Well, we just put our current campaign
Chronicles of Arcadian in hiatus until 2010 while I run a Rise of the Runelords campaign using the Beta rules, which will have it's own campaign journals thread (link to come).
There are six (6) players and I am running a DM NPC for seven (7) characters total, because for a change no one wanted to play a cleric and I don't think they can survive without one. Here is the line up and some notes. First session will be Sunday 2008/09/21. I will be using the 3.5 advancement progression rather than the new Pathfinder advancement charts, because they will be a level behind most of the time anyway and I don't want a TPK.
Player----------PC Name------------------------Race--------------------Class(es)/Level(s)
DM NPC------Tilman Jager--------------------Human(Shoanti)------Cleric/1 (of Desna)
Alfred----------Sharp------------------------------Human(Varisian)------Ran ger/1
Bob-------------Morpheus------------------------Human(?)---------------Wiza rd/1 (Transmuter)
Pete-------------Kinkade Razorjaw-------------Halfling------------------Bard/1 (brother of 'Mac')
Rich-------------Macavity 'Mac' Razorjaw-----Halfling------------------Rogue/1 (brother of Kinkade)
Sal---------------Conradithaes Tang------------Half-orc-----------------Monk/1 (aka Conrad the Monk; Tang the Tank)
Skip-------------Edgarth 'Edge' Deepforge-----Dwarf-------------------Fighter/1 (dual wielding dwarven waraxe)
Creation "rules":
15 Pathfinder point buy
Beta rules *only* (ie. no other sources), and we will "update" characters as changes are made
Racial hp
Max gold
No multi-classing
As Prestige classes become available for Pathfinder, then they will be allowed
Some comments:
a) Ranger - missing some feats in the feats section that are in class section for the archery path (Careful targeting)
b) Likes the combined skills (stealth, perception)
c) Likes the +2 ability for all races, especially that humans get choice
d) Some confusion on skills. They are used to 4x at first level that there was some confusion on Languages especially.
e) Wizard - He was thinking of Evoker but just *loves* the +1 Dex or Con everyday for Transmuter
f) Cleric (DM NPC) - Need to be a "cure light cleric" that had some staying power to help the upfront guys. Really like the new channeling rules and the domains. Also, can't be the party "face"
I went over the character sheets today and make a few minor corrections such as:
*forgot racial hp (makes the wizard have 13 instead of 7!)
*forgot 1hp or 1sp for favored class
too many skill points (total)
too few skill points
*put 3 skill points into 1 skill at 1st level (4x at 1st old way)
wrong saves
*wrong cmb
* starred items are particular to Pathfinder RPG
As sessions occur (2nd and 4th Sundays), I will post observations here, and Rich/Briccone will post the Rogue's Journal.
-- david
Papa.DRB
ps. On a *real* happy note, my boss said it was ok to use my work laptop for browsing and posting here, and to top that off, my new personal laptop (old one died about 10 days ago), was shipped from Dell last night and is on the way!!!!
Ok, had our first session tonight for Rise of the Runelords using the Beta rules.
Did some role playing around town. Figured out how long each PC was in town and why they were there. Then started the Goblin battles, and ended with saving Alderan Foxglove, when we quit for the night.
Couple of things, my DM NPC cleric was one of the acolytes so he was in robes and had his star knife as his only weapon. Dang good thing he had 15 hit points to start and 8 Channel Energy or he would have died several times.
Channel Positive Energy saved his backside and the Rogues, and the Monks a couple of times, as I ran the battles a bit closer together than the module called for.
One question came up. Bards, sorcerers and wizards get cantrips. Clerics get orisons.
From the Bard class description page 20: "Cantrips (Sp): A bard knows a number of cantrips. He can cast these spells at will as a spell-like ability."
From Spell-Like ability description page 169: "A spell-like ability has no verbal, somatic, or material component, nor does it require a focus. The user activates it mentally."
So *why* do zero level spells listed have Verbal, Somantic and (sometimes) Material components?
I ruled that no V,S, or M was needed for 0-level spells. Is this correct?
-- david
Papa.DRB
Ok, had our first session tonight for Rise of the Runelords using the Beta rules.
Did some role playing around town. Figured out how long each PC was in town and why they were there. Then started the Goblin battles, and ended with saving Alderan Foxglove, when we quit for the night.
Couple of things, my DM NPC cleric was one of the acolytes so he was in robes and had his star knife as his only weapon. Dang good thing he had 15 hit points to start and 8 Channel Energy or he would have died several times.
Channel Positive Energy saved his backside and the Rogues, and the Monks a couple of times, as I ran the battles a bit closer together than the module called for.
One question came up. Bards, sorcerers and wizards get cantrips. Clerics get orisons.
From the Bard class description page 20: "Cantrips (Sp): A bard knows a number of cantrips. He can cast these spells at will as a spell-like ability."
From Spell-Like ability description page 169: "A spell-like ability has no verbal, somatic, or material component, nor does it require a focus. The user activates it mentally."
So *why* do zero level spells listed have Verbal, Somantic and (sometimes) Material components?
I ruled that no V,S, or M was needed for 0-level spells. Is this correct?
-- david
Papa.DRB
There's some discussion regarding spell-like abilities. As I see it, they should reword the Cantrips ability to just say that the caster can cast these spells an unlimited number of times per day. Casting Cantrips this way follows all other normal rules for casting spells.
There's some discussion regarding spell-like abilities. As I see it, they should reword the Cantrips ability to just say that the caster can cast these spells an unlimited number of times per day. Casting Cantrips this way follows all other normal rules for casting spells.
That would work also. Either way, it needs clearing up.
-- david
Papa.DRB
Here is the link to the Rogues Journal:
2008/10/05 session - called after 4 hours because DM (ie. me) was not feeling well.
Lots of role playing around town. The two halflings (bard & rogue) went to see lots of folks. Wizard went to book store. Ranger, fighter and monk investigated the town dump and told sheriff about goblins scavenging from there.
Ran Shayliss encounter with the halfling Bard(only one with a positive charisma). Aldern encounter with Ranger.
Only question to come up last night that needs further clarification is regarding Wizard specialist schools:
Page 194: "In addition, each school grants the specialist wizard a bonus ability so long as he did not prepare any spells of his opposition schools that day."
So what happens if a wizard uses a wand that is from an opposed school? Does he lose his bonus ability for the day?
Also, is this a 24 hour loss, or is it just till the next time he 'sleeps and prepares spells'
Also, I know that I need new glasses, but where in the bloody heck are the opposed schools defined?
-- david
Papa.DRB
Left foot, right foot, breathe.
It is harder to hit a moving target.
(AK, age 90+ !!)