New Pathfinder Web Enhancements

There are two new Web Enhancements for the Pathfinder Beta.

https://secure.paizo.com/download/pathfinder/PZO1110BE-PrestigeEnhancement.zip

https://secure.paizo.com/download/pathfinder/PZO1110AE-MagicItemsWeb.zip

New Website Address

I have moved my website over to Google. The new site address is http://sites.google.com/site/zombiehomepage/

online SRD

For a clickable hypertext d20 SRD document, click
http://www.d20srd.org/index.htm

Link for Pathfinder Beta Test Release 1

The PDF of the Beta was released today. The link for download did not change it is still:

http://paizo.com/cgi-bin/WebObjects/Store.woa/wa/pathfinderRPGAlpha

This contains the same material as the printed version being released at Gen Con and also includes within the .zip file a web enhancement containing an additional 64 pages of material not printed in the book. This material contains spells and magic items removed from the printed version to keep the page count down. The material was deemed to be long, complex and/or seldom used.

The Beta contains a statement in the spell section that reads:

An S appearing at the end of a spell’s name denotes that the spell’s full description is not included in this book. This spell can be found in the 3.5 system reference document (SRD) or as part of the Pathfinder RPG Beta Web Enhancement, available for free at paizo.com.

There is also a statement appearing in the magic item section:

An S appearing at the end of a magic item’s listing denotes that the magic item’s full description is not included in this book. These magic items can be found in the 3.5 system reference document (SRD) or as part of the Pathfinder RPG Beta Web Enhancement, available for free at paizo.com.

Keith's Website Updated - 8/14/08

I have made some updates to my website - http://home.tir.com/~zombie/.

Most changes are cosmetic but I did add some D&D/Pathfinder information. I updated pages for my new Tuesday Pathfinder game.

Pathfinder - Cover for Melee and Reach Attacks

After last Tuesday's game, I have had the opportunity to review reach weapon and cover rules from the PHB 3.5 (pp 150-152) and PRPGa3 (pp 74-75).

I have linked a document to my web site to illustrate the examples:

http://home.tir.com/~zombie/id59.html

These are my interpretation of the rules with changes. I am open to more discussion but I believe that I now have it right.

Pathfinder Material - Anyone Want to Pitch In?

Would anyone be interested in contributing to my purchase of the Pathfinder Chronicles: Campaign Setting (OGL) Hardcover. By being a subscriber to the Pathfinder Adventure path, I get a 15% discount and can combine shipping with my order. By being a subscriber to the Pathfinder Chronicles I get a free PDF version of the book. This is a $49.99 Hardcover which I would be able to get for $42.49 plus a bit more for shipping (even combined).

I subscribed to Pathfinder Chronicles to get a discount and PDF of a few other products and this book was included as well. It was more that I was looking to spend at the moment. I was considering cancelling my order but thought that it might have some worthwhile stuff. If folks want to pitch in, I can still get the book and share the materials.

Here is a description of what it contains:

Golarion, the exciting world of the Pathfinder Adventure Paths and Pathfinder Modules, comes alive in this massive 256-page full-color hardcover tome primed up and ready to go for your new campaign! Detailed sections on more than 40 nations—from the frontiers of Varisia to the devil-tainted cities of Cheliax to the frigid Hold of the Mammoth Lords—provide a full picture of the world of the Pathfinder Chronicles campaign setting, with new rules, new magic and spells, detailed descriptions of more than twenty gods and their religions, and a gorgeous poster map detailing the entire campaign setting. The Pathfinder Chronicles campaign setting provides classic adventuring style and cutting-edge game design perfectly suitable for the world’s most popular roleplaying game!

Golarion is the Pathfinder campaign setting where all of their published adventures are set. I will be running things set there on Sunday and Tuesday and other occassions when I get to run. I imagine that this is mostly high level setting related material that should be compatable with the Pathfinder RPG.

Let me know what you think.

Pathfinder Discussions

I have been thinking over some of the changes made in the Pathfinder Alpha and the spirit in which they were meant. I am starting to form some opinions and was looking to see what others might think.

1) Bard Song - I think that it is not cool that all Bardic Music abilities take a Standard action to initiate and upkeep. I am leaning toward making certian ones take a Move action to maintain rather than a Standard action. You could still use a standard action if you wanted to move. Many class abilities that affect others are always on things like the Paladin's Aura of Courage.

Maybe the 5 rounds after stopping balances out the Standard action. I am not sure.

2) Channel Positive Energy- Again I think that it is not cool that the Cleric needs to spend Standard actions to heal everyone. Do you think it would be too unbalanced to make channeling cost a Move action instead of a Standard?

Do you have any other things that have jumped out? How about the hit point situation? Does the CON boost seem balanced? Is the Channel Positive Energy healing factor too much?

Alternate Pathfinder Character Sheets

Update:

Here is another link to a different sheet.

http://www.neceros.com/forum/index.php?automodule=downloads&showcat=6

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Here are some links to alternate, fan created character sheets for Pathfinder.

http://tommisalama.googlepages.com/char_sheet_pfrpg_a3.pdf
http://tommisalama.googlepages.com/char_sheet_pfrpg_a3_lite.pdf

http://www.hotlinkfiles.com/files/1439530_rxp7l/PFRPG_CS_v_0_3.xls
http://www.hotlinkfiles.com/files/1477881_bgehn/HwknsCustPFRPGA3CS11.pdf

There is also a character generator.

http://chargen.motime.com/

Link for Pathfinder Alpha Test Release 3

Here is the link to download Release 3 of the Pathfinder Alpha test:

http://paizo.com/cgi-bin/WebObjects/Store.woa/wa/pathfinderRPGAlpha

Pathfinder Cleric

The rules for Clerics and whether they must choose a god or not are contradicting. The class description says under Domain Powers: "Each cleric must choose a deity." Yet one paragraph later under the same heading it says "If your cleric is not devoted to a particular deity, you still select two domains..."

I'm guessing they mean to carry over the Agnostic Option from 3.5 but it needs clarification.

Point Buy Chart

spend		48	points
STAT		COST	bonus
0		---	---
1		---	-5
2		---	-4
3		-7	-4
4		-6	-3
5		-5	-3
6		-4	-2
7		-3	-2
8		-2	-1
9		-1	-1
10		0	0
11		1	0
12		3	1
13		5	1
14		8	2
15		11	2
16		14	3
17		16	3
18		18	4
19		---	4

EXAMPLES :
18,18,18, 8, 8, 8
18,18,15,11,10,10
18,18,14,12,11,10
18,18,13,13,11,11
18,18,12,12,12,12
18,17,16,10,10,10
18,17,15,12,10,10
18,17,14,13,11,10
18,17,13,13,12,11
18,16,16,11,11,10
18,16,15,13,10,10
17,17,17,10,10,10
17,16,16,12,11,10
17,15,15,13,13,10
16,16,16,12,12,10
16,16,15,13,12,11
15,15,15,13,13,13
14,14,14,14,14,14

Of Magic Items and Plot Devices

Hello All

During the last story arc I passed out a few magical items and during the last few sessions I have expounded on them. I believe there maybe a lack of clarity on my part. So I will now explain them in a more permanent fashion:

Deck of Cards alias The Deck of Gates, Heroes Trumps, The Dragon's Gift: Artifact level item, appears to be a traditional set of 77 ivory Tarot Cards of particularly fine workmanship - Detect Magic reveals nothing unusual about this item. Detect Evil, Good, Law etc. reveals nothing about this object (except when the Deck is in contact with another plane)
This simple seeming deck of cards will open a small gate, a cicular opening aproximately one decimeter in diameter, to an unspecified number of alternate universes and planes of existence. Apparently, the gates always open on a point of the other plane/dimension near an object that can be brought through the portal.

Activating this item can be accomplished in a number of different ways
- a mage might notice that the ornate borders of the cards can be matched together to form arcane symbols which allow the creation of a gate Spell Craft 20+
- a rogue/tinker might notice the edges of the cards are slightly uneven and that the uneven edges can be placed together allowing the creation of various card structures that form interdimensional gates Craft:Tinker 20+ Craft:Puzzle 18+ Disable Device 22+
- a cleric might perceive that the symbols upon the cards are highly evocative of several theist concepts and that arranging these symbolic images might allow the creation of portals to other aspects of the spirit world Knowledge Religion 16+
- an artist/bard might be drawn to the beautiful scroll work and esquisite designs that make up the images on the cards, combining one card with another could create story paterns from these images Craft:Artistic Impression 22+ Bardic Knowledge 25+ or Perform: Storytelling 19+

Once a dimension has been reached a successful Knowledge:Planes 15+ will reveal the probable name/nature of the portal (Artist/Bards & Clerics who make their initial rolls by ten more than needed or more will also have this information).

Not to put to fine a point on it but this is CENTRAL TO MY PLOT. In other words unloading it will require me to futz around a fair bit in order to continue my story. However, if you are really into cashing in;
Artistic master work playing cards 650gp or, if the true nature of the item is know, aproximately 175000gp

Pitons of Binding Powerful Wonderous Magic Item - Two heavy black true iron spikes sharpened on one end and with a closed ring on the other. The pitons are 37 centimeters in length, 13 milimeters in diameter and aproximately 1.2 kg in weight. When these pitons are attached to an object and then driven into another object they create an unbreakable bond so strong that not even a teleport or dimension door will release the bound item. If the items are used as weapons they are effectively +1 Exotic Weapons.

The Singing Ax +2 Animal Bane Battle Ax The Ax seems to be made entirely out of light ash wood. It has a nearly invisible edge. If set on end, in the presence of timber live or worked, it can be set on end at which point it will begin to spin. The spinning creates a musical sound. This song acts as a dominate animals Bardic Song performed by a tenth level bard. If this weapon is attuned to the user *the wielder must take a level of Bard or Virtuoso following the acceptance of the weapon* the song can be activated while the weapon is weilded in combat.

Hrethcarach +2 Undead Bane Frostbrand long sword This is a famous weapon of the Khazad. It was famously wielded by Bhairn, called the Outcast, son of Dain VI Khazadbhorith in his wars against the Wraithking. This weapon can be bonded with the wielder. Either through conversion to the faith of Morgun or by accepting levels in Dwarven Defender.
- First level post bonding weapon adds +1,+1 vs undead & allows detect undead at will
- Second level post bonding weapon confers Ghost Touch and proof against undead level drain while wielded
- Third level post bonding weapon will act as weilder's host if slain while weilding
- Fourth level post bonding weapon confers True Sight vs. undead & a confirmed critical will slays the unliving.

Bob The Spear Bob is a long spear of ash and mithril. He was in life a Knight Banneret to Donald King of the Moor some 150 years ago. He was set to guard the king's son Jacobin as the king and his host road to war against the armies of Thorrin the Cruel. Jacobin was a lad of eight years and precocius whilst Thorrin was a treacherous ruler who prefered assasins to outright war. As Donald road off to war several hours before dawn Thorrin's assasins snuck into the palace to find Jacobin's lone guardian asleap with a wench. The assasins skulked pass Bob and stabbed at the huddled lump of Jacobin's sleeping body in his bed again and again. However, Jacobin was not in the bed. He had snuck out to view his father ride to war. When the assasins discovered there mistake they voiced a curse that cut through Bob's slumber. Seeing the assasins surrounding the bed of his lord, and beleiving him dead, Bob grabbed up a spear and naked took on six trained killers. He slew them all but not before their poisoned weapons had cut him many times. Falling to the cold floor he saw the the young Jacobin slip back into his gore drenched bedchamber. He died then but his soul lingers in the spear. It was an heirloom of the house of Donald until the line ended some thirty years ago.

Out of the Dragon's Cave and into the Forge

Chapter One: Storm and Disaster
Our story began several months ago. "Tosser", an elderly dwarven caravan master, whose actual name was Gamil Trigersen, hires a group of mercenaries to guard a shipment of supplies headed for Gamil Zirakdumdûm, the dwarven mine on the mountain. Tosser has been hiring mercenaries for this bi-monthly supply run for years. It's a regular milk-run a week up the mountain with supplies and a week down the mountain with ore. No one has ever seriously tried to attack it. Even so, Tosser is always careful to choose only the best and most honest soldiers to be had in Khazadhame and never any mages or rogues. This time is different. Tosser pointedly hires Jennifred, a warmage of some repute and the youngest Hechensplecher, a known rogue. There are rumors that something has happened at the mine. Nothing has been heard from the delving for the last two weeks. In the taverns, men and elves talk of strange creatures being seen among the trees on the forest road. The dwarves will say nothing at all to anyone.

Besides the hired mercenaries, the caravan party consists of Tosser and six other dwarves , an elf and an half-orc. Bem a young dwarven drover who is constantly under foot and Tebor drive the first wagon. Belisandra an elven maid and K'Maggar have charge of a heavily laden buckboard filled with supplies. K'Nolan an aged warrior drives the great Vardo that is both chuck wagon and home to the mercenaries with his wife M'Karro the caravan's cook. Nox, a surly taciturn dwarf drives a final heavily laden buckboard. Vos, a hulking half-orc, walks point some sixty paces in front of the wagons while Tosser, on a great war-ram, rides up and down the train. The mercenaries walk along side the wagons on both sides. They are Sonara, a drover in charge of the three herds of sheep and goats rides a well trained pony. Selena, an expert elven archer and stalker, on foot. Jennifred the warmage, whose sweet demeanor is so at odds with her profession. Vandar Hechensplecher the respected paladin and his younger brother Heinrich the thief. Finally the warrior _____ rounds out the mercenaries.

Sonara has worked the caravan run many times though none of the others have. She knows the shrewd eyed Tosser and his ever present bodyguard Vos. Vos is a stalwart and ever ready campaigner with a visage and demeanor only his mother could love, assuming of course whe was blind and half drunk. So Sonara is very surprised to see Jennifred bring the huge old half-orc a lovely bouquet of flowers. For a moment the old soldier stands stunned staring at the gift from the lovely mage then without warning he lets out a tremendous sneeze blowing the fragrant blossoms apart with its force. Vos is quickly overcome with sneezing and the tension surrounding the caravan is wiped away amid peals of laughter as the caravan sets out onto the Gundu road.

The good humor from Jennifred's merriment lasts but a short while. Soon unseasonably sharp winds blow cold from the Bundushathur mountains. Within hours icy rain begins to soak the party the hardpack road quickly becomes muddy soup. Soon the mercenaries can not walk on the road but must ride in and on the wagons, dismounting more and more frequently to heave the wagons from the viscose goo that the road has become. Tosser continues to ride alongside on his war-ram and Sonara on her sturdy mountain pony chases her bedraggled charges. Only Vos seems unaffected by the drenching storm.

Five days of sodden marching leaves the party exhausted. That evening the storm picks up to wild howl that allows no fire to be made. This night was made for treachery. Nox poisons the many of the caravan and locks all but a handful of the mercenaries in the vardo. Midst the winds and cutting rain the remaining mercenaries do not spy the enemy until it is almost too late. A ranting goblin riding an immense ogre casts spells of death while hobgoblin raiders tear and rend the caravaneers. Within moments most of the party lies dead or wounded and Nox escapes with a heavy box that had been locked within the first wagon.

Chapter Two: Fort and Fear

Dawn finds only the mercenaries, Vos and Belisandra left alive from the caravan party. White snow, fallen during the night, camouflages the dead bodies of horses and dwarves. Sonara tells the party that the party that the way station for Gamil Zirakdumdûm is not too far off. Gathering what they can the party makes its way through the woods to a fortified redoubt. There they find that the way station's inhabitants have been engaged in a recent battle with giants and hobgoblins. Many are dead and no one has heard anything from the mine higher up the mountain. Some of the mercenaries try to aid the wounded peoples from the station while the remainder accompany Vos to gather the supplies from the wreckage of the caravan. By late afternoon all are gathered again within the fort. The way station dwarves seem reluctant to tell the mercenaries anything that might have caused the attacks on the caravan or here at the fort. Heinrich, tires quickly of their mistrust and after a bit of scouting discovers that the great central well of the little fortress is also an elevator. The mercenaries ride it down and find a heavily trapped door leading into a passage.

They decide to wait until the next day to investigate and ride the elevator back to the surface. Before they can even discuss their new findings the fort is attacked. As before the attack is led by a ranting goblin upon an ogres back. Hordes of hobgoblins assault the walls while two great ogres attempt to batter down the fort's gate. At the last possible moment the mercenaries drive off the enemy but not before Nox robs the fort. The mercenaries give chase aided by a mysterious human they had helped heal during the afternoon. The mystery man catches up to Nox and slays him as the party arrives.

Nox's body contains a map as well as tools marking him as an assassin and thief. Nox had been attempting to kill a dwarven sage as well as stealing certain maps. He had stolen a powerful artifact from the caravan wagon. An artifact that allows transport of mithral ore from the mine directly to the hall of the dwarven king. The mercenaries also discover that they are facing fanatical followers of a new religion.

Chapter Three: Spelunking and Spiders

Having the talked with the dwarven sage, the mercenaries decide to follow the corridors into the mine. They have been told they must get to the grand hall of Gamil Zirakdumdûm and destroy a great stone to prevent the artifact from being used by the followers of the Allthing. At the end of a hallway they find the three week old dead body of a noble dwarf bearing a small fortune in gems and another map. They surmise that he may have been attempting to escape the Allthings attack on the mine or may have treacherously allowed the Allthings armies within. Beyond the body a door leads further into the dwarven mines, specifically it leads to the menagerie. Here the mercenaries first encounter the wild magic that exists in the mithral mine. They are split apart when a wall forms where none had been before. Heinrich and the mysterious stranger are forced to face some sort of otherworldly demon while Jennifred and company square off against nearly a score of spider golem things. In the ensuing battle Sonara's pony is slain and the mercenaries are forced to make a deal with a tribe of fairies.

Chapter Four: Beasts and Bumping things

The mercenaries are once more back together and move further into the mine. After dealing with a number of traps they find themselves in a pitched battle with giant elemental rhinos. With quick wit and a little luck they defeat the behemoths but before they can rest they are assaulted with pounding from without the caverns walls. This leads to a nasty fight with a kensai and a mad elven mage. The mercenaries narrowly defeat them and in the process are reunited with several of the fairies.

Chapter Five: Fey and Freaked Out Assistants

The mercenaries hardly have time to lick their wounds before they are attacked by a pair of Fey who claim to have come for the fairies who are with the mercenaries. Fortune smiles on the mercenaries and they beat the Fey. This leads them to a stairway that leads to a hidden door. Heinrich manages to open it and the mercenaries find themselves in the presence of the assistant to the nutso mage who had so recently tried to kill them. The assistant turns out to be a nasty, smelly, craven creature but she does tell the party that her master was not always mad and evil. In fact her master was one of the foremost experts on extra planer travel. It seems he had been hired to build a transport device for the dwarven king. In doing so the mage seemingly lost control and among other things summoned an adult black dragon archmage.

On order to get into the throne room and destroy the stone the mercenaries must first remove this dragon.

Chapter Six: Zombies and Zero Chances

While attempting to find a way to remove the dragon the mercenaries find themselves in an alternate world where zombies have destroyed a civilization. Within an unlikely building the mercenaries find the dragon's offspring and treachery.

Chapter Seven: Dragons and Diplomacy

The mercenaries convince the dragon to go save her young from their cannibalistic father. In so doing they recapture the throne room.

Chapter Eight: Royal Deals and Rancid Deities

The mercenaries find themselves in the great dwarven city of Barazinbar. They have been summoned from the mine by the King. It has been over three months since the vile dragon Kibil-nâla was banished from this plane. Three months of bitter fighting between the dwarves of Khazadhame and the forces of the Allthing. The battles have been costly for the dwarves but they have revealed some of the mystery surrounding the Allthing. The Allthing's armies initially were drawn from the tribes of ogres, hobgoblins and goblins that inhabited the mountains but now the Allthing's armies are largely comprised of undead raised from the battlefields. Undead that are curiously resistant to turning and the powers of holy folk(20% divine magic resistance). The Allthing's priests are shrouded in a green mist that slays all who venture within arms reach of them and they rise again moments after they are felled. The Allthing's armies never attack unless it is night or the weather is severe. Dwarven armies sent against the creature tend to rise and turn on their comrades and the Allthing's armies grow. It is estimated that more than thirty thousand creatures, humans and dwarves have now succumbed to the Allthing's power.

The mercenaries have now actually seen the Allthing. It is a floating sphere some five feet across with tentacled eyestalks (it does appear to be a beholder but a strangely tiny one). Its body looks to be riddled with glowing holes.

As the game begins the mercenaries have been summoned by the King. The mercenaries are now ninth level and the city is a major center of civilization.