Pathfinder Adventure Path #166: Despair on Danger Island (Fists of the Ruby Phoenix 1 of 3)

The Player's Guide is currently scheduled for Monday, 4/12. Have a great weekend!

I’m so curious to see what the Backgrounds for this look like this.

I am betting that there won't be any new backgrounds, on the basis that 11th level is a bit late for picking a new background.

I am betting that there won't be any new backgrounds, on the basis that 11th level is a bit late for picking a new background.

Not necessarily? If you're building a fresh new character and leveling them up to 11th level, you could still pick a region-related background in that matter. It'd just matter a lot less for those coming in from another AP, like Abomination Vaults. But they shouldn't be thought of as the only scenario.

David knott 242 wrote:

I am betting that there won't be any new backgrounds, on the basis that 11th level is a bit late for picking a new background.

Not necessarily? If you're building a fresh new character and leveling them up to 11th level...

This is exactly how we'll be doing it. The characters are created specifically for the Fist of the Ruby Phoenix adventure path.

Yeah I'm not planning to run 1-10 homebrew pre campaign or explain how Abomination Vaults pcs would hear of fighting tournament in goka :p I want to have backgrounds so I can start new pcs with this one

There could even be a special campaign exception to "no retraining background" rule.

I am betting that there won't be any new backgrounds, on the basis that 11th level is a bit late for picking a new background.

Not if you're creating a character at 11th level as I would bet most groups end up doing for this AP.

David knott 242 wrote:

I am betting that there won't be any new backgrounds, on the basis that 11th level is a bit late for picking a new background.

Not if you're creating a character at 11th level as I would bet most groups end up doing for this AP.

Most groups? I doubt that.

But in any case, the premise of the adventure has to be broad enough to make most character types of the proper level playable in it, and most likely the PCs are NOT expected to be native to the location where the tournament is being held. It would be a bit weird to have the PCs specifically built for an adventure that doesn't begin until they reach 11th level, which many (I won't say most) adventurers never do.

However, I could imagine providing some 11th level general feats for characters who reached 11th level just before starting on this adventure (or who were specifically built for it).

It makes perfect sense to have a background for a character who has trained from 1st level to enter the tournament. Regardless of if that character is played through from 1st to 11th or if they are created at 11th.

Part of the allure (small part... like 5th or 6th on the list) for me is that this is shorter than other APs. Many player groups do not finish an entire AP which is why I am excited for this. Of those groups that _do_ finish, I imagine many _characters_ do not go from beginning to end so starting a character at 9, 10 or 11 is feasible.

And I imagine any backgrounds won't be so much about the area as they will be about the tournament (gladiator) or teams. However we will know more in about a week :) !

Did this get pushed to may to match march releases street date? :'D

I am looking forward to the Player's Guide.

Should be releasing tomorrow. Very curious to see what it will contain

I am curious at what time it is released though since pretty hyped to check out even player's guide x'D

The Player's Guide is the big draw for me here; I'm hoping to see some Backgrounds tailored for Tian characters.

Realized there is probably gonna be a blog post so I guess... Actually I forgot which time of day paizo does blog posts

Realized there is probably gonna be a blog post so I guess... Actually I forgot which time of day paizo does blog posts

Time of day varies. I'm rarely able to be specific. Just remember we are Pacific Time. :)

CorvusMask wrote:

Realized there is probably gonna be a blog post so I guess... Actually I forgot which time of day paizo does blog posts

Time of day varies. I'm rarely able to be specific. Just remember we are Pacific Time. :)

Woo for player's guide to be out just before I went to sleep x'D Now to read!

Marco Massoudi wrote:

"This adventure also includes new rules to help the Game Master create an entire roster of rival fighting teams"

I was under the impression that the stats for these would already be in the book?

Yes, the adventure includes all of the stats required for running the featured opponents. The "team builder" is there to help GMs who wish to add teams of their own design to Despair on Danger Island or to their own adventures.

This ended up getting moved to the Fist of the Ruby Phoenix Player's Guide. Go check that out for a fun set of tables to help inspire your PC team or for GMs to use to generate their own rival teams!

*Reads the Quirks and Personalities in the Player's Guide*

Ah, I can smell, taste, and practically feel the shonen in this.

I LOVE it!

jmspencer wrote:

David knott 242 wrote:

I am betting that there won't be any new backgrounds, on the basis that 11th level is a bit late for picking a new background.

Not if you're creating a character at 11th level as I would bet most groups end up doing for this AP.

Most groups? I doubt that.

But in any case, the premise of the adventure has to be broad enough to make most character types of the proper level playable in it, and most likely the PCs are NOT expected to be native to the location where the tournament is being held. It would be a bit weird to have the PCs specifically built for an adventure that doesn't begin until they reach 11th level, which many (I won't say most) adventurers never do.

However, I could imagine providing some 11th level general feats for characters who reached 11th level just before starting on this adventure (or who were specifically built for it).

Well, we're just going to disagree. My experience says that most groups would rather make 11th level characters to run a shorter campaign from 11 up than play 1-10 before getting into it. I don't see how that's "a bit weird" at all. Character creation isn't where their adventuring career starts, it's just when the part of their story played out at the table kicks off.

And I think the 6 new backgrounds in the PG bear that out.

Hm, missed the 'Minata' part. Sounds cool to get more info on a select part of Tia Xia, even if its a component :D

Hm, missed the 'Minata' part. Sounds cool to get more info on a select part of Tia Xia, even if its a component :D

A little bit of Minata in this one, and volume 2 has a Goka gazetteer.

DeciusNero wrote:

Hm, missed the 'Minata' part. Sounds cool to get more info on a select part of Tia Xia, even if its a component :D

A little bit of Minata in this one, and volume 2 has a Goka gazetteer.

A little bit of Minata in my life, a little bit of Goka by my side, a little bit of Tian Xia, here I am, a little bit of you makes me your man. This is mambo number 5.

keftiu wrote:

DeciusNero wrote:

Hm, missed the 'Minata' part. Sounds cool to get more info on a select part of Tia Xia, even if its a component :D

A little bit of Minata in this one, and volume 2 has a Goka gazetteer.

A little bit of Minata in my life, a little bit of Goka by my side, a little bit of Tian Xia, here I am, a little bit of you makes me your man. This is mambo number 5.

** spoiler omitted **

Don't be, you've done nothing wrong and everything right.

This volume does not have a content note or warning.

This volume does not have a content note or warning.

Because its been forgotten or because its not necessary?

Aaron Shanks wrote:

This volume does not have a content note or warning.

Because its been forgotten or because its not necessary?

Aaron has been posting on every recent module what is their content warnings. So basically this one doesn't have something extreme content that needs to be warned about

Yeah I've noticed that now. I think that these content warning would be better suited in the description of the product, as they can very easily get lost in the discussion threads.

Yeah I've noticed that now. I think that these content warning would be better suited in the description of the product, as they can very easily get lost in the discussion threads.

I agree though I don't have access to edit that section. I will work on that internally though I don't feel great about volunteering a coworker for extra work. I thought you all might want to know somewhere until such time as it can be added.

Thanks Aaron. Babysteps.

KaiBlob1 wrote:

Yeah I've noticed that now. I think that these content warning would be better suited in the description of the product, as they can very easily get lost in the discussion threads.

I agree though I don't have access to edit that section. I will work on that internally though I don't feel great about volunteering a coworker for extra work. I thought you all might want to know somewhere until such time as it can be added.

I presume an alias named 'content warning avatar' would not be official enough. All the warnings could be found in one place by checking their posts :) you may have to say 'AP #5,762 Gerbil Armies Ascending' instead of 'this volume' but it could work.

When do subscribers get this? I’m curious to start hearing impressions of it.

When do subscribers get this? I’m curious to start hearing impressions of it.

There’s a delay in shipping this month as the books are held up at the ports. So hopefully Soon(tm).

Details are in the April shipping thread on the Customer Services forum.

My plan is to have my players build multiple characters each. Then I will tell them which they can play (& not tell them the others will be trying to kill them later. >:) ).

lol :-)

I am betting that there won't be any new backgrounds, on the basis that 11th level is a bit late for picking a new background.

Others have already told you there are backgrounds in the players guide.

More generally, Paizo is including backgrounds even in the middle of adventure paths, despite most players already having a well-established character at that point.

So no, your basis is not something Paizo seems to take into account. If you want all the backgrounds and archetypes for a given AP already before your players generate characters, you need to hold off until you have all six (or 3) installments.

That's just how they've decided to roll.

Marco Massoudi wrote:

"This adventure also includes new rules to help the Game Master create an entire roster of rival fighting teams"

The "team builder" is there to help GMs who wish to add teams of their own design to Despair on Danger Island or to their own adventures.

There are eight tables to describe and flair your team in the Player's Guide.

If what you need is inspiration for team ideas you get stuff like

"You and your teammates... boast incredible strength and can withstand
many attacks that would topple or outright kill others."

or

"You and your teammates... wear memorable matching outfits or
coordinated hairstyles."

But there is no actual game rule related info there. For instance, you're entirely left on your own to actually build or select monsters that fit a description such as "can withstand many attacks".

Personally I hoped for a tournament-themed variant set of encounter building guidelines that takes the theme and place of the tournament in mind to focus the advice to simplify the monster selection process. I did not get that.

tl;dr: the "team builder" is all fluff, no crunch. Just so y'all can calibrate your expectations accordingly.

tl;dr: the "team builder" is all fluff, no crunch. Just so y'all can calibrate your expectations accordingly.

Well, obviously the Players Guide doesn't include rules to build team encounters, as this should be contained in a GM facing product like the AP itself.

The Team Building Tables are more to flavor your players party a given way

Zapp wrote:

tl;dr: the "team builder" is all fluff, no crunch. Just so y'all can calibrate your expectations accordingly.

Well, obviously the Players Guide doesn't include rules to build team encounters, as this should be contained in a GM facing product like the AP itself.

The Team Building Tables are more to flavor your players party a given way

Just to note that these were actually the tables that were supposed to be in the AP, they were cut because of a lack of space but were moved to the player guide, as seen in this post Luis made earlier in this thread:

Luis Loza wrote:

Marco Massoudi wrote:

"This adventure also includes new rules to help the Game Master create an entire roster of rival fighting teams"

I was under the impression that the stats for these would already be in the book?

Yes, the adventure includes all of the stats required for running the featured opponents. The "team builder" is there to help GMs who wish to add teams of their own design to Despair on Danger Island or to their own adventures.

This ended up getting moved to the Fist of the Ruby Phoenix Player's Guide. Go check that out for a fun set of tables to help inspire your PC team or for GMs to use to generate their own rival teams!

For the actual stats, the Gamemastery Guide pretty much covers it. Just infuse the flavor generated with these tables.

Well, obviously the Players Guide doesn't include rules to build team encounters, as this should be contained in a GM facing product like the AP itself.

As Elfteiroh said. The dev told us the "team builder" was moved out of the AP into the PG.

When the blurb said "This adventure also includes new rules to help the Game Master create an entire roster of rival fighting teams" I expected something much more than just a random selection of descriptive phrases.

For the actual stats, the Gamemastery Guide pretty much covers it. Just infuse the flavor generated with these tables.

That blurb made me hope for a set of setting-specific rules maybe covering things like team composition, a discussion of abilities that create a greater whole, maybe new "team feats" where if members have certain abilities you can take new feats that grant abilities to the whole team, and certainly suggestions for monsters that work well together. Or less well. Or just interestingly.

Instead I got a couple of fluff tables. But this isn't about me. Like I said above, I'm posting information to allow y'all to calibrate your expectations.

will this be receiving roll20 support like agents of edgewatch and extinction curse? Abomination Vaults didnt so I wanted to ask

will this be receiving roll20 support like agents of edgewatch and extinction curse? Abomination Vaults didnt so I wanted to ask

Roll20 is prioritizing making as many RPGs available as possible, going broad, not deep with adventures. They make their own decisions about what products the make available. I have no indication that they are working on this one at this time. If that changes we will promote it.

ah thats a shame, oh well, thank you for letting us know :)

Anyone already has it in its order history? Or am I missing something?

Cool! It looks like the AP page is up. And some new (?) art for book three!
Blog links at the bottom are a nice touch too. :)

Links to the products do not seem to be working yet.

Anyone already has it in its order history? Or am I missing something?

April's products are delayed.

Anyone else notice that the physical copy of the book says it is unavailable?

Anyone else notice that the physical copy of the book says it is unavailable?

It's because it is unavailable. The physical product is delayed.