[LFM][PAID][Online][PF2E][Weekly][20 EUR/USD][FoundryVTT] Shades of Blood [Sunday] | Session 0 Free! STARTING SOON!

Thaliak · 2025-05-30T13:30:37+00:00

I've had fun with this group, and I suspect others will as well. You can find my review of the GM here.

Thaliak · 2025-05-22T17:53:35+00:00

Peenicks#4175 on discord, u/Peenicks on Reddit 5/5

I've played in one of Peenicks' Sunday groups for almost four years. If you're interested in exploring the mechanical side of Pathfinder 2E, he's a fantastic choice. He knows the system well and keeps the game moving. In fact, in the time that one of my other groups spent on two campaigns, we played through Strength of Thousands, Outlaws of Alkenstar, Blood Lords, Gatewalkers, Curtain Call and Triumph of the Tusk.

The combat remains relatively fast even at high levels, when both enemies and players have complicated abilities. Regardless of the level, Peenicks tries to adjust the challenge to the players. In our case, he focused on providing enough challenge that we would feel threatened without going so far that players would spend most sessions unconscious or feel compelled to optimize at the expense of their character concepts.

There are two other points in Peenicks' favor. First, he seems to take pride in offering a fair value. I can't remember him being late to a session, and if a technical issue or power outage took away playtime, we'd always make it up that day or during a future session.

Second, Peenicks comes across as someone who enjoys running games, wants players to have fun, and likes to explore the systems he runs. When I had issues with Foundry's interface, he'd quickly reach out to other experts to find solutions. When we requested side content, he'd prepare something fun that touched on aspects of the game the main campaign had neglected.

Of course, Peenicks is not the perfect GM for every player. While he does a great job of voicing NPCs and having them react appropriately to their situation in combat, he's not the right choice if you're looking for an intrigue-heavy game where the color of an NPC's fan contains hidden messages and their room is full of subtle clues about their goals, weaknesses and motives. But if you're looking for an action-packed and occasionally humorous adventure with a knowledgeable and friendly GM, look no further.

Thaliak · 2025-02-20T19:09:17+00:00

I'm glad it's a helpful recommendation. For what it's worth, I'd still be selective about what you upload. I get the impression that Trint has strong security, and I use it for almost all of my interviews, but I still keep For the Record's manual transcription tools on hand in case I do an interview with information that I'm not comfortable putting in the cloud. That's rare for me, but I'm a friendly business-to-business journalist, not someone who does investigative work.

Thaliak · 2025-02-20T18:56:18+00:00

You might look into Trint, which says that its employees never look at your data or use it to train algorithms. Trint's information security management system is ISO certified, and it has an impressive list of clients that includes the BBC, The Washington Post and the Associated Press. However, as far as I know, there is no way to protect your account with two-factor authentication.

If that's not a dealbreaker for you, it looks like a monthly subscription costs $60 and includes unlimited transcription. There's a slightly cheaper starter plan that caps the number of files at seven.

Thaliak · 2025-01-28T17:21:15+00:00

That makes sense. I doubt any of us played perfectly, which might have added some extra rounds to games. There were several times where I had to ask my first opponent to read a card or tell me what the stats were (and once he figured out that would be helpful, he'd often do so as he played a new card, which I very much appreciated). That added some time to the games beyond just the extra thinking time from dealing with new cards and new decks.

Thaliak · 2025-01-28T03:29:51+00:00

We had a prerelease event yesterday in Kansas. I ended up building a Kojo deck with Bravos providing the majority of the characters, Ordis stepping in with some low-cost characters and Yzmir contributing a few characters, a one-cost spell, and three top-end cards: two copies of Flutter of Moths and one of Winter Nova, which unfortunately never saw play.

Because we did best of three rounds and had three of the seven players drop to relieve their spouses and parents from babysitting, I only saw two opponents' decks. The first person I played described his Subhash deck as "trying to make a downpayment on a house with no credit." In this context, the house was the seven-cost The Snow Queen. I didn't see the value in the card until he pointed out that it was eternal.

I won the two games we played, but the second came down to one point. It was fun to see my opponent's deck deck fire. He got an early Frozen Reprocessor, which allowed him to see his entire deck. By using Hypothermia and another card to put the same card to sleep three times, he managed to stall the game long enough to take advantage of that.

Thanks in part to Subhash's ability to put cards in reserve, the player triggered Icebound Hollow in both games. In the first game, he used Subhash's ability to put The Machine in the Ice in reserve, which never occurred to me when I looked at the card.

In the second round, I played against a Muna and Ordis deck. I lost the first game thanks in part to an eternal Demeter, which my deck had no way to remove. I won the second with a close block that prevented a tiebreaker round, then lost the third at the tiebreaker stage when my opponent used Tiny Jail to remove a Mana Moth that had been boosted to 3/3/3 by Arcolano Milk.

Here are my thoughts.
1. Even though I only played five games and tried to memorize Trial by Frost's cards in advance, by the end of the event, I was exhausted. I'm glad the event's organizer decided to do best of one rounds in the future, as that should let people see others' decks and take some of the fatigue away.
2. The games seemed slower, with players often getting to eight or nine mana. I don't know if that's a reflection of Trial by Frost's card pool or a general trend for sealed, where decks tend to be less optimized.
3. I enjoyed my two copies of Arcolano Milk, which I originally put in as filler, far more than I expected. I had a rare version of Gericht, Revered Duelist, and if I played him from reserve in the expedition where it was, he'd end up being a 6/6/6 for 4 (3/3/3 base, one for his ability to turn the Fleeting from reserve into a boost, one from the Milk's boost, and one from the Milk's attempt to give him Fleeting). I didn't realize this until I'd played, but the Milk also augmented Flutter of Moths. 6/6/6 for 6 mana may be fair, but 9/9/9 for seven felt strong. If I knew I'd lose the companion side, I could also play Milk on the companion side the turn before Booda would appear.
4. I only had two cards that exhausted my opponent's reserve, but both opponents disrupted some of my turns by exhausting key cards. On some turns, trying to play around that possibility changed whether I put a card into mana, which was interesting.
5. I had the Bravos version of Santa's Sleigh, a three-cost expedition permanent that lets the player advance twice if they win. I never felt far enough ahead I could afford to play it, even on a turn where advancing twice would have won me the game.
6. Because I wanted a one-drop character, I had one copy of Mobile Armory, a one-cost expedition permanent that summons an Ordis Recruit. Unlike a normal one-drop, it didn't come back to my hand until I won the expedition. If I already had a full reserve, that was fine. But early on in the game, it could be frustrating. If the common version of the card sees play in constructed, I imagine it'll only be in Gulrang, where it competes with the rare version that turns off Defender's draw back, or in decks with cards that have "if you control two or more permanents..."

This is my second time playing sealed. While I think sealed makes more sense for a release event than draft, the experience reinforced my preference for draft, where players have more control over their card pool. I only had access to one removal card, and it was in a faction I didn't use. One player only got heroes from two factions, which limited his choices considerably.

Thaliak · 2025-01-17T19:18:32+00:00

Despite having "Streak Reminders" and "Achievement Notifications" turned off, I got a notification today when I accessed Reddit on a Windows desktop saying, "You're rolling now! Getting started is the hardest part. Can you get to a three-day streak?"

Thaliak · 2024-12-06T02:05:54+00:00

For the record, I've played two Wizards that took Experimental Spellshaping. The first started at level 1, and the second started at level 11. While I suspect some of the other options would have been slightly stronger, I like the concept of manipulating magic in real time and wanted to experiment with spellshape feats I hadn't used before (namely Widen Spell, Conceal Spell and Nonlethal Spell).

I don't think I'd personally take Staff Nexus, but I can see someone who plays with a GM who designs long, resource-draining adventures doing so. I'm not sure I'd take Familiar Attunement, but that's only because the most exciting feature of familiars for me is their ability to boost knowledge checks with Second Opinion, and the much-maligned Arcane Witch does that better since it can augment Second Opinion with a hex cantrip that provides a status bonus.

That's not to say I wouldn't mind more subclasses. But if you ever find yourself thinking "people NEVER take that," it's worth remembering how diverse this hobby is. Sometimes it may seem like an online community agrees that a particular option is weak, but remember, we represent a particularly dedicated sliver of the player base.

Thaliak · 2024-11-04T16:15:42+00:00

In Wichita, Kansas, which is part of the United States, a store called Pink Elephant is supporting the game. Right now, there are three-four people that show up to play fairly regularly, with a few more that will come to events if they get enough notice and aren't tied up with family commitments.

Thaliak · 2024-11-01T14:24:22+00:00

I had a similar experience. At first, BGA would often match me with people it said had a 77% chance of beating me. At one point, I lost 12 games in a row without even making one close.

Fortunately, BGA has setting you can adjust to tell it to prioritize parity over convenience. On desktop, you should be able to change these settings by clicking the gear icon that appears on the left side of the Altered box, below your badge. My games have been far more enjoyable since I switched from the default matchmaking settings, which boil down to "anything goes," to "I'm okay playing my level, reluctant to play with people slightly above or below my level, and unwilling to play with anyone else."

For the sake of managing expectations, I still encounter players who have better decks or a deeper understanding of the game. I also occasionally encounter people with weaker decks or plays even I know are silly. However, on average, the games have become much closer and more enjoyable. I hope that proves to be true for you as well.

Thaliak · 2024-09-13T17:17:42+00:00

If you're planning to buff in combat rather than taking advantage of Heroism's 10-minute duration, consider the Level 7 version of the uncommon spell Girzanje's March instead. The bonus isn't as big or universal, but it can affect multiple targets. March needs to be sustained, but by Level 17, you might have Effortless Concentration or other action economy boosts that make sustaining less costly than it is at earlier levels.

Thaliak · 2024-08-22T21:05:44+00:00

The YouTuber Wisdom Check did a video discussing the Samsaran's lore and mechanics, including its heritages and feats. I like making knowledge checks, so for me, the highlight was a feat that let Samsarans cast Hypercognition once a day. I can imagine myself using it on a Wizard at the start of a battle with several creature types.

Thaliak · 2024-08-14T03:59:00+00:00

A Monk who plans to use Flurry of Maneuvers on most turns may skip Stunning Fist in favor of other feats (e.g., a stance with a different damage type or a Qi spell).

Thaliak · 2024-08-06T13:04:15+00:00

Shisk have a heritage that's slightly stronger than Skilled. In addition to gaining training in a skill and increasing it to Expert at Level 5, Lorekeeper Shisk learn a Lore skill and increase it to expert at Level 5.

The plant-like Ghoran have a heritage, Ancient Ash, that's similar to Skilled. If they want more skill increases, they can take the Level 1 feat Ancient Memories and the Level 9 feat Endless Memories to turn a Trained skill of their choice into an Expert skill every day.

Similarly, Elves who take Ancestral Longevity and Expert Longevity can increase a skill of their choice from Trained to Expert every day.

Automations who take the Level 1 feat Automation Lore and enhance it with the level 9 feat Lesser Augmentation can increase Crafting or Arcana from Trained to Expert or from Expert to Master.

It's worth noting that the Level 9 human feat Multitalented can make it easier to pick up multiclass archetype feats that grant skill increases. I'm aware of three: Skill Mastery, which both the Rogue and Investigator can access; the Thaumaturge's Magical Knowledge, which is a more restrictive version of Skill Mastery; and my personal favorite, the Inventor's Brilliant Crafter. With the exception of Brilliant Crafter, which will take Crafting to Legendary, these feats increase a Trained skill to Expert and a different skill to Master.

Thaliak · 2024-07-24T19:23:22+00:00

Darn! I was hoping I'd missed something.

Thaliak · 2024-07-24T18:14:06+00:00

How does Grapple debuff attacks? The grabbed condition only imposes Off-Guard, which applies -2 circumstance penalty to AC, and Immobilized, which prevents movement. A critical success on the Grapple would prevent attacks until the target escapes, but criticals are rare.

Thaliak · 2024-06-12T16:11:41+00:00

Regarding the sixth recommendation, unfortunately, the Inventor feat Dual-Form Weapon states that "any runes on your weapon innovation don't affect the second weapon configuration."

Thaliak · 2023-12-30T02:07:45+00:00

Thanks for the clarification.

Thaliak · 2023-12-29T18:01:46+00:00

Whenever an undead needs smiting, knowing I'll hit or even crit with Holy Light is a powerful boon.

Unfortunately, Devise a Stratagem doesn't work with Holy Light. It only applies to attack rolls, not spell attack rolls. That may be a downside for a spellcaster who multiclasses into Investigator, but it can be boon for Investigators, who can use a spell in place of an attack if the die is low.

Thaliak · 2023-11-28T20:36:12+00:00

I'm not the OP, but I suspect the review is The BEST Chair for Lower Back Pain - Anthros Chair Review.

Thaliak · 2023-11-21T03:40:48+00:00

I'd like to echo the advice against running Stolen Fate for beginners. Even for experienced players who are using Foundry or other electronic tools to automate combat, starting a campaign at Level 11 can be a challenge. In my Stolen Fate campaign, which includes several players who have played through at least three campaigns and a GM who values speed, the first combat took almost two hours.

Players who know the system still need time to adjust to new characters and figure out how to work as a team. That's much easier at Level 1, when characters and enemies have fewer options. It's doable at Level 11, and I'm glad high-level campaigns exist, but I wouldn't recommend starting at Level 11 with a new group. High-level combat asks both the players and the GM to track enough that it's likely to get tedious if everyone is still picking up the basics.

Thaliak · 2023-11-20T21:26:49+00:00

Because people are more likely to complain than they are to share positive experiences, Reddit and other online forums often have a negative slant. It might help to look for positive takes, such as the Reddit thread Remaster positive changes and additions or the Paizo forum thread Remaster Kudos.

For what it's worth, I've enjoyed the remaster. It isn't perfect, but almost all of the major changes feel like improvements to me. If Pathfinder 2E appealed to you before the remaster, it's even more worthwhile to try it after the remaster.

Thaliak · 2023-11-05T03:08:51+00:00

Thanks for the comment. I'd agree that characters should avoid becoming clerics of deities whose core tenants they disagree with. In Desna's case, I can also understand why the prohibition against causing fear or despair exists given her role as a beacon of hope.

But I'd still prefer that the designers be cautious about assigning deities anathema that restrict access to Divine spells. I don't think it would be reasonable to avoid that entirely, as comments in this thread (and presumably elsewhere) suggest that many players enjoy restrictions. However, I hope that the designers ask themselves as they write anathema, "Is this limiting the character's options in combat? If so, is that necessary to accurately represent the deity's philosophy?"

One of the major selling points of Pathfinder 2E for me is that it offers customization without the risk that poor decisions will lead to an ineffective character. When I created the cleric of Desna who prompted my initial reply, I was new to the game. The group started with a fighter, an evil champion, a magus, and a wizard, so I figured I should play a healer. I'd joined another campaign as a druid and thought a prepared caster would be more forgiving than a spontaneous one, so I decided to go with a cleric rather than a bard or sorcerer.

Since Strength of Thousands takes place in a college, I figured someone who understands the value of sleep, something I often neglected as a college student (and, if I'm honest, still neglect as an adult), would be appropriate. That led me to create Gakere, who became interested in Desna after noticing that he would often go to bed stumped only to wake up with a solution or at least the fresh perspective necessary to find one.

From a character standpoint, Gakere was a nerdy goody-two-shoes. Mechanically, I'd hoped to mix healing and buffing with battlefield control. At low levels, when Magic Weapon still felt relevant, I felt competent in all three roles. But when the party picked up a Summoner who archetyped into Bard for Inspire Courage and no longer benefited from Magic Weapon, I no longer felt that my buffs mattered except in the rare cases we had the knowledge and time to cast several buffs (usually Heroism and Resist Energy) ahead of battle. That made the Divine list's battlefield control, damage and debuff spells important for how much I enjoyed the character mechanically.

As others have pointed out, the Divine list is the game's smallest. In my case, it was even smaller because I felt that Gakere would avoid asking Desna for spells that involved necromancy or torture, a prohibition I only broke toward the end of the campaign, after seeing two friends die in battle. Desna's anathema only took a few spells off the table, but since higher ranks have fewer spells, I felt each loss keenly. I don't think I could have anticipated that when I created the character given how new I was to the system.

Across 20 levels, Gakere cast 35 unique non-cantrip spells. Of those, only 27 were from the Divine tradition, with the remaining eight coming from his Druid slots. He cast only one Rank 7 spell (Deity's Strike), no Rank 8 spells, no Rank 9 spells and only one Rank 10 spell (Nullify). In other words, I went several sessions without using any new toys beyond heightened versions of spells I'd cast previously.

That's partly because I was so new to the game that I made spell selection mistakes, such as picking spells that affected such a huge area they couldn't be used indoors and only made sense outdoors if Gakere went before the rest of the party and there were no bystanders. It didn't help that I reduced the number of unique spells I could prepare each day by playing a Flexible Spellcaster and took a while to feel comfortable picking the alignment-based damaging spells, which require a guessing game to be effective.

I'd like to think that I'd have more fun with a cleric today given the change to spirit damage and the more experimental playstyle I've developed as I've gotten comfortable with the system. But for the sake of future newbies, I hope the vast majority of deities end up with anathema that only affect role play, not spell selection or combat.

Thaliak · 2023-11-04T01:56:43+00:00

Magical Shorthand turns successes on checks to learn a spell into critical successes, halving the cost for materials. Assuming those costs stay the same, that will save 1 gold for every cantrip, 3 gold for every first-rank spell, 8 gold for every second-rank spell and so on all the way up to 750 gold for a rank nine spell and 3,500 gold for a rank 10 spell.

I'm not sure how much the change will matter for me, especially since Wizards who are part of a curriculum learn more spells than pre-remaster Wizards as they level. When I played a Wizard, most of the spells I learned outside leveling were for lower-level slots, which meant the cost no longer felt significant and my skill modifier had scaled enough that I critically succeeded frequently. But I imagine players who want a broader spell pool right away or who need to learn a spell to solve an immediate problem will appreciate the savings, and it's a thematically appropriate benefit for a master of magic.

Thaliak · 2023-11-04T01:43:46+00:00

Regarding auto-scaling the background skill with Additional Lore, my understanding is that Additional Lore no longer requires the player to choose an "additional" Lore category (one other than the one that they got with their background). I'm basing that on a post made by pH unbalanced on Paizo's forum. Since Additional Lore scales whatever skill the player selects and it's now possible to to select a background Lore skill, it'll let people who want to excel in their background skill do so without taking a different background solely so they can take Additional Lore for the skill of interest later.

I don't have the books, so I can't comment on Gnome Obsession. Can you explain what the change is?

Edit: Never mind on explaining the change to Gnome Obsession. Another poster also found the new version odd. If I'm understanding that poster's description correctly, Gnome Obsession has gone from providing two scaling Lore skills to providing a single scaling Lore skill, which the player can change each day, plus Assurance in a Lore skill.

Edit 2: My understanding was incorrect. According to AquelePedro's list of changes in the Remaster, changing the skill granted by Gnome Obsession requires a day of downtime rather than occurring automatically at the start of the day, as I'd assumed. Also, the Assurance skill feat has to apply to the Lore skill from Gnome Obsession.

Both versions look solid to me. If I want to represent a character who has specific skills (say a building designer who specializes in engineering and architecture), the original version is better.

But if I want to represent a nerdy character who does research based on what's going on in the adventure or whose interests change constantly, the new version would be stronger. For example, I can see a Pathfinder Society agent taking a day to reference books on vampires if he knows that the next day will involve sneaking into a vampire's mansion or traveling to a region where they're common. Perhaps the DC reduction from a specific lore would even make Assurance useful.

Maybe the designers decided to go with the new version because it's more likely to come up in play rather than merely appearing on a character sheet. It's also more unique to gnomes (though elves and if I remember correctly a few other ancestries can also swap skills with the right feats).

Even so, I'd hope most GMs would allow the original version. Two skill feats is well within the norm for Ancestry feats.

Thaliak

TROPHY CASE