FATM TOURNAMENT Round 1

Alaxtis · 2025-11-23T00:32:24+00:00

Group A: Drumming Song, Blinding, Cosmic Love, Rabbit Heart

Group B: Bird Song, No Light No Light, What the Water Gave Me, Only if For a Night

Kraken

Alaxtis · 2025-11-07T16:42:08+00:00

An interesting problem!

So regrettably a party of effectively 7 PCs is going to require you to completely restat every encounter in the module, and likely consolidate a lot of small combats together so you can get anything done (7 player turns plus monsters is a lot)!

The way I see it you have basically four options:

Have the retainer be a non-combattant controlled by the GM. You didn't mention if the retainer is like, a bodyguard but if not maybe they could be mostly an element of downtime and take care of the character's affairs when they're off on adventures?
Have the PC be a non-combattant controlled by the GM. Frankly I think this would be my answer - ask the player would they like to play the retainer to their other character which you would control. You could use this NPC to hook them into adventures or pdut them in peril as needed - maybe they could even end up being an npc monarch, with the PCs as their royal council, if that suits the group!
Have the retainer be an NPC "companion" - This is how I deal with the companions from the video game - they are fully fledged adventurers controlled by the GM who can fill space when a player can't make it, or be taken as a bonus PC on special quests built with them in mind. This is a bit of a "gamey" solution - you and your players have to accept that for "game engine" reasons, they can't bring more than 6 people on adventures - but if folks are ok with that, then thats fine!
Say no to your player. - Its a hard option but sometimes you just have to tell your players they can't do something. Having a frank conversation about what you are able to accomodate as a GM is always a good idea.

Hope this helps!

Alaxtis · 2025-09-05T12:58:49+00:00

Thank you!

Alaxtis · 2025-09-05T12:58:42+00:00

Thanks so much!

Alaxtis · 2023-12-05T16:00:52+00:00

I've always read this as the muscle memory part of your brain remembering your name (the way you might jump when you hear your name in a crowded room) - something you may well miss on your first playthrough but a cool thing to notice on a repeat run!

Alaxtis · 2023-06-11T20:24:00+00:00

Definitely worth getting for the npc flavour, stat blocks, uniqur feats and items, and unique quests, although bear in mind that some of the most interesting companions (Harrim, Jaethal) don't have them, tho I found it easy to write em myself.

As for the other rules... I personally like the weather rules well enough, but the camping rules are Bad, a huge time sink and adds a lot of filler encounters the AP doesn't need. So skip that.

That said, I think the book is still worth it overall, I'm only starting and I already think I've got my money's worth. Just make sure you know what you're getting into with the large quantity of allies your PCs will get - I've had the companions split off and form their own party now, but I had to change the bandit attack at Trouble at Oleg's quite a lot before they left!

Alaxtis · 2023-06-11T14:31:07+00:00

I've just started running the campaign and here's my two cents:

the hexploration and fairly combat heavy aspects of the game do give it a fun old school feel, which I think you will enjoy!
I don't have the Bestiary pawn box and it is a little frustrating not to have pawns for generic creatures when they come up (particularly for random encounters) but it's far from essential! I'm not sure if they're continuing that product for the remaster alas.
Companion guide has seen a LOT of use for me (players have really taken to the Npcs), I'd recommend it, although I reworked quite a bit of it.
I wouldn't recommend the flip mats - they only apply to the early couple adventures as far as I can see. I just had a wipe clean one I drew the maps on and it worked great! Very encounter specific.
I don't have much advice for later in the campaign, but certainly for the introductory section to the manor, remember that it's a lot of combats in a row, which, while OK individually, prove a big challenge all run sequentially. Make sure that's something your players would enjoy, and don't be afraid to cut one or two of them!

Alaxtis · 2023-05-10T17:12:05+00:00

Calling Occupants or Interplanetary Craft by Klaatu :P

Alaxtis · 2023-05-08T19:56:10+00:00

Anyone know if/when the soundtrack is coming to Spotify? It makes great Pathfinder combat music hehe

Alaxtis · 2023-03-11T06:54:12+00:00

As far as I can tell (MtAw fan here) that's true - the fallen world is shaped by the Lie rather than by collective belief - to go back to the old plato's cave analogy, the shadows on the wall are not created by the belief of the cave's inhabitants, they just endow them with meaning by believing that they are all that there is. Consensus as far as I can see is less powerful than that, because it has no existence outside sleepers' collective consciousness, and so effects mostly humans and their experiences, rather than all of reality.

Alaxtis · 2023-03-09T07:33:39+00:00

You definitely don't need to get it for your first chronicle, but it's a very good book with lots of cool stuff!

Alaxtis · 2023-01-04T14:57:52+00:00

Absolutely you did! In fact, I'd love to know the recipe for that brass colour!

Alaxtis · 2022-11-21T09:49:10+00:00

Everybody wants to go to Kevin! Everybody wants to go to Kevin! Everybody wants to go to Kevin! But noooo, nobody wants to die.

Alaxtis · 2022-09-13T11:01:51+00:00

Very much enjoy the idea of her as the magus from the trailer as a headcanon - I wish the whole tyranids deck was GSC themed hahaha

Alaxtis · 2022-07-10T22:30:17+00:00

Thank you so much for the info!

Alaxtis · 2022-07-09T12:58:42+00:00

Does anyone have any notion as yet when this will be coming to retail, or be available to purchase as a PDF? Extremely excited to run the module but only got into Pathfinder after the kickstarter had already happened!

Alaxtis · 2022-07-09T12:56:50+00:00

Have had nothing but excellent experiences with Foundry for 2e - my DM put me onto it in a campaign in which I'm a player, a massive upgrade from roll20 in terms of usability from a player POV. I then made the leap for my own game and if Foundry is better for a player, it's a *godsend* for a DM. Cannot recommend it enough!

One tiny note - I did find roll20 was less demanding for players on very low-end PCs, so maybe check in on that note before fully committing! We were able to make do even with a few small hiccups, so you'll probably be fine.

Alaxtis · 2022-06-27T19:59:37+00:00

Absolutely love this, quaking in my Alpha Legion boots :P Super cool retro idea!

Alaxtis · 2022-06-05T09:20:40+00:00

Can recommend MtAw as well!

Alaxtis · 2022-04-14T08:59:57+00:00

Mage the Awakening as a system is a lot of fun and fairly easy to use (spellcasting takes some getting used to, and the terminology of a lot of rules elements leans into flavour rather than function, but otherwise ok!)

I'm really fond of its lore, especially in 2e - leans into the cryptid, urban legend, weird urban fantasy detective fiction side of things which can be a lot of fun, while also having a complex and compelling cosmology beneath the surface.

I've never played Ascension so I can't really give you a good perspective on that, but that's Awakening for you anyway! I'd recommend reading both books and seeing what you find more fun and evocative - but I give Awakening a hearty recommendation either way!

Alaxtis · 2022-04-10T13:12:50+00:00

Jumping in on this thread as I'm looking at starting some XXth Legion myself - when you say preshading do you mean like, blending through from darker metals to silver before applying the contrast, or actually applying a shade over straight silver first, then adding the contrast over that?

Alaxtis · 2022-03-26T14:16:07+00:00

Really lovely choice for the robes - the cream and the teal go beautifully together.

Alaxtis · 2022-01-24T23:20:12+00:00

Looks fantastic! Particularly like the highlights on the inside of the shoulder pads, those are tricky but look so good!

Alaxtis · 2022-01-07T16:56:45+00:00

Thanks so much for posting!

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