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This is a spoiler-filled resource thread for the second volume of the Fists of the Ruby Phoenix Adventure Path, Ready? Fight! by David N. Ross.
The GM Reference thread for the first volume, Despair on Danger Island, is here.
The GM Reference thread for the third and final volume, King of the Mountain, is here.
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Just a heads up to GMs planning on running this whole AP, and this book specifically. Mark Seifter has made it pretty clear that the 6th Pillar Archetype from this book is going to be getting Errata'd very quickly, specifically in that it will not be allowing casters to gain expert proficiency with unarmed attacks at level 8 and master proficiency with unarmed attacks at level 16. SO if you have players excited about unlocking this archetype for one of those reasons you will either want to talk to them about their expectations.
Just a heads up to GMs planning on running this whole AP, and this book specifically. Mark Seifter has made it pretty clear that the 6th Pillar Archetype from this book is going to be getting Errata'd very quickly, specifically in that it will not be allowing casters to gain expert proficiency with unarmed attacks at level 8 and master proficiency with unarmed attacks at level 16. SO if you have players excited about unlocking this archetype for one of those reasons you will either want to talk to them about their expectations.That was quick! I just noticed it this morning. Was about to say, "so, heeeey, how about that Cloistered Cleric Master Unarmed combo?"
:-)
That is why I thought to post that information here, to hopefully prevent too many upset players.
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Mark Seifter has made it pretty clear that the 6th Pillar Archetype from this book is going to be getting Errata'd very quickly, specifically in that it will not be allowing casters to gain expert proficiency with unarmed attacks at level 8 and master proficiency with unarmed attacks at level 16.
Nerf Hammer incoming.
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So something I'm really confused about on further reading: What teams did in the first book that determined their Seed for the bettings? Why does Winter's roar have the lowest one? (I can see why players would have highest one if they did everything perfectly though, but if they didn't, what exactly does determine it?)
I'm genuinely super curious on how Winter's Roar managed to place lower on betting pools than the actual underdogs of the tournament :'D
(I'm currently under impression that their low seed is due to the "drake incident" but text does say pre-qualifier is what determined the seeds so that is why I'm bit confused :D)
So something I'm really confused about on further reading: What teams did in the first book that determined their Seed for the bettings? Why does Winter's roar have the lowest one? (I can see why players would have highest one if they did everything perfectly though, but if they didn't, what exactly does determine it?)
I'm genuinely super curious on how Winter's Roar managed to place lower on betting pools than the actual underdogs of the tournament :'D
(I'm currently under impression that their low seed is due to the "drake incident" but text does say pre-qualifier is what determined the seeds so that is why I'm bit confused :D)
I was also curious about this. I was thinking of having the 8 teams be sorted randomly to avoid the top-seed thing. It's entirely possible that my PCs won't be the top seed, although if they are I might play it up.
I was also curious about this. I was thinking of having the 8 teams be sorted randomly to avoid the top-seed thing. It's entirely possible that my PCs won't be the top seed, although if they are I might play it up.So something I'm really confused about on further reading: What teams did in the first book that determined their Seed for the bettings? Why does Winter's roar have the lowest one? (I can see why players would have highest one if they did everything perfectly though, but if they didn't, what exactly does determine it?)
I'm genuinely super curious on how Winter's Roar managed to place lower on betting pools than the actual underdogs of the tournament :'D
(I'm currently under impression that their low seed is due to the "drake incident" but text does say pre-qualifier is what determined the seeds so that is why I'm bit confused :D)
I don't see much reason for the Seeds being how they are except to ensure that a certain set of outcomes happen (i.e., saving the Lightkeepers for the final match(es), and making it likely that they'll face off against Tino's Toughest).
Because they might face the Lightkeepers before the final match anyway the way it's set up, I'm thinking of rearranging the seeds to meet the needs of the campaign. (For example, which matches they'll particularly look forward to. And position the Lightkeepers so that it's likely they don't face-off against the PCs until the end.) If they take the #1 seed, I'll want it feel earned. Perhaps when the PCs arrive at the Mountain with 10 silver feathers at the end Book One, the order in which they arrive will determine their seed number.
I might've just missed it when I've gone looking, but is there anything written on the maximum level of items players can purchase in Goka?
There doesn't seem to be a settlement statblock for Goka but it's probably reasonable to treat it like Absalom, that is, you can buy anything up to 20.
I think in book 1 it mentions items up to level 16.
There's a few weird things about Grandfather Mantis that I'd like some clarification on in case I missed something obvious.
1, he's a minion, presumably of Yarrika. The problem is that this means he technically can't use his reaction, because minion's don't get reactions.
2, he has a weakness to positive damage, doesn't have the undead trait and doesn't have negative healing.
I'm guessing the author's intent is that he does get to use his reaction once per round, and either has negative healing or is harmed by both positive and negative damage?
There is a listed reward for every victory except the final losers bracket. Intentional or a typo?
Is there a good way to include Moku in the final chapter?
I've checked in Jade Empires Adventure path of 1e, some guides and gazateer, as well as wikis and it lists Hao Jin as a CR 29 creature for pathfinder 1e. Doesn't this mean she way more powerful than Syndara? I've looked at certain items such as the otherwordly kimono that cast maze that are exactly her style of fighting and spell casting as well as many of the cultural things avilabile to do in Goka. There is even got the noodle house from the first adventure path in 1e.
Am I missing anything I could bring into Goka to make the 2 weeks of downtime they'll have before the tournament to make things seem more peaceful before the attacks and intrigue start?
Also when Hao Jin stops in the ports before the city is she advertising or just directly avoiding the bank of Abadar and Cleric/Arch Banker? I'm not seeing a lot of development of her character and she doesn't even seem to want to talk to the contestants or even her own people. She hasn't mentioned her parents, even in the Ruby Palace that was once theirs and obviously will be shrinking it down again to take with her.
How have people been portraying her when she returns to the city after so long? Commenting on the rebellion as well as Aroden's death are the first priority I'll be doing since she's been away for 3 centuries. It also mentions this is the 32nd competition, so she's at least proceeded over 1 before her exile into axis. What differences will she notice about the city? It mentions nothing about how she and the Empress get along, but her family history is very tragic and with her being a powerful woman as well it would give them some common ground to talk and yet they don't seem to have anything here to support that.
I do like the amount of call backs to the previous competition with Gomwai and the Golden League, is anyone planning on giving him his redemption arc? I'd like to work it in and have the PCs interact with him a bit as all the chaos starts.
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as well as wikis and it lists Hao Jin as a CR 29 creature for pathfinder 1e.
Ah, ye are making the common mistake. Hao Jin is wizard 20/archmage tier 9. Aka CR 24 or 25 about.
See, mythic ranks and mythic tiers don't count as full level. Every two mythic ranks increases cr by one.
So MR 1-2 (+1 CR), 3-4(+2 CR), 5-6 (+3 CR) and so on.
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as well as wikis and it lists Hao Jin as a CR 29 creature for pathfinder 1e.Ah, ye are making the common mistake. Hao Jin is wizard 20/archmage tier 9. Aka CR 24 or 25 about.
See, mythic ranks and mythic tiers don't count as full level. Every two mythic ranks increases cr by one.
So MR 1-2 (+1 CR), 3-4(+2 CR), 5-6 (+3 CR) and so on.
Ah thank you, so she is about equal with him. That makes things more feasible to explain to the group when the time comes.
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A little. Book II Ready? Fight! has the final 8 teams placements (page 31). Page 32 has a section on betting on matches including bookies and netting odds.
I just chalk that up to a typical adventure path where the only people that can really get any results are the PCs. Keep in mind that the PCs are far more powerful than any standard NPC (guard or not) that would be wandering the streets. I certainly wouldn't run up and fight a dragon.
What was the reasoning behind locking down the teams? For their safety?
Chaos magnets?
I've run into a snag while prepping the race segment of the adventure, having duplicates of locations, geography and the map open in tabs with my pdf helped but I ended up with this as the race's path.
https://i.imgur.com/tM1xBWO.png
I don't see how Hao Jin's logic in this one. That last swerve around, or that first detour upwards from Icefang to the check points is just weird. They could have strafed around the massive harbor like the module dictated, unless I've made a mistake somewhere.
I think it is supposed to be more of a figure-8 course. The path should go a little further West over the Isle of Endless Fortune, and be traveling West when they get to Shelyn's Comb, then North over the Dragon Tail Archipelago before swinging East to finish between the statues.
Two awkward moments from the run:
The Challenge of Falling Stars needs careful handling. I made the mistake of starting both of the teams on the ground in which case there is no reason for them to engage with anything above them, since all the most effective attacks are melee, and the wrap-around nature of the tower can be used to score easy flanks. It may need to be changed to some form of object collecting race as with the maze challenge as otherwise most of the arena isn't going to be used.
Even more so, the only way up from the ground is either a ladder from a 5-foot high platform, or a 10-foot platform that can only be reached from the ground with flight or Cloud Jump (since otherwise the vertical limit on a high jump is 8 feet, and Grab an Edge lets you grab a platform you're falling past, not one you never quite got to). Neither of the PCs potential opponents here, Tino's Toughest or the Lightkeepers, have any flight (Shino Hakusa has one potion and Yabin the Just could Reverse Gravity, but that's it) whereas the PCs may well have flight by this time and can just ignore the platforms.
For potions on enemy teams, remember they have sponsors too and they have items as well as cash to burn. So you can justify having potions and items on them that they are not granted by APL, since the tournament is special.
I have personal thoughts on what to do here that involve challenging the PCs, but not dragging it out since it is an exhibition fight.
The section on chasing down Razu does not state how many points Razu needs to obtain to reach the Opera House.
Normally this would be worked out from the obstacles, but several of the obstacles aren't neutral parts of the terrain. For example, Razu would not need to gain chase points to overcome Razu creating confusing echoes around a building.
Razu doesn't need to obtain chase points. NPCs advance automatically.
Typically, to reduce variance, the PCs roll checks to progress while their opponents proceed at a steady pace.
Phewwwwp. Have just finished playing through the Razu chase sequences and really it shows how very inadequate the chase rules are.
You did a pretty good job rolling with the punches, but you have a few misconceptions that I can hopefully clear up for you and anyone else running chases.
The PCs on their chariot identified Razu, and he immediately jumped from the top of the Pathfinder Lodge and dodged to create acoustics. I gave him an initial lead of 4 chase points, since as written if the PCs roll well in the first round they can catch him instantly. And they did roll well and got hot onto his trail as he started to fly toward Mogaru’s path.
So, Razu acts first and starts at the Falling Rubble obstacle. He does not automatically advance, and instead gains 1d4 Chase points a round. He needs the same number of points to advance as the PCs, so on a 2 or better he would advance to Whipping Cables before the PCs get to act. Did you increase the number of Chase points required for PCs to advance because you had a large party?
The PC bard casts a mass Haste including the drakes on the chariot. Per the chase RAW, this makes no difference. This seems daft. I decide to give them a bonus to their chase rolls.
This is a good way to handle haste. It means the bard can't contribute a success on their first turn, but helps the party overall.
“I shoot him,” says our Gunslinger. Oh. For whatever silly reason, the chase rules have no integration with actual distance! When there’s spells with 500’ range and attacks with 150’ range increment, that’s a pretty big omission. The Gunslinger hits Razu’s AC so I decide to hold off on the HP damage and instead announce that Razu’s wing has been damaged, and figure he’ll roll lower dice for the chase. He also releases the Melodic Squalls (of which there were 3 because there are 6 PCs in the party)
The distance between obstacles depends a lot on what kind of chase it is. But, generally creatures at different obstacles are out of sight of each other as they weave between obstacles. It would have been fair to say Razu ducked under the bridge and out of sight. Slowing him down was also a good way to handle that, though.
Immediate problem again. Releasing the Melodic Squalls make this a combat encounter, so initiative is rolled. Because initiative has been rolled, the Gunslinger can shoot again with Hair Trigger. There is no rule about who he must shoot at, so instead of shooting the Squalls, he decides to shoot Razu again and crits, so I figure that Razu is now spiralling out of the air.
Note: Chases are encounters, so you should have already been in initiative.
Immediately there are a ton of questions about how many feet up we are in order to determine how much falling damage Razu might take when he lands, which isn’t specified anywhere.
Probably easier to have Razu Arrest his Fall and take no damage.
So we now need to know how far Razu is away, how fast the chariot moves, and how high up the chase is happening, none of which are specified by the chase rules or the adventure. This is complicated by one of the players announcing that they want to steer the chariot to intercept Razu’s fall. Razu will fall 500’ this round, but we don’t know how high up he is, so I just allow a PC to spend the round steering the chariot to make an Acrobatics check to catch Razu. This is also predicated by the Gunslinger player’s sylph PC jumping off the chariot to fly up to Razu themselves (with the extra movement from Haste) in an attempt to catch him in the air, which he successfully does with a Grapple check. I could not find any reference to whether or not the Melodic Squalls can block the movement of the chariot or how much damage they might take/inflict if the PCs just decided to ram them.
So, next round. The chariots move closer, pass below the Gunslinger and Razu where they fly, and Razu squirms free of the Gunslinger’s grip and lands on the lower chariot, being immediately surrounded by PCs with flickmaces and beaten to death in a round.
This should be handled by the chase rules. If the players want to get to where Razu is, they have to overcome the obstacles.
Now, on the one hand this worked pretty well at the table, on the other hand PF2e is meant to be a rules crunchy game. If I wanted to have to make that many guesses about how things work I’d play an OSR game. The chase rules really need a revamp and assertions in the adventure like “we don’t consider attacking vehicles” are just not acceptable, especially when the existence of the crunch in other contexts leads to a lot of table slowdown such as a lengthy discussion as to whether or not there are railings around the deck of the chariot and what might happen when a Melodic Squall landed off-centre on the deck and hit the railing.
You could have avoided most of the issues by 1. being in initiative for the encounter; and 2. doing Hit Point damage until Razu was out of sight.
This should be handled by the chase rules. If the players want to get to where Razu is, they have to overcome the obstacles.This assumes that Razu is continuing to flee through the obstacles. He is not, he is falling out of the sky. The falling rules are very vague on what you can or can't do while falling, but presumably because of the Arrest A Fall action you pointed out, he can't just take a Fly action to move upwards and not be falling any more.
Either way, the players could only close with him by overcoming obstacles.
But, I would not have Razu start falling in the first place.
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Truthfully, that isn't how I'm going to run the chase mechanics at all.
I wouldn't let the players take ranged shots as it's a chase. If they ask (which they won't as they have zero ranged support) I would just say that things are moving too fast/too bumpy/too far away/too much zig zagging for anyone to get a clear shot.
You've already done the chase though so it's a little too late for that.
I guess if they catch up to Razu then you (being more of a general anyone) could always say you can just start the last encounter and go into it. I mean, the PCs ARE supposed to win.
Personally I enjoy the chase mechanics. I've run them a couple times and they are fun to chase things up. But when I'm using the chase mechanics I'm using just the chase mechanics. They have to pass the checks for the tasks. I definitely allow for some creative thinking but it would be more like the gunslinger tries to shoot something out of the way to clear a path and then have them make an attack roll. That's more honoring the chase mechanics and letting the gunslinger have some pew pew fun.
Regarding Razu not falling - if I'd just applied HP damage, he would have been killed before the end of the chase and the scene would have broken. It would obviously be idiotic for Razu to continue flying away when he realized that the gunslinger PC could repeatedly shoot him in the ass with him having no fallback.
Chases are a little abstract. They don't have to be literally on the same path. Perhaps they are tracking parallel to each other.
After the first shot, Razu should be taking a path that breaks line of sight to avoid the gunfire.
The PCs can still follow him. Just because you can't see him doesn't mean the chase is over, else a foot chase would end as soon as someone ducked down an alley.
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Yeah, and then they progress in the chase and catch up to him. Please remember this is a game, chase rules are meant to be cinematic.
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Ok, but how do I explain to the players that they can see where he is going clearly enough to follow him the right way, but at the same time cannot see him clearly enough to shoot him?
If it is going to be cinematic, it should not be producing a sequence that would end up on CinemaSins :)
It's a chase so it follows the chase mechanics. There should be an understanding at the table that when you say "this will be using the Chase Mechanics" that the chase mechanics are used. No different than any other chase.
You could make the exact same case for a chase through a mountain or a city street. Your gunslinger also can't just take aim at the creature they are chasing because it's a chase.
If you want to allow the gunslinger to fire then what you could do is have them shoot at rubble or have the attack count as their action during the chase. Maybe you count it as slowing Razu down and it's a victory towards completing the chase.
Either way, I think you are 100% overthinking this situation or not having clear conversations about expectations with the players.
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If they were in combat, it would be encounter mode. :)
You can certainly allow for an attack roll to be the method by which they attempt to overcome an obstacle and narrate it as him stumbling or something. I genuinely think you just need to open your mind a little here.
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The Sixth Pillar Students on page 14 have 8th level spells as their "7th level" spells: disappearance, monstrosity form, and polar ray.
For my game, I replaced them with invisibility, elemental form, and disintegrate, all heightened to 7th level.
The Sixth Pillar Students on page 14 have 8th level spells as their "7th level" spells: disappearance, monstrosity form, and polar ray.
For my game, I replaced them with invisibility, elemental form, and disintegrate, all heightened to 7th level.
I probably should have done something like that. I'll definitely be reviewing the White Haired Witch's spells. All my players seem to pass their saves without fail so I might see if I can opt for more damage and battlefield control.
Is the apricot of bestial might supposed to be permanent, or is it just missing a duration and it should be based on a bestial mutagen?