GM 8574 |
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Was thinking about redoing one of the enemies listed. Thoughts/changes?
CR 1/2 XP 200
Human brawler 1
CN Medium humanoid (human)
Init +1; Senses Perception +3
DEFENSE
AC 14, touch 11, flat-footed 13 (+3 armor, +1 Dex)
hp 11 each (1d10+6)
Fort +4, Ref +3, Will –1
OFFENSE
Speed 30 ft.
Melee unarmed strike +4 (1d8+3)
Ranged sling +1 (1d4+3)
TACTICS
During Combat The Ropefist thugs prefer to fight with their fists—they wrap their hands in coils of rope more as an affectation than anything else, and are equally good at pummeling foes with or without this decoration. They prefer to gang up on foes if possible, and use their martial flexibility to gain the improved grapple trait, preferring to knock foes unconscious for Garmen to interrogate. A thug drinks his potion of cure light wounds if reduced to 7 or fewer hit points.
Morale A Ropefist thug who's reduced to 4 or fewer hit points attempts to flee, but if cornered, she fights to the death.
STATISTICS
Str 16, Dex 13, Con 15, Int 10, Wis 8, Cha 12
Base Atk +1; CMB +4; CMD 15
Feats Combat Expertise, Toughness
Skills Climb +7, Intimidate +5, Knowledge (local) +4, Perception +3, Sense Motive +3
Languages Common
SQ Brawler's cunning, martial flexibility, martial training, unarmed strike
Combat Gear potion of cure light wounds; Other Gear mwk studded leather, sling with 10 bullets, sunrod, 3d6 gp
Neil Spicer RPG Superstar 2009, Contributor |
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GM 8574:
As for Meyanda, if you switch her from cleric/ranger, I'd certainly advise going warpriest and probably slayer. That way, she's got a violent aspect to her both from a religious fervor and an implacable killer standpoint, dedicating most of her attacks against biological humanoids.
Other potential changes you could consider would be to make Khonnir Baine an investigator (for the alchemist/rogue mash-up qualities). Hetuath could acquire a level in the shaman class or even a hunter if you wanted to give him some kind of undead animal companion to team with. You could do the same with Sef, though she might come off better as a slayer. Or the vegepygmy chieftain, Vrilledt, could work as a shaman easier than probably anyone.
But that's just my two cents,
--Neil
MaxAstro |
Well, my PCs have had a couple more sessions and managed not to break anything. They've slowed down the breakneck pace they were moving at, which is convenient - otherwise I'd have finished book 1 before book 2 comes out, which would be annoying. :)
Since they were already betrayed by the Technic League once, I decided not to have Sanvill be a member of the league. Or rather, to have him be a double agent, actually spying on the league for one of the major governments (namely New Thassilon - long story). I also had Garmen be a spy for one of the River Kingdoms, playing nicely into the meta-politics going on in my campaign continuity (The River Kingdoms are currently the main thing keeping New Thassilon's power in check, thanks largely to a certain kingdom in the Stolen Lands...). So my PCs had a nice little choice of which spy to side with.
In the end they ran Garmen out of town, half-naked, unconscious, and tied to a mule. Sanvil is probably going to end up joining them as a cohort, but for now he is identifying tech for them for free out of the goodness of his heart because they will turn him over the the League if he doesn't. My party's halfling investigator is quite convincing and not to be trifled with....
Anyway, looks like they will finish it up next session. Looking forward to how they handle Meyanda.
GM 8574 |
GM 8574 wrote:Was thinking about redoing one of the enemies listed. Thoughts/changes?
** spoiler omitted **
I think this is a great idea and am stealing it. One question, though:
** spoiler omitted **
ewokalypse |
GM 8574 |
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GM 8574 wrote:
Ooops! ** spoiler omitted **If you want to keep the math easy, you can just make some of them
** spoiler omitted **
Oooh, nice! Looked past that one. Hmm, change up the feat combos, and these guys start become the kind of threat that makes more sense for what they do in town.
Irnk, Dead-Eye's Prodigal |
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What's a good day in the Golarion calendar to start this campaign?
As Arodus corresponds with August in the Golarion Calender and, with the exception of Reign of Winter, the assumption has been that the AP's generally begin at the same time of year as they first come out, any day in Arodus, really.
The chief festivals acknowledged on Arodus are:Arodus
6th. First Crusader Day (Mendev): Honors the continuing crusade against the Worldwound.
9th. Day of Silenced Whispers (Ustalav): Celebrates Ustalav’s freedom from the Whispering Tyrant.
16th. Armasse (Aroden, Iomedae): Day to train commoners in combat and learn from history.
Last Sunday. Silverglazer Sunday (Andoran): Two-part fishing festival involving swimming contests and huge puppets.
So, not really anything that particularly would be important in Torch.
silvermage |
silvermage wrote:Hi, I'm just wondering what miniature everyone else has picked out for Meyanda? I'm having a really hard time finding anything that looks like her ahaha.Check out this thread; there's a good one in there:
http://paizo.com/threads/rzs2qv27?Iron-Gods-FanMade-Goodies
That does look awesome! Thanks everyone :) I ended up buying a metal "Pirate Queen" mini from... Some war game? She has horns, but I'm just not going to attach them to her head, and am going to try and smooth down the side of her head. Sculpting the arm thing and transforming her sword into a gun. Wish me luck :D
Arturius Fischer |
5 people marked this as a favorite. |
So, minor question, what's up with the Inferno Pistol? Why does it exist? I mean, I know the metagame reason why, which is basically to give the BBEG a tech weapon but not have it as valuable as a Laser Pistol, but I kind of don't see the need to do so. Could have given her a damaged/broken one that confers penalties, and the BBEG generally prefers to get those Point-Blank Shots in when the item gets used.
More importantly, the issue is, "Why did the spacers make this thing?" Apparently there's only one, ever, it uses an 'ammunition type' different from 90% of the other weapons in the Tech Guide, and it just seems to have no real in-lore logic for its existence.
When I run this, I'm changing it around. The Inferno Pistol is now the "Nanowelder". "Inferno Pistol" is just the primitive name for it, and if any of them with people who know better, it may get a chuckle or two at the PC's expense.
NANOWELDER
Weight: 5 lbs. Range Increment: 15 ft. (5 max incr.)
Other stats are same as in book unless different, below.
A Nanowelder is a device made to repair damage done to metallic items and to seal together separate plates of metal and other dense substances. It is most often used by technologically advanced societies to perform speedy repairs of large vehicles and the hulls of starships and space stations. More primitive societies, however, tend to use Nanowelders as weapons.
A Nanowelder functions by internally heating and charging the nanites used as its 'ammo' and then dispensing them in a stream toward the area to be repaired. They are programmed in such a way as that, on arrival, they transfer energy to the area and form themselves into a lattice before melting and fusing together. As this process occurs, they heat and move minute amounts of the substance due to the wicking effect. The end result is a joining where the two materials are 'blended' together as one, with traces of the nanites metal in-between.
Use of a Nanowelder for this requires careful control and skill, as the pressure used on the grip determines the rate at which the nanites are discharged. If done slowly and carefully as a Full-Round action, the Nanowelder can, for a single expenditure from its Nanite Cannister, repair 1D6 points of damage to a sturdy, non-complex metallic target (a ship hull, a heavy-duty Robot exterior, a sword, etc, but not items such as a Laser Rifle or a robotic brain).
However, if the grip is squeezed tightly, a viscuous globule of heated nanites are launched from the Nanowelder, combusting so rapidly it appears to launch a small bolt of liquid flame. In this way, the Nanowelder functions as a ranged weapon that inflicts 1D6 points of Fire damage to the target. The nanites burn away quickly, leaving metallic residue on any target struck. Such residue is distinctive and easily recognized for what it is by any who have seen it beforehand. This 'method' of use is normally done to 'clean' the tool after use, as it removes any and all remnants of previous discharges from the emission port, although many an engineer or repairman lost in space has put this to use as a makeshift weapon. While often not recognized as such by the Nanowelder's manufacturers, this loophole is often left in place due to its utility in both peaceful and dangerous situations.
There. Now the thing has a use aside from 'filler' and I can put it in the inventories of various NPC's later in the adventure path (Technic League, I'm looking at you...) where it may have a use or be a nice excuse to transfer wealth to the party.
Pendagast |
Asking why the inferno pistol exists is like asking why the French Lemat was used by a few Mounted units in the civil war?
Didn't share ammo, was functionally inferior to Colt and Remington.
Why did it exist? because someone made it, not connected to or related to the other stuff, and the guys who had it, got their hands on it, and not A Colt, that and it had a cool shotgun barrel on it too!
The inferno pistol could easily have been a collectible for a bygone era that an officer aboard the divinity once had.
IT could have been found on a less technologically advanced planet divinity encountered.
It could be a weapon devised to to do damage to something lasers have no effect against? (note that invisible creatures take no damage from lasers)
Arturius Fischer |
Actually, Pendagast, your comparisons make no sense at all.
Firstly, because asking 'why something exists' is nothing at all like asking 'why a weapon was used by a few people'. If you wanted to pull up a similar comparison, find me a one-handed firearm that there was only ever one ever made and re-draw your comparison based around it, picking either 'why it exists' or 'why few people used it'.
Secondly--I can answer your question, cause I can simply look it up. Only a few used them because they had to be smuggled through blockades from Belgium and France, where the American (ex-French) designer was having them crafted. Now, can you answer mine using a quote in Iron Gods 1? Cause that'd be neat.
Thirdly, the LeMat was made for a purpose, and that's for soldiers who got unhorsed up close had the option of either striking targets at close range with the pistol rounds or targets at EXTREME close range with the shotgun round. Something no other pistol of the era could do (at least, not without separate barrels). It did NOT exist so that the DM of D20 Real Earth could place it on some random NPC to attempt to institute 'balance'. This is a distinct difference. The Inferno Pistol doesn't do anything different, it does something 'the same, but weaker'. And I'm OK with that given the rest of the awesomeness of the adventure, I just would like a bit more.
Fourthly, you giving examples is great and all--and simply putting that somewhere in the adventure path would explain that. A simple sentence or two would have been sufficient. This is why I asked in the first case, as I assume the developer will come up with something official.
And, you know, if they don't, you can always use my version, where I've given it some differentiation, some extra utility, and some history. Which reminds me... thanks Niles, I'm glad you like it!
Pendagast |
Actually, Pendagast, your comparisons make no sense at all.
Firstly, because asking 'why something exists' is nothing at all like asking 'why a weapon was used by a few people'. If you wanted to pull up a similar comparison, find me a one-handed firearm that there was only ever one ever made and re-draw your comparison based around it, picking either 'why it exists' or 'why few people used it'.
Secondly--I can answer your question, cause I can simply look it up. Only a few used them because they had to be smuggled through blockades from Belgium and France, where the American (ex-French) designer was having them crafted. Now, can you answer mine using a quote in Iron Gods 1? Cause that'd be neat.
Thirdly, the LeMat was made for a purpose, and that's for soldiers who got unhorsed up close had the option of either striking targets at close range with the pistol rounds or targets at EXTREME close range with the shotgun round. Something no other pistol of the era could do (at least, not without separate barrels). It did NOT exist so that the DM of D20 Real Earth could place it on some random NPC to attempt to institute 'balance'. This is a distinct difference. The Inferno Pistol doesn't do anything different, it does something 'the same, but weaker'. And I'm OK with that given the rest of the awesomeness of the adventure, I just would like a bit more.
Fourthly, you giving examples is great and all--and simply putting that somewhere in the adventure path would explain that. A simple sentence or two would have been sufficient. This is why I asked in the first case, as I assume the developer will come up with something official.
And, you know, if they don't, you can always use my version, where I've given it some differentiation, some extra utility, and some history. Which reminds me... thanks Niles, I'm glad you like it!
French Lemat was inferior to the other options, they got what they got because they were available, so they used them.
The adventure can only have some many pages/word count..there is no room for pontification/ecology/history of the inferno pistol.It's the first energy weapon the PCs encounter, and they know nothing of androffa, divinity, or the true origin of any of this stuff int he first place.
Why does a +2 sword exist, when you can have a +5? it's only a weaker version of the same thing, why does it exist?
Because it's cheaper and easier to make, by less skilled crafters than the +5.
your argument of why does inferno pistol exist, if laser guns do is what makes no sense.
if meyanda had found a laser pistol, should would have it… but what she found laying around was the inferno pistol, so thats what she has…it's in her write up.
moon glum RPG Superstar 2015 Top 8 |
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Solomani wrote:Nakteo wrote:I plan on using actual boardgames as an option - Three Dragon Ante for example or Seven Dragons. Colossal Arena would be perfect for a robot arena.GM 8574 wrote:What sorts of games of chance are folks using for Silverdisk Hall? I'm trying to think something up that's a little less typical than poker or Twentybone, and wanted to see what y'all had in mind. Thanks!You beat me to the punch on that one. I've been trying to figure out easy ways for the players to simulate gambling that won't bog down the game if only a couple players want to do so.
Also, how long would y'all say it should take for the smith to make a masterwork weapon (per PC) in exchange for returning the body of Whatshisface? My math using the crafting rules says a 5th level Expert (smith's level unstated) super specked for crafting would take around 5 weeks per weapon. Seems kinda unviable to me. What do you think would be acceptible?
I figured not all of the PCs would want to go gambling, so I wanted to abstract the gaming. I just had the PCs roll a Profession (gambler) check to see how they did. If I'd thought a bit more about it, I'd actually do something like this:
Each check represents an hour of gaming. You decide the stakes. If your result is under 20, you lose your stakes. If you get between 20 and 25, you end up breaking even. If you get 25 or higher, you actually double your stakes.
Here are the silverdisk hall games I used. They were roulette and slot machines, both games of pure chance with the odds deliberately tilted to the advantage of the house.
Roulette (Spinning Wheel):
Red: 1-40: 1-1
Silver: 41 – 70: 1 – 1 plus 1 silver disk if you bet at least 3 silverdisks
Black: 71 – 90: 3 – 1
Gold: 91 – 100: 5 - 1
Slot Machines (Cachinko Machine):
1 silver disk is placed in a machine.
Roll 3d6: 1=dog, 2=hammer, 3=horse, 4=cauldron, 5=gear, 6=silver coin
3x1: 1 silver disk
3x2: 2 silver disks
3x3: 3 silver disks
3x4: 4 silver disks
3x5: 10 silver disks
3x6: 100 silver disks
Arturius Fischer |
French Lemat was inferior to the other options, they got what they got because they were available, so they used them.
You are still confusing 'why did they use it' with 'why did it exist/why was it made'. Please stop doing so.
The adventure can only have some many pages/word count..there is no room for pontification/ecology/history of the inferno pistol.
One or two sentences is not too much to ask. In fact, you can trim the 'unlike the laser pistol which...' portion, which goes into details of a completely different item, and add the reasoning for this one there.
It's the first energy weapon the PCs encounter, and they know nothing of androffa, divinity, or the true origin of any of this stuff int he first place.
Irrelevant as to why it exists.
Why does a +2 sword exist, when you can have a +5? it's only a weaker version of the same thing, why does it exist?
Incorrect. A +2 sword exists because swords already exist, and so does magic, and enterprising crafters said "Let's combine the two and make something bigger than the sum of its parts!". Incidentally, is that a +2 short sword or +2 khopesh? A +2 weapon is an enhanced version of another item, so you are comparing apples to oranges. Incidentally, you COULD have a +2 Inferno Pistol. Pick a new comparison.
Because it's cheaper and easier to make, by less skilled crafters than the +5.
Either you are moving the goalposts or still not seeing the difference. A +2 sword can be enhanced into a +5 version later. You can not 'upgrade' an Inferno Pistol into a Laser Pistol. Why do they each exist? The latter because it's a standard weapon of that society. Cool. The former... so an NPC can have a 'taste' of the new stuff but not unbalance the party. That's cool, everyone knows that, nobody is arguing against it--BUT--I'd like an in-lore reason. I don't need or expect it, but it would be nice.
your argument of why does inferno pistol exist, if laser guns do is what makes no sense.
Actually, I explained why it makes no sense--because there is an absence of in-lore reasoning. If this were an MMO or FPS or something, sure, I don't really care about a one-off item, because that's not the point of the game. But in a P&P RPG, I like for things to make sense, and this sticks out weirdly. So... I 'corrected' that problem, as a house ruling in my own games. I'd just like to know the developer's opinion on it. For all we know, more of them may crop up in future parts of the adventure path as weapons wielded by mooks.
if meyanda had found a laser pistol, should would have it… but what she found laying around was the inferno pistol, so thats what she has…it's in her write up.
Thank you for, again, stating what I already know and have already commented on. I know why, with an in-lore reason no less, Meyanda has it. Nobody has disputed that. Why does it not exist anywhere else except there, for her to pick up, when it's clearly a mass produced, manufactured item? That's an answer I'd like. Aside from 'just cause'. If the designer wants to say 'well, just cause', then OK, that's fine, I won't heckle them about it further or think less of them or anything. You saying it, however, changes nothing.
James Jacobs Creative Director |
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Actually, given the way we format our magic items, one or two sentences IS a bit much to ask. Those little boxes we put the item stats in? They don't break well over columns, at all. That means we have to wordcount to fit not to an article, or even a page, but to a single column. Less, in some cases, if there's more than one item in a column.
For what it's worth, I envision that these items were made by a wide range of crafters and corporations with different styles, needs, and goals for their tools. There's plenty of reasons why an inferno pistol could exist. It could even NOT be a mass-produced item, but a custom build for an eccentric ancient alien.
For most games, why it was built in the first place will matter much less than the information we did put in there for it. The fact that these games have GMs capable of filling in the gaps that their party might want filled in is, in the end, one of the last great advantages that tabletop RPGs have over computer RPGs.
So don't think of it as a flaw, but an invitation to join us in creating the game for your group!
James Jacobs Creative Director |
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The only thing that really bothers me about the inferno pistol is that it uses nanite canisters, but a nanite hypogun uses silverdisks. Okay, mostly just the second half of that bothers me, but I did switch the two in my game.
Hmmm... that's an error on the nanite hypogun part. It should use canisters.
Codanous |
Speaking of miniatures, I was really bummed that many of these npcs or creatures might never see the light of day, I hope we at least see some Reaper sculpts come out of this AP since we aren't getting a set for Iron Gods like Reign of Winter or Wrath of the Rightous or Skulls and Shackles.
I mean, Meyanda is one cool looking model and from book two the Cleric of Brigh with her clockwork shield. Top notch models. And the little Pilo's, they are so cute, like little six legged stegosaurus/armadillo.
MaxAstro |
Hmmm... that's an error on the nanite hypogun part. It should use canisters.
I figured that might be an error. I assumed it was canisters at first, and then did a double-take when I noticed that the capacity was "10" instead of "1 nanite canister". Considering the price difference between batteries and canisters, it makes the hypoguns a fair bit cheaper to use than they should be, too.
James Jacobs Creative Director |
James Jacobs wrote:Hmmm... that's an error on the nanite hypogun part. It should use canisters.I figured that might be an error. I assumed it was canisters at first, and then did a double-take when I noticed that the capacity was "10" instead of "1 nanite canister". Considering the price difference between batteries and canisters, it makes the hypoguns a fair bit cheaper to use than they should be, too.
There's a LOT of copy/pasting involved with those sections of the items that aren't just text but are actual boxes surrounding text, and we do our best to make sure they all get adjusted right... but now and then, obviously, something slips through.
Irnk, Dead-Eye's Prodigal |
Are Nanite Canisters described in the Technology Guide? I don't recall reading about them, but I will have to admit I mostly skimmed it.
How prevalent are they? For that matter, how many shots/uses does the Inferno Pistol get from one full canister?
leo1925 |
Are Nanite Canisters described in the Technology Guide? I don't recall reading about them, but I will have to admit I mostly skimmed it.
How prevalent are they? For that matter, how many shots/uses does the Inferno Pistol get from one full canister?
They are very similar with batteries (10 uses, same lab, stupid 1 lb weight) it's just that they cost 500gp instead of 100gp.
silvermage |
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silvermage wrote:Hi, I'm just wondering what miniature everyone else has picked out for Meyanda? I'm having a really hard time finding anything that looks like her ahaha.Best miniature I found was this one.
Very cool! I ended up buying this for Meyanda. The horns aren't already attached and I'm going to sand the side of her head down to smoothness, and use some air-dry metallic epoxy to make her sword into a gun haha. :)
Neil Spicer RPG Superstar 2009, Contributor |
In a couple of blogs John's said that they're looking at sanctioning it.
I've seen the same thing. Plus, with this year's PFS theme being the Year of the Sky Key, it would make sense to sanction the AP for organized play. It's probably just a matter of lining up all that needs to happen beforehand.
MaxAstro |
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Well, my party's final encounter with Meyanda was ~fantastic~.
I had made a couple tweaks to the encounter - firstly, I changed Meyanda to be a warpriest. Secondly, I removed the gearsman from elsewhere in the book and made her robot ally a gearsman.
And then I decided to take a page out of Mass Effect 2's book, and give Hellion the ability to remotely "assume command" of robots under his control, giving them his augment template.
So the party has awesome roleplay with Meyanda, questioning her about her goals and life choices. The party barbarian, who thinks Meyanda is her missing friend, especially had good roleplay. Finally, Meyanda challenged the barbarian to a one-on-one duel, ordering the robot to stand down.
Barbarian loses most of her health, but gets a lucky hit towards the end and Meyanda surrenders with barely any health left. As agreed, Meyanda moves to shut down the power relay.
Cue Hellion assuming command of the gearsman and smacking Meyanda unconscious as a surprise round. So, time for the ~real~ boss battle, against an 80hp robot with two actions a turn!
The barbarian wins initiative, shouts "Stay away from my friend!", crits, confirms, and deals 92 damage for an instant win.
This is becoming a thing...
Vlad Koroboff |
leo1925 |
leo1925 wrote:Finally,something that mechanically explains proliferation of magus class among Technic League.Vlad Koroboff wrote:We have discussed that in this thread and it's true that only memory of function can repair it.I have a question.
** spoiler omitted **
Are you talking about the reforge ability?