedback from previous adventure paths makes me think that most players WILL be interested—but if you have a group of players who have a hard time seeing the world as bigger than their characters, Jade Regent might not be the AP you're looking for. Fortunately, the one AFTER Jade Regent is all about greed and power and other things like that, where NPCs can be made, frequently, to walk the plank.
|
|
as much as i personally like ameiko kajitsu's story and reappearance after rotrl, i dont think my players will enjoy travelling across golarion to make an npc the empressFortunately, we have a lot of other Adventure Paths to choose from if your players aren't interested in this story line.
It's true though... there's two big experiments going on in this AP.
1) Will folks enjoy an Adventure Path with Asian themes and mythology?
2) Will folks enjoy an Adventure Path with NPCs that are as important to the story as the PCs? For this second one, feedback from previous adventure paths makes me think that most players WILL be interested—but if you have a group of players who have a hard time seeing the world as bigger than their characters, Jade Regent might not be the AP you're looking for. Fortunately, the one AFTER Jade Regent is all about greed and power and other things like that, where NPCs can be made, frequently, to walk the plank.
i appreciate your forthright response, i so love asian themes and wish that the npc experiment wasnt done in concert with the only oriental experiment
|
Creative Director
|
i appreciate your forthright response, i so love asian themes and wish that the npc experiment wasnt done in concert with the only oriental experiment
I'd still suggest you check the AP out, because chances are quite good that we've got elements in there that WOULD allow a PC to end up taking the Jade Throne, either as Ameiko's consort or on their own. AKA: A friendship with Ameiko isn't required to play through the Jade Regent AP—if your group is more interested in taking over Minkai, the AP CAN be played in that way.
Every significant NPC supports rivalries in addition to friendships, in other words. And if those significant NPCs meet with "accidents" along the way... the AP can still play out as long as the PCs themselves are interested in trying to defend (or take over) Minkai. It's not the way I imagined the original storyline playing out, and it's not the way the AP expects things to play out... but it is supported by the AP indirectly.
All that said, of course... if we (us at Paizo, the adventure authors, and the GMs) do our job right, the NPCs will win the hearts and loyalty of even the most self-centered PC, yeah? :-)
|
|
as much as i personally like ameiko kajitsu's story and reappearance after rotrl, i dont think my players will enjoy travelling across golarion to make an npc the empressFortunately, we have a lot of other Adventure Paths to choose from if your players aren't interested in this story line.
It's true though... there's two big experiments going on in this AP.
1) Will folks enjoy an Adventure Path with Asian themes and mythology?
2) Will folks enjoy an Adventure Path with NPCs that are as important to the story as the PCs? For this second one, feedback from previous adventure paths makes me think that most players WILL be interested—but if you have a group of players who have a hard time seeing the world as bigger than their characters, Jade Regent might not be the AP you're looking for. Fortunately, the one AFTER Jade Regent is all about greed and power and other things like that, where NPCs can be made, frequently, to walk the plank.
I wanted both 1 and 2...just not together. I was really hoping an asian AP would dive right into the deep end and allow for players to be Tian ninja and samurai characters.
|
2) Will folks enjoy an Adventure Path with NPCs that are as important to the story as the PCs?
Personally, I'm really looking forward to this. My favorite kind of interaction in RPGs is one of friendship and camaraderie between PCs and NPCs. I find that this way, the PCs feel more in tune with the rest of the world. For me, it will be a welcome change of having interactions that are mostly "heroic PC helping friendly but weak NPC's in need of saving" and "heroic PC versus evil NPC's in need of killing".
|
Creative Director
|
I wanted both 1 and 2...just not together. I was really hoping an asian AP would dive right into the deep end and allow for players to be Tian ninja and samurai characters.
If what we do with Jade Regent and Tian Xia is super popular, the chances of us taking the risk of setting an entire AP in Tian Xia increase dramatically.
But we're not there yet. And there's a thousand reasons why doing a Tian Xia adventure path only partially in Tian Xia and thus giving folks a chance to see how the Inner Sea relates to that region works is a good idea.
You can still play ninja or samurai in this AP, in any case. The Jade Regent Player's Guide will provide advice on how.
Well, let me reiterate how much I appreciate getting an asian themed AP and also getting one focused on NPC's, which will fly very well with at least one of my gaming groups.
Now, if we'd only get that gorgeous artwork of Ameiko in high resolution... :p
Well I hope the AP does that well then.
2) Will folks enjoy an Adventure Path with NPCs that are as important to the story as the PCs?Personally, I'm really looking forward to this. My favorite kind of interaction in RPGs is one of friendship and camaraderie between PCs and NPCs. I find that this way, the PCs feel more in tune with the rest of the world. For me, it will be a welcome change of having interactions that are mostly "heroic PC helping friendly but weak NPC's in need of saving" and "heroic PC versus evil NPC's in need of killing".
Yes as a player it is far better for your character to know the npcs, be their friends/ally/comrade, than just to be in service to a cause or a patron (as is so often done). In some recent games, it has almost led to a Suikoden situation, where my Kelesh ninja has met and adventured with so many groups that the npcs who are potentially in the party are many, and some are tied to specific regions/interests. It is good to be a ninja with a high diplomacy. There is a more natural and immersive feel that comes from that.
As for Ameiko, there are many ways players could be drawn into her quest or what they aim to achieve: love, loyalty, profit, exploration, knowledge, power. I am thinking of a melee char who is headed there to test their martial arts. Knight versus Samurai, Qadiran barbarian versus ninja, Swashbuckler against the greatest swordsmen. Samurai Champloo can provide a lot of flavour as an adjoining resource, or any samurai stories.
|
Can we get a little hint or a preview about Suishen? I'd guess that it would be like Tempest from Legacy of Fire, but it also sounds like it could be an NPC with a write-up like the four in Brinewall keep.
I could totally see it being a LN katana, since the main NPCs have all been pretty heavily weighted towards CG.
Does anyone know what Oni are featured in this Adventure Path's bestiary?
|
Creative Director
|
Can we get a little hint or a preview about Suishen? I'd guess that it would be like Tempest from Legacy of Fire, but it also sounds like it could be an NPC with a write-up like the four in Brinewall keep.
I could totally see it being a LN katana, since the main NPCs have all been pretty heavily weighted towards CG.
That's more of a Rob question, since he developed that adventure...
|
I was starting to think the book would come out before the cover image was updated. That would have been funny, in a HA... HA... ala the kid from Simpson's kinda way. :)Soooo about that cover.........I know, I know! Soon!
The last time this happened, at least for my subscriptions at the time, was for the Inner Sea Primer. The book arrived to my door without my seeing the final image, as it was posted up late.
In any case, I'm real excited to see this book cover too. And the next.
|
|
Can we get a little hint or a preview about Suishen? I'd guess that it would be like Tempest from Legacy of Fire, but it also sounds like it could be an NPC with a write-up like the four in Brinewall keep.
I could totally see it being a LN katana, since the main NPCs have all been pretty heavily weighted towards CG.
Suishen gets a write-up in the magic items section, not the NPC section, since it is a magic item, but there are some notes on its personality. Suishen is indeed a katana, and will be able to gain new powers depending on the PCs' actions throughout the AP.
All that said, of course... if we (us at Paizo, the adventure authors, and the GMs) do our job right, the NPCs will win the hearts and loyalty of even the most self-centered PC, yeah? :-)
On that note, with my group, the answer is yes. They love the NPCs, and are very interested in learning more about them. I for one would like to see more of this socialization stuff supported in future APs, as it has helped to encourage good and even eager interaction and roleplaying so far. And I mean this between both the PC + PC interaction as well as the PC + NPC interaction. Its hard to think this is the same group I played with that kidnapped halfling drug dealers off the streets of Daggermark and stuck them in their packs just for kicks and giggles when the DM was trying to run a serious encounter.
|
|
Suishen gets a write-up in the magic items section, not the NPC section, since it is a magic item, but there are some notes on its personality. Suishen is indeed a katana, and will be able to gain new powers depending on the PCs' actions throughout the AP.Can we get a little hint or a preview about Suishen? I'd guess that it would be like Tempest from Legacy of Fire, but it also sounds like it could be an NPC with a write-up like the four in Brinewall keep.
I could totally see it being a LN katana, since the main NPCs have all been pretty heavily weighted towards CG.
What alignment, specifically? Or is it left to the DM to customize for the party?
I see Shalelu got a ear and boob reduction since her last pic. :)
Hah! Now we can finally share the awesome art we've been seeing for months...Cover and description updated!
Sweet
Nice new cover but too bad about the boob and ear reductions.
Now that is what Shalelu should look like! That picture is way better than the one in Brinewall Legacy and the Player's Guide. Hooray for the boob reduction!
|
|
What alignment, specifically? Or is it left to the DM to customize for the party?Suishen gets a write-up in the magic items section, not the NPC section, since it is a magic item, but there are some notes on its personality. Suishen is indeed a katana, and will be able to gain new powers depending on the PCs' actions throughout the AP.Can we get a little hint or a preview about Suishen? I'd guess that it would be like Tempest from Legacy of Fire, but it also sounds like it could be an NPC with a write-up like the four in Brinewall keep.
I could totally see it being a LN katana, since the main NPCs have all been pretty heavily weighted towards CG.
Why do I suddenly crave a picture of a dragon-ship with the dragon figurehead actually spewing fire out of its mouth all of a sudden?
Why do I suddenly crave a picture of a dragon-ship with the dragon figurehead actually spewing fire out of its mouth all of a sudden?
Hmm...
