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I need to quote this every time I see a rules question here that has nothing to do with PFS. I, too, have grown tired of people misdirecting their questions.
I understand, but look at it in a positive light. At least it is drumming interest in PFS, even if they dont know which forum to ask the question. You dont want to accidentally drive away new people by making them feel dumb. Yeah, it can be a little repetitive. Kind of like working the McDonalds drive through window and asking every customer "Do you want fries with that?"
Have to be patient with the little ones Deussu. How else are they going to learn?
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Some GM/reporting Q's...
1) Say somebody uses one of the official 1st-level pregens. What happens afterward? Must they continue to run that pregen as-is (same name, etc.), or can they modify it, or do they get 1-XP-credit to be applied to a personal character they create later? Or are the pregens only good for 4 hours of fun and no official credit?
2) There are official 4th-level pregens. Can someone jump into a game with one of these and then just keep playing the pregen in future games, basically starting Society play at 4th level? [Then the above q's would apply about modifying the pregen.]
3) As a GM, I know I only get the 1XP/1Prestige/1/2gold for running a scenario once, but do I only get that if I'm "eating" the scenario (i.e., running before playing so that I will never be able to play it)? Or do I get that for any scenario the first time I run it? If the first is correct (eating only), is there any incentive or reward for me to GM a game, other than the joy of pre-game prep and 4 hours of fun? [I'm not being totally sarcastic about the "4 hours of fun," but playing is fun too, and a lot less work, and I advance in the Society when I play, but maybe not when I GM.]
4) I think this may have been answered before, but given the 4-person minimum rule (man, I'd like to see that dropped to 3), can someone who has previously played a scenario play it again with a pregen or a throw-away character (and receive no credit), just to fill the table? Would that be legal, if that were the only way for the game to meet the 4-person rule.
5) Legal games are 4-8 people at a table, right? And I can't modify the number of monsters in an encounter or anything to compensate for double the number of adventurers, right? So big parties just have an easier time? Seems weird.
6) What is the assumption behind the max gold? Total value of all treasure ÷ 6? So parties smaller than 6 are getting short changed, and parties larger than 6 get extra gold?
7) Should I be subtracting the value of items consumed from the max gold? Potions, scrolls, wands with 5 charges...
No rush, just thoughts that occurred to me while GMing last night. Thanks.
RPG Superstar 2010 Top 16
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Hi, Mosaic. I can't give you official answers, but I can give you my understanding of Pathfinder Society policy.
1) Say somebody uses one of the official 1st-level pregens. What happens afterward? Must they continue to run that pregen as-is (same name, etc.), or can they modify it, or do they get 1-XP-credit to be applied to a personal character they create later? Or are the pregens only good for 4 hours of fun and no official credit?
A 1st-Level pre-generated iconic is an option for people who step into a low-level PFS game and need a character to play. They don't have factions, they don't have traits, and they're not intended to be the starting PC for a player's PFS career.
You could take an iconic, change the name, give it a faction, select traits, and claim it as a 1st-Level PFS character with 0 XP, but that's not their intended use. If a player has time to do all that, then it might be better for her to sketch out her own novice pathfinder.
2) There are official 4th-level pregens. Can someone jump into a game with one of these and then just keep playing the pregen in future games, basically starting Society play at 4th level? [Then the above q's would apply about modifying the pregen.]
Nope. Again, the iconics are intended as options for people who come to a PFS table with no character, but with a willingness to play.
3) As a GM, I know I only get the 1XP/1Prestige/1/2gold for running a scenario once, but do I only get that if I'm "eating" the scenario (i.e., running before playing so that I will never be able to play it)? Or do I get that for any scenario the first time I run it?
As the rules stand now, only for eating the scenario.
4) I think this may have been answered before, but given the 4-person minimum rule, can someone who has previously played a scenario play it again with a pregen or a throw-away character, just to fill the table? Would that be legal, if that were the only way for the game to meet the 4-person rule.
This was a hot debate topic a few weeks ago. As I understand the resolution, they could do this, and they'd be treated as a GM. (Given partial credit if they eat the scenario before playing it, otherwise, no credit.) But I could have misunderstood.
5) Legal games are 4-8 people at a table, right? And I can't modify the number of monsters in an encounter or anything to compensate for double the number of adventurers, right? So big parties just have an easier time? Seems weird.
6 is the soft ceiling, 7 is the hard ceiling. A table of 8 players should split into two tables of 4.
Larger tables are considered +1 Average Party Level, so while a team of, say, four 3rd-Level PCs could play a Tier 1-5 game as either the lower sub-tier or the higher sub-tier, a table of six 3rd-Level PCs would be considered APL 4, so would need to play the higher sub-tier.
In any case, if you're running a scenario for official PFS experience and credit, don't change the mechanics of the encounters, either the opponents' statistics or their tactics.
6) What is the assumption behind the max gold? Total value of all treasure ÷ 6? So parties smaller than 6 are getting short changed, and parties larger than 6 get extra gold?
Something like that. It's not particularly realistic, but if the equation were (max. treasure) / (no. of PCs), then some players would exert pressure to play in smaller, more lucrative groups. And (max. treasure) / (no. of surviving PCs) is even more realistic, and messier.
7) Should I be subtracting the value of items consumed from the max gold? Potions, scrolls, wands with 5 charges...
Yes. But that doesn't change the list of special items available for purchase after the adventure is over.
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Thanks Chris.
EDIT - One thing though (not that you're the official spokes person), 8 players DOES NOT split to two tables of 4 because you don't have a second GM. If you ask one of the 4 players at the 2nd table to be GM, you've just dipped below minimum table size; you'd be 1 GM and 3 players. You need a total of 10 participants to get 2 legal tables. That might happen at medium and large cons, but that's a pretty tall order for game shops, hobby days and small cons, especially when Pathfinder Society is still gaining momentum. Another reason why I think the minimum table size ought to be 3 - you'd only need 8 participants to run 2 tables.
This was a hot debate topic a few weeks ago. As I understand the resolution, they could do this, and they'd be treated as a GM. (Given partial credit if they eat the scenario before playing it, otherwise, no credit.) But I could have misunderstood.
Pathfinder Society does not have any rules for replay. If you absolutely need to make a table of 4 (because you have 3 who have not played the scenario and 1 who has) you can currently use an appropriately-leveled iconic for the 1 who played it before so long as they don't spoil the scenario for the others. We've been talking about possible ways to allow replay, but have not made any decisions.
Thanks Chris.
EDIT - One thing though (not that you're the official spokes person), 8 players DOES NOT split to two tables of 4 because you don't have a second GM. If you ask one of the 4 players at the 2nd table to be GM, you've just dipped below minimum table size; you'd be 1 GM and 3 players. You need a total of 10 participants to get 2 legal tables. That might happen at medium and large cons, but that's a pretty tall order for game shops, hobby days and small cons, especially when Pathfinder Society is still gaining momentum. Another reason why I think the minimum table size ought to be 3 - you'd only need 8 participants to run 2 tables.
I can't design for 3 players and design for 8 players. PRPG (and its predecessor) assumes in every way a party of 4-to-5 PCs. Once you get above that number, the assumptions break down rapidly and once you go below that number you get TPKs quite rapidly. I have to set a ceiling and a floor somewhere and that floor is 4 and the hard ceiling is 7.
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I can't design for 3 players and design for 8 players. PRPG (and its predecessor) assumes in every way a party of 4-to-5 PCs. Once you get above that number, the assumptions break down rapidly and once you go below that number you get TPKs quite rapidly. I have to set a ceiling and a floor somewhere and that floor is 4 and the hard ceiling is 7.
Just speaking for myself, I wouldn't expect someone to design for 3 or design for 7. As you said, scenarios are designed for 4-5, maybe 6. Playing 3 would be if-you-must only, and at-your-own-risk.
I just know, as someone who helps organize small meet-ups, it's sometimes really hard to get 4 people. We have people who drive an hour or so to come to our games, and I dread the day when they get there and we can't fill a table. What then? Sure, we can play for pure fun, but folks came expecting to play a Society game. They will want to play, and there will be a fair amount of pressure to "fudge" things - run a GM PC, allow a player to play 2 PCs, whatever, and attribute it to a ghost player. We've never gotten in that situation yet - and I suppose this is where I say I'd never falsify my log-in sheet - but we have on two occasions grabbed teenage kids who were in the hall, given them pregens, and made them play, just so we could hit 4. Once it went fine, and once the kid goofed around the whole time and lessened the experience for everyone else.
But I do get your point - you've got to set limits somewhere. I get it and respect that. I'm just kind of venting/thinking out loud.
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6) What is the assumption behind the max gold? Total value of all treasure ÷ 6? So parties smaller than 6 are getting short changed, and parties larger than 6 get extra gold?
Treasure's value is divided by 12, then rounded to the closest integer. I even dared to check this and I was right about it.
Why 12, you ask? First you sell all the loot, which by normal rules lets you receive half of the listed market price (thus divide by 2). After that divide the wealth by the maximum legal number of players possible in a table (6). Thus 12.
RPG Superstar 2008 Top 32, 2011 Top 16
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6) What is the assumption behind the max gold? Total value of all treasure ÷ 6? So parties smaller than 6 are getting short changed, and parties larger than 6 get extra gold?Treasure's value is divided by 12, then rounded to the closest integer. I even dared to check this and I was right about it.
Why 12, you ask? First you sell all the loot, which by normal rules lets you receive half of the listed market price (thus divide by 2). After that divide the wealth by the maximum legal number of players possible in a table (6). Thus 12.
You shouldn't divide the coins by 12, only by 6, since you don't have to sell them.
The calculation is a tad bit more complex than that, but you've got the gist of it.
As for *why* we do treasure this way, it's twofold:
1. Speeds up play.
2. Keeps everyone at the same rate of gear acquisition regardless of group size.
That's a question for the PRPG forums. Ask there and I'll point Jason at it.
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Owner - D20 Hobbies
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The calculation is a tad bit more complex than that, but you've got the gist of it.
Curious if I am doing this correctly, but I use the total awarded in the module and the tier "maximum" gold to limit this value. There are a number of modules (especially the Season 0 ones) that the total possible award is either above or below the maximum per tier. What do I do?
1) Give them the max if they found all loot drops even if the total loot is < Max or > Max?
2) Give them only the amount total even thou they got every little bit of gold and it is less than the Max?
3) Give them the Max if the loot they did get (total of "each player gets X gp") is greater than Max?
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The calculation is a tad bit more complex than that, but you've got the gist of it.Curious if I am doing this correctly, but I use the total awarded in the module and the tier "maximum" gold to limit this value. There are a number of modules (especially the Season 0 ones) that the total possible award is either above or below the maximum per tier. What do I do?
1) Give them the max if they found all loot drops even if the total loot is < Max or > Max?
2) Give them only the amount total even thou they got every little bit of gold and it is less than the Max?
3) Give them the Max if the loot they did get (total of "each player gets X gp") is greater than Max?
Never hand out more than the max on the chronicle sheet. If they find all the "loot drops" as you put it, but the total is less than the maximum value on the chronicle sheet, give them the value on the chronicle sheet.
There were some inconsistencies in the first handful of scenarios as we sorted out the reward system, but those shouldn't crop up anymore. Can you email me which scenarios you're seeing major discrepancies between the reward sections at the end of each encounter and the max gold value on the chronicle sheet? josh@paizo.com
Ooze Companion feat-This is listed as one of the allowable feats but after reading the Bestiary I still am confused on how it would work with Pathfinder Society....
That feat is D-E-D dead. I'll remove it from the Guide in a future update. The only way it would work is for us to stat up a bunch of oozes as possible animal companions and that's a great deal more work than its worth. So, not allowed!
That feat is D-E-D dead. I'll remove it from the Guide in a future update. The only way it would work is for us to stat up a bunch of oozes as possible animal companions and that's a great deal more work than its worth. So, not allowed!
**CRIES**
Do you have to belong to a faction or can you choose not to have one for PFS? Also if you do not have a faction can you use other traits that are available for download while also selecting two traits, that are on the paizo website which is available for download? I do apoligize if this has already been answered.
You must choose a faction.
Do you have to belong to a faction or can you choose not to have one for PFS? Also if you do not have a faction can you use other traits that are available for download while also selecting two traits, that are on the paizo website which is available for download? I do apoligize if this has already been answered.
You can choose any two traits you want as long as they are not from the same category.
You can choose any two traits you want as long as they are not from the same category.
...and you can't choose a faction trait from a faction you don't currently belong to.
Director of Brand Strategy
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1. He is lvl2. Does he have a total of 1k gold, or does he have his 150 starting gold + his 1k gold for being lvl2 to a total of 1150 gp?
He should have 1000 gp total at time of conversion. The 150 starting gold is calculated into that number.
2. Is the bonus PA to the character's total or each adventure's total? He has played 3 lvl1-2 adventures and received 1 PA each. Does have a total of 6 PA now (1+1) x 3 or 4 PA (1x3) +1?
His PA should be 4. This takes into account the increased number of available PA in season 1 scenarios, but also that not everyone is going to get both every session.
Is the item you craft from arcane bond limited in value by your prestige points or can you just craft up to whatever amount of gold that you have?
Is the item you craft from arcane bond limited in value by your prestige points or can you just craft up to whatever amount of gold that you have?
I'll answer with a clarification:
You don't "craft" the item from arcane bond. You select an arcane bonded item (let's say "sword") and that sword is now your arcane bond. Later, if your level meets the requirements for the Craft Magic Arms and Armor item creation feat, then you--as a wizard with an arcane bond--can instill any ability into that sword that someone with that item creation feat could (though you don't actually have that feat). So if you want to make that sword a +1 sword, you can do so, but still have to pay the associated costs of adding +1 to a sword.
As to the rest of your question, keeping the above in mind, the amount of money you can spend on your arcane bonded item is indeed limited by your current maximum prestige award as detailed on table 11.2 in the Guide book.
Yup. Both +1 armor and mithril are always available.
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Dear Events Manager,
According to two others,yoda8myhead,and Tilquinith about the Pathfinder Society Campaign, you can't upgrade a Mithril Chain Shirt from +1 to +2 just from finding a Mithril Chain Shirt +2 or a Chain shirt +2 in a Chronicle if I had the Mithril Chain Shirt +1 to start out with. The only way is to upgrade a Mithril Chain Shirt from +1 to +2 is from cashing in Prestige Awards. Is this true? The Campaign Guide sort of leaves this open.
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Dear Events Manager,
According to two others,yoda8myhead,and Tilquinith about the Pathfinder Society Campaign, you can't upgrade a Mithril Chain Shirt from +1 to +2 just from finding a Mithril Chain Shirt +2 or a Chain shirt +2 in a Chronicle if I had the Mithril Chain Shirt +1 to start out with. The only way is to upgrade a Mithril Chain Shirt from +1 to +2 is from cashing in Prestige Awards. Is this true? The Campaign Guide sort of leaves this open.
You don't cash in prestige awards to buy magic items *Though there is an option to cash in prestige awards for money to get an cheap item*
Your prestige just tells you how much you can spend on one item. the more prestige you have the more you can spend on one item. There is a chart in Chapter 11 of the Guide that shows how much you can spend on one item compared to how much PA you have, but when you spend the money you are not losing any PA.
Also when you upgrade from a+1 Mthral Chain Shirt to a +2 Mithral CHain shirt you only spend the difference between the 2, you don't have to spend the full amount for the +2 if you already have a +1, but note that you can't upgrade SPecial Material of the item, in other words you can't upgrade a +1 Chain Shirt to a +2 Mithral CHain shirt only to a +2 Chain Shirt. With an upgrade you can't change what the item is made of.
I do have a question for Josh on this though...
When we figure out how much PA we need for an item and we are just upgrading an older item, is the PA needed based on the full price or only how much we are spending on the upgrade? I suspect the Full price.
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I do have a question for Josh on this though...
When we figure out how much PA we need for an item and we are just upgrading an older item, is the PA needed based on the full price or only how much we are spending on the upgrade? I suspect the Full price.
I believe Josh has posted, recently, that you need the PA level to afford the whole thing, not just the change in price.
Otherwise, you can get yourself a +2 armor or shield fairly quickly, since the price difference is only 2000, rather than the 3000+ for the full item.
1. You need the proper PA level for the FINAL price of the item (not the upgrade price) in order to purchase that item.
2. If you find a +2 mithril chain shirt on a chronicle sheet, the chronicle sheet gives you the option to buy that item, it does not give you the option to upgrade to that item.
Alright...first, the spend 2 prestige award (off the left side of the /) for an up to 750GP purchase, once per session rule:
1: Does this still require you to have normal access to that item?
It requires you to have normal access to the item, yes.
2: If yes to 1, can you spend 2 prestige at the end of a scenario that grants a 750GP item as accessible (Assuming you haven't used that option earlier in the scenario), or do you have to wait to your next table/opportunity to do so?
You can do so at the end of the scenario.
Loot/reward rules:
3: The party finds 5 cure light wounds potions, and uses 2 of them during the adventure. Am I supposed to take away 50/12=4.16gp from the total reward to indicate those were used instead of sold?
No. The total reward assumes that everything found is then sold and the PCs divided the loot equally. It's not 100% realistic, but it works better in an org play environment than the alternatives.
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1. You need the proper PA level for the FINAL price of the item (not the upgrade price) in order to purchase that item.
2. If you find a +2 mithril chain shirt on a chronicle sheet, the chronicle sheet gives you the option to buy that item, it does not give you the option to upgrade to that item.
Thank you Joshua and Dragnmoon for your help.
You are not limited by quantity unless the item specifically says that you are on the sheet.
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1. You need the proper PA level for the FINAL price of the item (not the upgrade price) in order to purchase that item.
2. If you find a +2 mithril chain shirt on a chronicle sheet, the chronicle sheet gives you the option to buy that item, it does not give you the option to upgrade to that item.
How does one get access to upgrade to that item?
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Director of Brand Strategy
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How does one get access to upgrade to that item?1. You need the proper PA level for the FINAL price of the item (not the upgrade price) in order to purchase that item.
2. If you find a +2 mithril chain shirt on a chronicle sheet, the chronicle sheet gives you the option to buy that item, it does not give you the option to upgrade to that item.
Same way you get access to anything. Earn enough Prestige to buy something that costs that much.
The answer to #1 is: no, you cannot buy items from or sell items to another player. I shall point this out in 2.1.
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Alright I asked this to a local player but I want to get an answer in text straight from the source so to say.
Now my question pertains to Bracers of Armor having an armor property. Now lets say my sorcerer wants to get some crits off him so he wants his Bracers to grant the Light Fortification property, but I am confused on how such an item would be priced. Would it be the price of the +1 Bracers of Armor plus the price of the Light Fortification property as if its being placed on real armor or is it just the price of +2 Bracers of armor since the property is +1 and the Bracers already have a +1 on them?
If this question has already been answered I apologize, because I have searched around and haven't found my answer yet.
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I completely understand the need of Prestige Award and the upgrade, I just didn't know how to price it.
Now here is a PFS specific question, are the animal companions presented in the Bestiary open to use or will we have to wait til the next update to the PFS rules to see what is and what isn't allowed in the way of animal companions and feats from that book?