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Post by reefwood on Apr 11, 2014 19:55:14 GMT -5
Hmm, this is great news about the approval of the Pathfinder's Lodge, but I doubt we've seen the last of our trials in these cursed orc lands... Adventure #4 will be composed of multiple segments, roughly: - March north along Flood Road to map it & see how the orcs react to newcomers (b/c this is route the builders will use).
- Cut west across the plains of the Empty Hand.
- Continue west into the hills and mountains of Stormspear.
- Search for the old, hidden lodge.
More details to come, but the Flood Road is named such because during the rain season (spring), it floods and provides water for orcs, wildlife, and plants. It is a dry riverbed the rest of the year, and currently, it is winter.
Just spit-balling here but I'm tempted to build a Cavalier with the Leadership feat (potentially a 7th level cohort and five 1st level grunts.) Build a unit of Pathfinder 'soldiers' with teamwork feats to escort these heroes through the bad lands. I haven't seen a Cavalier in action. That could be neat!
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Post by icnivad on Apr 14, 2014 18:26:37 GMT -5
Since Rabbit is switching to a front liner, I think I'm going to take this opportunity to switch to a new character. I'm thinking warrior mage. Tactically he would probably still be a front liner but probably not as much of a tank, or a power house as Taj. Question: if I take the appropriate feats, can I craft some magic items? If so, are their rules/restrictions on that I should know about? Is the price limit per item based on the base cost, or the crafting cost?
As I'm typing this, I just overheard two people down the bar talking about the dwarven monk one of them is playing. I love Portland :-)
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Post by Rabbit on Apr 14, 2014 19:06:32 GMT -5
Since Rabbit is switching to a front liner, I think I'm going to take this opportunity to switch to a new character. I'm thinking warrior mage. Tactically he would probably still be a front liner but probably not as much of a tank, or a power house as Taj. Question: if I take the appropriate feats, can I craft some magic items? If so, are their rules/restrictions on that I should know about? Is the price limit per item based on the base cost, or the crafting cost? As I'm typing this, I just overheard two people down the bar talking about the dwarven monk one of them is playing. I love Portland :-) Yeah, I'm looking at a Fighter, maybe Rough Rider (mounted combat) or Phalanx (pike and shield) variant. Also likely to take Leadership with a Cleric Cohort. That will help with overall group healing but the cleric is going to be built primarily as a booster for my fighter. As far as story goes; as Haav'ork has been bringing in "builders, supplies, and mercenaries" to prep for the construction project this fighter is hired on. He is an official Pathfinder member but also runs a mercenary company (made up of his Cohort and Followers from his leadership feat.) They would have been natural people to contact when extra muscle was needed to escort the caravans.
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Post by reefwood on Apr 14, 2014 19:11:31 GMT -5
Since Rabbit is switching to a front liner, I think I'm going to take this opportunity to switch to a new character. I'm thinking warrior mage. Tactically he would probably still be a front liner but probably not as much of a tank, or a power house as Taj. Question: if I take the appropriate feats, can I craft some magic items? If so, are their rules/restrictions on that I should know about? Is the price limit per item based on the base cost, or the crafting cost? As I'm typing this, I just overheard two people down the bar talking about the dwarven monk one of them is playing. I love Portland :-) Oh, Portland... Good questions. Characters with magic item creation feats can make their own customized items (i.e. items not found in the books) subject to DM approval. Anything spelled out in the rules and easy to figure out (i.e. headband of Wis +3 / Cha +1) should be fine and will be priced normally. Anything too advantageous (i.e. ring of constant healing), too wonky (i.e. boots of use magic device), or very complicated to figure out (i.e. ??) will probably be ruled out. I want to keep things on the simple side in this campaign - in part because I want to devote most of my limited prep time to adventures and basic character creation. The price cap (25% of wealth) is based on the selling price of the item, not the item creation cost. What sort of classes are you thinking for a warrior mage? A monk might be neat if you can afford to put a high ability score into Wisdom.
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Post by icnivad on Apr 15, 2014 6:46:27 GMT -5
I'm thinking 1 Fighter, 5 Wizard, 4 Eldritch Knight. I needed all martial weapons for the Eldritch knight, so monk didn't really fit. He'll probably have the arcane armor training feats, too, and use mithril breastplate. Although, another option would be Monk 1, Wizard 9, and go with a more dexterous approach. This would have the benefit of using unarmed strikes, which work well with being able to also make touch attacks. Or just straight wizard, and use feats to make him more combat-y.
A few questions:
Some spells I am interested in making into items. Let me know if these are ok:
Expeditious Retreat (L1, 1m/L) (Caster Level * Spell Level * 2000 * 2 (duration)) = 1*1*2000*2 = 4000 GP (constant) Stone Fist (L1, 1m/L) 4000 GP (constant) Shield (L1, 1m/L) 4000 GP (constant) Ring or gloves of Use Magic Device (I assume the "too wonky" example was because they were boots, which doesn't make sense)
Also, Can I purchase staffs of any spell, like wands? The two spells I am thinking about are: Heroic Fortune (from the hero point section of APG) (2*8*400+100*50 (material component) = 11400 gp) Air Walk (4*8*400 = 12800 gp)
Should I use this pricing for purchasing extra spells?
I think that we are not using traits in this game, is that correct? (the ones in APG) If not, can I select the Additional Traits feat, and select two?
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Post by reefwood on Apr 16, 2014 21:39:57 GMT -5
Adventure #4 (10th-level) Returning characters gain: - 1 level
- 9,600 gp
- 1 hero point
New characters begin with the following: - 10th-level
- 55,600 gp
- 1 hero point
Equipment: Characters may now purchase customized magic items at 50% above standard price. For example, a Belt of Giant's Strength +2 is listed in the book and has always been available (4,000 gp). A character with magic item creation feats could always create a customized Belt of Giant Strength +1 (1,000 gp). Now any character may purchase a customized Belt of Giant Strength +1 for 1,500 gp. Price Limit: The price cap for a single item is 15,500 gp. [ OOC: This wealth increase (and starting wealth) is less than normal, which is a result of the last adventure. You did well but didn't get the highest possible outcome, so the Pathfinder Society finds it prudent to put some funds into protecting the builders. However, the price limit is based off the normal wealth amount, so you have less money total for this level but can still purchase items for this level. Also, starting with this adventure, any loot you take will not count against your wealth increase. You won't be able to sell it, but you can keep anything that the Pathfinder Society does not want (i.e. basic magic weapons are fine to keep, but the Society would want a rare item or artifact). Finally, skills that will be useful for this adventure are: - Craft (cartography)
- Knowledge (engineering)
- Profession (cartographer)
- Ride
- Survival
The level info will be added to the first post in this thread for easy referencing.]
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Post by reefwood on Apr 21, 2014 12:43:26 GMT -5
You can go ahead and ignore my previous replies to these questions and just use what is presented below.
I'm thinking 1 Fighter, 5 Wizard, 4 Eldritch Knight. I needed all martial weapons for the Eldritch knight, so monk didn't really fit. He'll probably have the arcane armor training feats, too, and use mithril breastplate. Although, another option would be Monk 1, Wizard 9, and go with a more dexterous approach. This would have the benefit of using unarmed strikes, which work well with being able to also make touch attacks. Or just straight wizard, and use feats to make him more combat-y. One thing that comes to mind about these different routes is weapon choice. Using manufactured weapons allows for different kinds of damage and materials, which sometimes matters for overcoming damage reduction. Also, you have extra reach with reach weapons and can remove one hand on your turn to cast a spell and then put it back on the weapon, so you don't have to worry about drawing and dropping the weapon to cast. Although, other benefits to an unarmed strike are always having hands free to cast spells and always being armed to threaten for attacks of opportunity.
A few questions: Some spells I am interested in making into items. Let me know if these are ok: Expeditious Retreat (L1, 1m/L) (Caster Level * Spell Level * 2000 * 2 (duration)) = 1*1*2000*2 = 4000 GP (constant) Stone Fist (L1, 1m/L) 4000 GP (constant) Shield (L1, 1m/L) 4000 GP (constant) Ring or gloves of Use Magic Device (I assume the "too wonky" example was because they were boots, which doesn't make sense) The most obvious thing to note is that you must know the spell of any item you create. Boot of Expeditious Retreat as a continuous item for 4,000 gp is fine. Gloves of Stone Fist as a continuous item for 4,000 gp is fine. Another thing to note is that CL 1 items would be really easy to suppress with dispel magic (DC 12 vs 1d20 + dispel caster level). You can increase the caster level, but that will increase the price. Shield is a powerful one that I don't like as a constant effect, and it seems like the game is designed to not allow that spell to get used too easily or too often by just anyone. However, what came to mind is Bracers of Armor, which uses another 1st-level spell ( Mage Armor) but is scaled in a way that each increase to armor bonus increases the price dramatically. Also, Mage Armor is 1 hr/level, but Shield is 1 min/level, so I would allow Bracers of Shield at double the cost of Bracers of Armor. I know this makes them very expensive, but it seems to make sense as the only way to allow it: Bracers of Shield +1 (2,000 gp) Bracers of Shield +2 (8,000 gp) Bracers of Shield +3 (18,000 gp) Bracers of Shield +4 (32,000 gp) Use Magic Device does several things. Gloves make the most sense, but pricing will depend on what you want them to do. Also, it looks like for skill rank items, the creator must have a spell connected to the ability or 5 ranks in the skill.
Also, Can I purchase staffs of any spell, like wands? The two spells I am thinking about are: Heroic Fortune (from the hero point section of APG) (2*8*400+100*50 (material component) = 11400 gp) Air Walk (4*8*400 = 12800 gp) No. There are no lists of potions, scrolls, and wands, so any available and applicable spell can be made these items. However, there is a staff list, so those are the only ones available for purchase. You may customize a staff, but that requires a caster level 11. Also, any customized staffs would have to remain true to the their general vibe – which is that they are a collection of related or similarly-themed spells. Heroic Fortune and Air Walk do not mix. Heroic Fortune could be included in a staff that contains other hero point spells or luck bonus spells. Air Walk would go well with spells like Levitate and Fly. One last thing to note is the a Wizard cannot cast Heroic Fortune or Air Walk through a staff, but I'm guessing that's why you're interested in Use Magic Device. However, you would not be able to recharge a staff that contained only these spells even if it could exist.
Should I use this pricing for purchasing extra spells? Yes, and there is a house rules limit on how many additional spells (per spell level) you can learn this way. The limit is your natural Intelligence modifier at the time a new spell level is gained. Magic items that increase Intelligence do not increase this limit. For example: Wiz1 (Int 17, mod +3) = Three additional 1st-level spells. Wiz3 (Int 17, mod +3) = Three additional 2nd-level spells. Wiz5 (Int 18, mod +4) = Four additional 3rd-level spells. Wiz7 (Int 18, mod +4) = Four additional 4th-level spells. Wiz9 (Int 19, mod +4) = Four additional 5th-level spells. This 10th-level Wizard is able to learn a total of 18 additional spells. Also, you may opt for learning lower level spells in place of higher level spells, so this Wiz10 could instead learn an additional eighteen 1st-level spells, or three 1st-level and fifteen 2nd-level, or any other combination that does not exceed the base limit. Another variation could be a multi-classed Fighter who alternates with Wizard levels: Ftr1/Wiz1 (Int 17, mod +3) = Three additional 1st-level spells. Ftr3/Wiz3 (Int 18, mod +4) = Four additional 2nd-level spells. Ftr5/Wiz5 (Int 19, mod +4) = Four additional 3rd-level spells. This 10th-level PC (Ftr5/Wiz5) is able to learn a total of 11 additional spells.
I think that we are not using traits in this game, is that correct? (the ones in APG) If not, can I select the Additional Traits feat, and select two? You are correct. No traits, so that means no trait feats either.
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Post by icnivad on Apr 23, 2014 19:25:25 GMT -5
Ok. Thanks. All noted. Yeah, as you guessed it my UMD goal was for casting spells not on my spell list. My thought on the staff was of buying a staff of Air Walk at full price, then adding a similar Wizard spell to it. I could recharge it with the wizard spell, and cast the cleric spell with UMD. Moot point if I can't get the staff, though. I'd still be interested in gloves of UMD, though, specific for casting non-wizard wands/etc. I have over 5 ranks of UMD.
I am going to go with a Tiefling, which I assume is OK since it's in the monster manual? If so, can I take Tiefling options from Advanced Race Guide? Or just base Tiefling stuff?
I'm thinking that he's from the orc lands, which is why the Pathfinders are sending him along with this mission.
Items I'll be making myself: Boots of Expeditious Retreat (Requires Exp Retreat) Pearls of power Belt of Str + Dex (Requires Bulls Str, Cats Grace) Headband of Int (Requires Fox's Cunning) Dusty rose Ioun Stone
I noticed a few of the items I was going to make required spells not in my list, so I'll buy those full price. (Ring of Protection, Amu of Natural Armor)
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Post by reefwood on Apr 24, 2014 1:35:23 GMT -5
Ok. Thanks. All noted. Yeah, as you guessed it my UMD goal was for casting spells not on my spell list. My thought on the staff was of buying a staff of Air Walk at full price, then adding a similar Wizard spell to it. I could recharge it with the wizard spell, and cast the cleric spell with UMD. Moot point if I can't get the staff, though. Another thing about the general nature of staffs is that most have several spells, and the spells usually require 1-3 charges. Although, there are a few staffs with only 2 spells. I would like any staff bought or created to have at least 2 spells from the start. Also, the number of charges per spell cannot be more than the number of spells, and the number of charges cannot be the same for every spell. For example, a staff with two spells could have one spell use 1 charge and the other spell use 2 charges. Or a staff with four spells could have one spell that uses 1 charge, two spells that use 3 charges, and one spell that uses 4 charges. But I wouldn't want a staff with two spells that each use 5 charges. I like to think of staffs mostly as a way for powerful spellcasters to increase their mastery of certain lower level spells (relatively speaking) - whether it is being able to cast these spells more times per day than they have spell slots, or to cast these spells on their spell list that they don't know, or to not worry about having to prepare these spells but still having access to them if needed - as opposed to being used to cast powerful spells or spells they can't cast or can't cast yet. Not to completely rule out the latter but trying to gear it to the former. All this being said, I forgot to remind you that that players may now purchase customized items at x1.5 normal price. So, if you can afford some kind of "staff or air" with at least two spells (one with 1 charge and one with 2 charges) at this increased cost, you are welcome to it.
I'd still be interested in gloves of UMD, though, specific for casting non-wizard wands/etc. I have over 5 ranks of UMD. Here are the pricing options: Item of Skill Rank +5 = 2,500 gpGloves of Use Magic Device (+5 to use wand) = 1,875 gp Gloves of Use Magic Device (+5 to use wand and scroll) = 2,500 gp Gloves of Use Magic Device (+5 to use wand and activate blindly) = 2,500 gp Gloves of Use Magic Device (+5 to use wand, scroll, activate blindly) = 3,125 gp Having the item affect only 1 ability is 25% less, 2 abilities is normal price, 3 abilities is 25% more. If you want the bonus to be more or less, just base the price on these adjustments.
I am going to go with a Tiefling, which I assume is OK since it's in the monster manual? If so, can I take Tiefling options from Advanced Race Guide? Or just base Tiefling stuff? I made some ad hoc rulings when Rabbit proposed playing a Fetchling, but now I'll make some solid house rules to cover any race outside the Core Rulebook. Part of the reason I like to allow racial alternatives from the Advanced Player's Guide is that we have all played the common races plenty, so this adds some extra flair to old hats. Whereas, other races still seem pretty new, but I do like the idea of allowing some flexibility to them, though, not as much as with the common races. Any humanoid or native outsider (without racial hit dice) from the Bestiary or Bestiary 2 is acceptable. You may select 3 points worth of alternate features for these races: Favored Class Options = 1 point Alternate Racial Traits = 1 point Racial Feats = 2 points Racial Archetype 3 points For example, you could select a Favored Class Option (which you can take every level, or less if you wish) and two Alternative Racial Traits. Or three Alternative Racial Traits. Or one Alternative Racial Trait and one Feat. Or one Racial Archetype (which usually includes multiple options and/or options that increase with level).
I'm thinking that he's from the orc lands, which is why the Pathfinders are sending him along with this mission. Yes, he can be from Belkzen, though, like all the other PCs, I'd want him to already have been working as a field agent for Haav'ork. During the last adventure, he could have been with the field agents presenting the case to end Haav'ork's exile. A few other thoughts/questions... Do you want him to have been raised by orcs? If so, does he have a connection to one of the ruling tribes, lesser tribes, or a tribe that no longer exists? Alternatively, there are a couple human settlements in southern Belkzen. One has been holding out for the past 2 centuries since the last time the orcs expanded their territory - open hostilities with the orcs are a regular part of life here. The other was established 2 decades ago by a criminal organization and pays regular tributes to the orcs - it has become a safe haven of sorts for those looking to evade the law and willing face the dangers of the region. Another option could be that is from a small band of tieflings in Belkzen. Also, the northeastern corner of Belkzen borders the Worldwound, so his tiefling heritage could come from demons and/or his human heritage could come from descendants of Sarkoris - the barbarian & witch nation destroyed by the Worldwound about a century ago. How did he learn magic?
Items I'll be making myself: Boots of Expeditious Retreat (Requires Exp Retreat) Pearls of power Belt of Str + Dex (Requires Bulls Str, Cats Grace) Headband of Int (Requires Fox's Cunning) Dusty rose Ioun Stone I noticed a few of the items I was going to make required spells not in my list, so I'll buy those full price. (Ring of Protection, Amu of Natural Armor) A wayfinder (magic Pathfinder compass, 500 gp) can hold one ioun stone. If you don't want it to circle around your head. But maybe that is part of your look
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Post by icnivad on Apr 24, 2014 19:10:23 GMT -5
Staves: Ok. I'll have to run some numbers on the staff and see if I can afford it at 1.5 price while adding a second spell.
UMD Gloves: Ok, I'll go with a +5 for using wands and scrolls. Making the gloves myself.
Tiefling: sounds reasonable. 1 feat option (Armor of the Pit), and 1 alternative trait (Maw or Claw).
I didn't know that about the wayfinder. If I have any extra cash I'll get or make one.
Does that bonus apply to touch attacks?
And I need to do some more thinking on his backstory, I'll post something about that later.
Also, can I purchase armor for a familiar? (an imp) I assume it would be custom made at the 1.5x price?
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Post by reefwood on Apr 24, 2014 20:19:15 GMT -5
Does that bonus apply to touch attacks? No, just unarmed attacks and natural weapons. There's a section in the Combat chapter under Touch Spells in Combat called Holding the Charge that talks about how you can make a touch attack or an unarmed attack/natural weapon attack with a touch spell but that they're different kinds of attacks with different rules, so I'd say you have to punch someone for this magic item to activate, not just touch them. Although, it you were holding the charge of a spell and punched someone, the spell would discharge into whoever you punched - even if the spell doesn't have any affect on them. The damage bonus would apply to the punch but not to any spell damage.
Also, can I purchase armor for a familiar? (an imp) I assume it would be custom made at the 1.5x price? The Equipment chapter has a table with price and weight of armor for unusual creatures. An imp has wings and a tail, so it would use the non-humanoid rates, so for a tiny creature that is cost x1 and weight 1/10th. And this just applies to armor. Magic enchantments to armor use the regular prices. The custom x1.5 price is more for custom magic items like wondrous items, potions, staves, etc that aren't listed in the books or don't use the base caster level. It would only apply to weapons and armor if you wanted to create a magic version not listed in the books, but you can totally give the imp +1 armor or whatnot at the regular enchantment price.
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Post by Rabbit on May 5, 2014 13:23:37 GMT -5
I'm going to play a half-orc bard with ranks in puppeteering!
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Post by Rabbit on May 6, 2014 16:22:20 GMT -5
Do the boosts from Death Knell stack? Specifically with more Death Knell boosts? Thoughts?
My guess is no. Bonuses from the same spell do not stack, but they do "overlap." So with a second casting of the spell, you would take the better bonus to use, keeping track of the durations separately. That makes sense to me but wanted to see what ya'll thought.
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Also, I know I should know this but want to make sure while buying equipment.
"A weapon with a special ability must also have at least a +1 enhancement bonus."
So, a melee weapon with a Frost (+1d6 damage) would be an additional 2,000 gp? Or would it be 4,00gp, because it has to have a +1 first then and additional "+1" slot?
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And how long ago was the Black Moon clan banished/disbanded? I was thinking that this half-orc would be from that clan.
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Post by Rabbit on May 7, 2014 12:52:52 GMT -5
Vras Black Moon (CL 10, Barbarian5/Oracle1/RageProphet4) Concept "Savage Paladin" or "Redneck Sheriff"
Vras Black Moon is a half orc born of the same clan as our Venture Captain, Haav'ork Black Moon. But Vras was only 4 years old when the Black Moon Clan was disbanded and banished from the Belkzen territories. His last memories of his homeland are riding upon his sister’s shoulders during the long march south into exile. Over the last 20 years Vras has travelled much of the Inner Sea making a living as a soldier, thief, and adventurer.
I would like to say that the Back Moon Clan practiced a type of ancestor worship. By remembering their ancestors’ names their spirits live on. So in some ways this tradition makes the fall of their clan so much more traumatic. If the old ways are forgotten the immortal soul of the clan is at risk. Vras sees his Oracle “haunted” curse and the Rage Prophet “spirit guardian” powers as all signs from his Black Moon ancestors. He believes they want him to help revive the Black Moon clan.
All that work?
And just a heads up to other players. My new character has a 9 in Profession (Cartography.) That's not great, so if other people can/want to use some skill points it will likely help with our goals for this adventure. I wont have a cohort but will still be an effective front line fighter.
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Post by reefwood on May 8, 2014 18:58:26 GMT -5
Do the boosts from Death Knell stack? Specifically with more Death Knell boosts? Thoughts? My guess is no. Bonuses from the same spell do not stack, but they do "overlap." So with a second casting of the spell, you would take the better bonus to use, keeping track of the durations separately. That makes sense to me but wanted to see what ya'll thought. You are correct. No stacking, but you would want to keep track of the separate durations for the temporary hit points. Maybe you get 2 temp hp from one creature for 30 min and 7 temp hp from another creature for 20 min, so at 20 min, the 7 temp hp drops to 2 temp hp as long as you haven't been injured. But you get hit for 7 points of damage right away, they are all gone. Also, just to point out... the +2 enhancement bonus to Str does not stack with any other enhancement bonus to Str (i.e. Belt of Giants Strength, bulls strength, etc).
Also, I know I should know this but want to make sure while buying equipment. "A weapon with a special ability must also have at least a +1 enhancement bonus." So, a melee weapon with a Frost (+1d6 damage) would be an additional 2,000 gp? Or would it be 4,00gp, because it has to have a +1 first then and additional "+1" slot? A magic weapon has to have an enhancement bonus before it can have a special ability, so yes, it has to be +1 before it can have the Frost special ability. A +1 weapon has a +1 price bonus, so the price is 2,000 gp, but a +1 Frost weapon has a +2 price bonus (+1 from +1 enhancement and +1 from Frost), which actually has a price of 8,000 gp because magic weapon pricing is funny like that.
And how long ago was the Black Moon clan banished/disbanded? I was thinking that this half-orc would be from that clan. About 20 years ago
Vras Black Moon (CL 10, Barbarian5/Oracle1/RageProphet4) Concept "Savage Paladin" or "Redneck Sheriff" Vras Black Moon is a half orc born of the same clan as our Venture Captain, Haav'ork Black Moon. But Vras was only 4 years old when the Black Moon Clan was disbanded and banished from the Belkzen territories. His last memories of his homeland are riding upon his sister’s shoulders during the long march south into exile. Over the last 20 years Vras has travelled much of the Inner Sea making a living as a soldier, thief, and adventurer. I would like to say that the Back Moon Clan practiced a type of ancestor worship. By remembering their ancestors’ names their spirits live on. So in some ways this tradition makes the fall of their clan so much more traumatic. If the old ways are forgotten the immortal soul of the clan is at risk. Vras sees his Oracle “haunted” curse and the Rage Prophet “spirit guardian” powers as all signs from his Black Moon ancestors. He believes they want him to help revive the Black Moon clan. All that work? And just a heads up to other players. My new character has a 9 in Profession (Cartography.) That's not great, so if other people can/want to use some skill points it will likely help with our goals for this adventure. I wont have a cohort but will still be an effective front line fighter. The overall story works. The only thing to note is that only Haav'ork was exiled. He wasn't the leader, but he was the highest ranking member of his clan that was still alive and captured. The remaining clan members were absorbed into other clans, but it makes sense that some may have left anyway, or later been pushed out by the clans they joined.
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