We all that that friend who gets people to do things those people should never do. Here’s the trait that they have
Award Winning Personality
Cost: 10 karma
Benefit: When you ask a contact to perform some service for you (getting gear, repairing items, knowledge checks), add three dice to the check.
Thoughts?
It’s been a hell of few weeks full of a great many endings. I just started a new job/ended an old one, I finished the Pathfinder Adventure Card Game, my friends and I finished the Skull and Shackles Adventure Path, and my online play by forum just finished. I’ve really enjoyed all those things, so I’m kind of sad to see them go. Let’s go through these changes (I’ll leave out the job, but it’s part of the changes in my life).
My wife and I have been playing through the Pathfinder Adventure Card Game together. I played the paladin, and she played the druid. Those two were a dream team as we only timed out of one encounter the whole way through the card game. It was a blast, and I’ve reviewed them at http://www.throatpunchgames.com. It’s sad to see it go, but I hope to see things improve. The mechanics were great, but some tweaks would really help. I would like a bit more variability between the scenarios and a lot more theme. The game had some decent variety, but overall, the game was light with regard the story. When I started listening to the audio dramas, I was able to really put the parts of the scenarios together. Sad to see the game go, but I’m looking forward to the sequel- Skull and Shackles!
Speaking of, the next thing that just ended was the Skull and Shackles adventure path. We’ve been playing this for at least two years, every other week. We had a great group, but had out share of problems: power-gaming, high level play, absences, player interactions, and the general stress that comes from a long campaign. We had a blast, but some parts of the story stood out like being pirates on the high seas. Some parts were boring such as the fetch quests that happened in the third adventure. It was a fun, and I did learn a few things especially about being a DM and Pathfinder in general. I’m glad I had some great friends to play this path so I could learn and grow as a DM.
The last gaming thing that ended in my life recently was my first play by post game. I had always wanted to play via a forum. It was a blast! I played in a All Flesh Must be Eaten game at http://www.boardgamegeeks.com. At the start of this year, the Play by Post community organized a giant push to start a bunch of play by post games. I got to learn the ropes from a bunch of great guys and gals. Now, I might not have been the best player out there but I did get to learn at the feet of some greats. It wasn’t the semi-fast pace of a table top RPG game, but I did have fun going to come check my account and see who else posted while I was out. It was a bit different getting used to having to remember what happened across months instead of minutes! Because of this, I now run my own play by post game at http://www.paizo.com. I’m going to keep playing play by post from now on.
It’s sad to see things go. I loved being part of the play by post group, hanging out with my wife, and playing pirates with my friends. But, I have two things from those times: memories and experience. I have all the great times I spent with my friends, and I’ve grown as a player and as a DM. While I might be sad that some things have gone, I’m excited about what happens next!
Product– Pathfinder Adventure Path-Skull and Shackles- The Price of Infamy
System-Pathfinder
Producer-Paizo
TL;DR-Not pirates, but fun! 88%
Basics-The plot thickens! In the previous adventures, the players have gone from scrappy slaves to pirate lords of the Shackles. At the start after a council meeting, the players receive a secret note telling them that they will soon be attacked by on old rival who has amassed a fleet to destroy them. Can the players get enough help and ships to save themselves? Will they put an end to an old rivalry that’s been plaguing them since the beginning? This book also contains fleet battle rules, more monsters and NPCs, another piece of the fiction for this adventure path, and background on Norgorber.
Fluff or Story-This one has a fun story. It goes back to the sandbox approach that has dominated all the really fun parts of the AP. The players don’t get to be excessively pirate-y, but they do get to be adventurers as this part is several small requests for help tied together. This adventure is fun if a little scattered, but your players will mostly feel catharsis as they get some revenge. Also, the fiction story and Norgorber give great background on the world. 4.5/5
Crunch or Mechanics-There is good and bad here. But, the good is great, and the bad can’t be helped. The bad is Pathfinder has the 3.X problem of players becoming a little too godlike at around ~11 compared to the monsters they are facing. Having only one monster in a fight will result in the players somehow locking that monster down too quickly for it to damage them. To have more than one monster in a fight, the CR of each monster has to be two less, and the problem intensifies as you add more monsters. Thus, the players are not threatened by piles of CR 3 monsters, since the players can’t be hit on anything less than a natural 20. So, if you want to challenge your players, you as a GM will need to change things on the fly quite often! However, what is awesome in this book is the fleet rules! The fleet rules give a great way for Pathfinder players to have a massive ship battle without having to have massive amounts of ships. Again, any smart pathfinder group will break them quite easy as the main skill that the fleet rules use is profession(sailor) (which most players will have maxed out by now!). So battles tend to be a bit one-sided, but they are still somewhat tense. Overall, I liked what I saw in this one except for the problems that can’t really be helped or fixed. 4/5
Execution-This is well done. Paizo again delivers an excellent product that was fun to read. I would have liked a few more ways to break up text as there are a few pages that are two columns of text next to one another, but nothing is perfect. But, it’s not bad, generally laid out well, and an easy read. 4.75/5
Summary– This was a fun one. Still not my favorite as the second part of this adventure path is my favorite since that one is the most pirate-y by far, but this is a good one. It features MASSIVE navel battles, raids into long forgotten tombs, see-through wizards, and an event your players have been looking forward to since the very first day the Skull and Shackles Campaign started! It’s a blast from start to finish. 88%
How about a replacement class trait for DnD Next? Instead of a rogue taking Reliable Talent, how about this…..
Blind Luck
When you make a skill roll and roll below 10, you may reroll the dice once. You must take the second result regardless of the first result.
Thoughts?
How about a fighter option to make them a bit more rogue like?
Fighter Focus
Divide your proficiency bonus by 2 (rounding up), and add that as a bonus to all skill checks.
Thoughts?
How about a feat for DnD Next?
Increased Training
You’ve been training for a while now, now its time to show it!
Benefit: When you make a skill check that you are trained in, gain a +1 bonus to the check.
Thoughts?
I’ve been playing lots of DCC RPG lately, here is a monster I want to drop on my low level players
Secret Slave
Init + 0 Atk claws/bite +3 melee (1d12, thirst for success Fort DC14); AC 15 HD 3d8+3; MV 30′; Act 1d20; SP Charm Person spell (Spell check +6), transform to and from monstrous self; SV Fort +2, Ref +2, Will +4; AL N
The secret slave is a monster that hates its own existence, but must survive by eating the most promising of a generation or else face it’s own destruction. The secret slave sneaks into pits of captives or other slaves and hides among the rabble looking like the other slaves in the pit. If discovered by the captors, the secret slave will used its eyes to cast Charm Person to prevent it’s own discovery. The Secret Slave seeks either cruelty or kindness depending on its own preference. When rescued the Secret Slave will hide amount the other freed men and women and attempt to make friends with one of the saviors, either the kindest, meanest, or the smartest of the group. The Secret Slave will either lure the chosen victim away from the others via its Charm Person spell or wait till the victim is in a battle and pounce at an in opportune moment. When it does, it changes from the slave visage to a human-like body with elongated bone claws for hands and a face that splits longer along the mouth and opening vertically along the face to form a four-sided, gaping mouth. If the victim survives a bite, he or she may contact the thirst for success disease and become a Secret Slave, hungering for the flesh of other heroes in a month. This disease can be removed by a cleric, but is a 3 dice condition for the lay on hands check. The victim must be cured before the next new moon or become a Secret Slave.
Thoughts?
Game-Pathfinder Adventure Card Game-Rise of the Runelords Adventure Deck 6: Spires of Xin-Shalast
Producer-Paizo
Price- ~$20 here: http://smile.amazon.com/Pathfinder-Adventure-Card-Game-Xin-Shalast/dp/1601255667/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1404867438&sr=8-1&keywords=Spires+of+Xin-Shalast
Set-up/Play/Clean-up- ~20/min per player per scenario (six scenarios)
TL;DR- A good way to end the season
Basics-All good things…. The heroes have traveled all the way from Sandpoint to the spires of Xin-Shalast. Along the way, they will face ghosts, oni, and a Runelord. Can the heroes save the day and the world?
Mechanics-If you’ve loved the previous decks, you will love this one. This deck doesn’t introduce too many new mechanics, but reuses a few favorites of the precious decks. The one mechanic that is completely new is found in the second to last scenario where players get to pick one card of any type of card they want for each card they defeat. That was new and gave the players a ton of cards right before the end. This one is pretty par for the course, but it’s the best parts of the previous courses. 4.5/5
Theme- This one has a pretty strong theme. I did feel like I was battling crazed cannibal ghosts in the cold. I felt the tension in this one as the last few scenarios came down to the wire! It’s not perfect, but it’s getting better. 4.5/5
Instructions-This one wasn’t bad. The scenarios had a few problems, but nothing too horrible. There were a few problems with describing how a few of the scenarios worked in the finer details, but it wasn’t game ending. Again, this deck’s problems were par for the course-Not bad, but not perfect. 4.5/5
Execution– This was done really well. Paizo makes some nice cards. Card sleeves would help with all the shuffling, but the cards are good quality. I loved the art, the font, and layout. 5/5
Summary– This is a good send-off for the first complete leg of the card game. My wife and I had a blast. This one was the hardest deck out there and I felt the tension as I ended the game with a total of four cards left to draw from-TWICE! I haven’t ever felt this during any of the previous decks. The scenarios are the best of the previous mixed with the most fun I’ve ever had. An excellent way to end this adventure path. 93%
Saw something my players could have really used this weekend. This goes out to all our cleric friends who move way to slow!
Wand Throw
You activate a wand and throw it just in the nick of time to cast a spell.
Benefit: When you cast a spell through a wand with a range of personal or touch, you may cast the spell and make a ranged touch attack with a range increment of 30 feet. If you succeed at the attack against a target, you successfully cast the spell against the target, wand hits the target, and falls into their square. If the target wants to be hit by the attack and spell, you gain a +10 bonus to your attack.
Thoughts?
Movie- Transformers 4: Age of Extinction
TL;DR- BOOM! 73%
Basics- The transformers are back. The Autobots are in hiding as the US government and CIA are now hunting down all transformers. Alongside the government, the US and CIA are working with a transformer bounty hunter who is hunting Optimus Prime. Can the Autobots save the day and Optimus?
Plot- A major complaint against the last few Transformer movies was that there was no plot. Well this movie made up for all of that in one fell swoop! This movie has WAY too many plots. The movie itself stretches for over two hours. And, the plots of those two plus hours are kind of convoluted and all over the place to boot. The story itself isn’t that great. There are a lot of problems here. 2/5
Acting-The acting in this one isn’t bad. The characters are pretty consistent and somewhat believable. Optimus has some major character swing, but the movie is mostly about his growth as a character. The humans are there, but I didn’t go to a movie about giant robots fighting to care about humans. 4/5
Cinematography-The movie looks awesome. This is a quintessential popcorn movie. This movie is filled with lots of well executed violence and destruction that makes for an entertaining half of the running time. When stuff is blowing up you will be entertained. When characters are talking, it’s pretty boring, but at least it will look nice. 5/5
Summary-This is a popcorn movie. If you want to watch some crap blow up, it’s worth your time. The movie is kind of a plot mess, but Bay knows how to blow some crap up! If you love transformers, then you will love this. If you like good movies, then not so much. 73%
Throat Punch Games 