On another board, someone mentioned they are planning a historical campaign based in Rome. I do not know if he plans on magic existing within the campaign world or not. However, I was curious how this might look if you used Pathfinder, but did not allow magic.
There certainly was mysticism in ancient Rome, so that would have to be accounted for. So what changes need to be made? If this is already covered in depth, just point me in the right direction.
Note: please do not tell me to just use another system. I am well aware of all the other wonderful RPGs out there. This is strictly an academic curiosity.
I may be running a one-on-one PbEM for someone using Golarion. What I am considering for an over-arching plot is that a Cult of Reason has sprung up. Power hungry men are using the frustration of the poor and downtrodden at unsympathetic gods. The argument will be that the gods abuse their power while millions suffer. Therefore, the gods are unworthy of worship.
Obviously, the gods would crush such a movement (well, maybe not obviously, but in my world they would) …unless one of the gods is secretly aiding it.
I would like to pick one god that is actively aiding this movement, things like actually granting spells to Clerics of this movement. Perhaps Calistria just for the trickery? I would also like at least one god 'duped' into helping the movement. Perhaps Calistria convinces Cayden Cailean that mortals should not only be free to choose which god they worship, they should be free to worship no god at all.
The new Marvel Super Hero game really put me off with its dice mechanics. It seems to me that every new system tries some new dice mechanic. I certainly appreciate trying new things. Change is good. But none of these new mechanics seem to add much except complication.
I have often thought of having a go at creating my own system. Until recently, I was convinced I would go with a percentage based system. Two dice, roll under…most everyone easily recognizes what their chances of success are instantly, lots of room for granularity. The only problem I foresee with percentage based is that beyond super human (100%) capabilities could be problematic. If someone is 10x stronger than a human, do you really want 1000s in a stat box?
Now you could do something hybrid, like everything above 100% goes into a special category and do Shift N, where Shift 1 is 5x as 100 and Shift 2 is 10x 1000, but there is that added complication again. And does anyone really want to roll under 10,000%?
More recently, I have been thinking that 2d6 is a nice sweet spot for mechanics. Most people can easily add 2d6, there is a bit of a bell curve so 2 and 12 do not show up as often. The cons, as I see it, is there is only so much granularity between 2 and 12. I have not even given thought to abilities beyond human. Would you add dice or just add bonuses where you are guaranteed a result between 12 and 24?
Enough rambling for a Friday morning. What are my fellow Paizoans' feelings on dice mechanics? What is your favorite and why? What is your least favorite and why? If you were to design your own game, what mechanic would you choose and why? Is there a place for loaded dice? The d12, anti-christ or misunderstood polyhedron?
Research designed to understand the effect of text messaging on language found that texting has a negative impact on people's linguistic ability to interpret and accept words.
My hat of l33t speak nose know bounds!!!1!!1shift+1
To my Punjabi brothers and sisters, Merry Lohri! May the coming year be full of good fortune. I hope your children get plenty of their favorite sweets.
No matter what the guy does, he gets blasted. I know this has happened to every president since that Washington guy. It just seems to me like it is even worse lately.
The local customs that define human cultures in important ways also exist in the ape world, suggests a study reported online June 7th in Current Biology, a Cell Press publication. Indeed, captive chimpanzees, like people, can readily acquire new traditions, and those newly instituted “cultural practices” can spread to other troops.
“We have robust evidence that in chimpanzees there is a considerable capacity for cultural spread of innovations,” said Dr. Andrew Whiten of the University of St. Andrews in Scotland. “This strengthens the interpretation of cases of behavioral diversity in the wild as socially transmitted traditions. Moreover, we have now shown that chimpanzees can sustain cultures that are made up of several traditions. This again is consistent with what is seen in the wild, where chimpanzees are thought to show up to 20 traditions that define their unique local culture.”
Documented examples of behavioral differences among chimpanzees in nature include various types of tool use, including hammers and pestles; social behaviors like overhead hand-clasping during mutual grooming; courtship rituals like leaf-clipping, in which leaves are noisily clipped with the teeth; and methods for eradicating parasites by either stabbing or squashing them. However, the idea that such behaviors constitute traditions passed on through observational learning “relies heavily on circumstantial evidence that alternative genetic or environmental explanations are implausible.”
Now, Whiten's international team, including colleagues in Scotland and others from Emory University’s Yerkes National Primate Research Center and the University of Texas, has tackled the question experimentally by “seeding” novel forms of tool use and food extraction in different captive chimpanzee communities.
Over time, the researchers saw ten of these new behaviors spread and become full-fledged, local traditions. As a result, the communities at Yerkes and the University of Texas now display their own unique cultures.
At the University of Texas, where several groups are next-door neighbors within eyeshot of each other, four of the new traditions proved catching. The learned foraging practices spread from one group to another, and then on to a third.
The findings have important implications for understanding the ability of primates to adapt over time.
“Social learning is important for evolutionary adaptation because it can be so much faster than that which occurs through genetic change; and, unlike learning by one’s own efforts—for example, by trial and error—it can be very efficient because one is standing on the shoulders of what previous generations achieved,” Whiten said.
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The researchers include Andrew Whiten and Antoine Spiteri of University of St Andrews in St Andrews, UK; Victoria Horner of University of St Andrews in St Andrews, UK and Emory University in Atlanta, GA; Kristin E. Bonnie and Frans B. M. de Waal of Emory University in Atlanta, GA; Susan P. Lambeth and Steven J. Schapiro of The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center in Bastrop, TX.
Studies reported here were supported by the BBSRC and Leverhulme Trust (UK), NIH grants to the Yerkes National Primate Research Center, and the Living Links Center of Emory University. AW was supported by a Royal Society Leverhulme Trust Senior Fellowship. The Bastrop colony is supported by NIH/NCRR through cooperative agreement with the NIH National Center for Research Resources.
Whiten et al.: “Transmission of Multiple Traditions within and between Chimpanzee Groups.” Publishing in Current Biology 17, 1–6, June 19, 2007. DOI 10.1016/j.cub.2007.05.031 www.current-biology.com
"Take your filthy paws off me, you damn, dirty ape!"
Name my wizard Boomie.
Create a dual wielding Drow.
Play a Kender.
Give my Orcish Fighter the tagline: "Orc smash!"
Stop combat in order to debate my character's motivation.
Spike the Game Master's root beer.
Play a Dwarf with a Scottish accent.
Do you have strong feelings about it? I find it irritating. In these financially difficult times, it seems to me, an uncouth American, that the monarchy is a parasite on the people of Britain.
In her four-page arrest warrant, police say McDowell stole up to $15,686 in educational services from the city of Norwalk -- the documented average cost for educating a child in 2010.
Can I sue my school for $15,000 if I can prove my daughter did not receive an average education?
Recent events, such as earthquakes in Japan, New Zealand and Haiti, are harbingers of impending doom, he says, as are changing social values. "All the stealing, and the lying, and the wickedness and the sexual perversion that is going on in society is telling us something," he says. "So too is the gay pride movement. It was sent by God as a sign of the end."
Right, 'cause there have never been earthquakes, changing social values and gays before.
I wonder if Mr. Camping would be willing to bet me that $120m the world will end.
Critics point out that this isn't the first time Mr Camping has predicted the second coming.
Oopsies. Maybe he should call it a Theory of the Coming of the End.
Mr Camping's argument has convinced Adam Larsen, 32, from Kansas.
The human bounds of gullibility shock me every day.
My thoughts go out to the Libyan people. I truly hope they can achieve their freedom. I wish our government would do something to help them. I do not know what. We are in the middle of a financial crisis and fighting two wars, not to mention meddling in other countries' politics. Still, I wish there were something we could do.
Previously, I certainly considered myself patriotic. I served my country in the Armed Forces. I was even in Military Intelligence, which I expect, would have and even higher number of people with a strong sense of patriotism. After all, you must be willing to do things which can, sometimes, be considered morally questionable (spying and all that it entails) by merit of believing your side is in the right.
As I have gotten older, I have wondered if patriotism is all it is cracked up to be.
Patriotism is often an arbitrary veneration of real estate above principles. --George Jean Nathan
It seems a common theme in some circles to somehow suggest an opponent is inferior by questioning their patriotism. "Why do you hate America?" This accusation often times has little to no relevance to the issue or the particular stance on that issue.
Besides, it seems to me possible one could be unpatriotic without hating one's country. One could feel that no one country is above the others.
What exactly does patriotism mean and why is it something to strive for?
In an upcoming campaign, I am considering playing a Cleric who focuses on healing. I am looking for suggestions on how to get the most healing out of my Cleric…or another class if there is one that does better at healing.
I am running an Avatar: The Last Airbender campaign for my daughter and I was going to use some published D&D material. I did not watch all of the episodes, so I was wondering if anyone might be able to suggest a good substitute for goblins. If not, I will fall back on low level Fire Nation thugs.
I have seen a lot of hostility towards fellow gamers recently. No worse than back in the edition wars, but I had no horse in that race. This hostility has angered me and even made me question why I continue to frequent this board. I seem to be in a very small minority on the Paizo boards and I sometimes wonder if I have a place here.
This is not a long, angry rant where I tell everyone I am leaving. No, this is my attempt to offer my own perspective to those I disagree with. Those of you who already agree with me do not need convincing or maybe will enjoy a fresh take on this.
I was reading a post on Gnome Stew titled 'Why Do You GM'. There is some good stuff in the article, but something caught my interest that was not really all that related to the point the author was trying to make.
I made all the rookie mistakes.
Who hasn't? Show of hands…honestly…how many of you sprang from beneath a rock, fully formed and a perfect table-mate at any RPG?
Thought so. We all made mistakes. We all continue to make mistakes. Even the most heinous. GMNPC, I am looking at you. So what gives any of us the right to throw the first stone? If you had been chastised as ruthlessly as I have seen here when you took your first fumbling steps in gaming, would you have continued? Or would you have turned your back on yet another self-serving, elitist clique that thought they were better than you?
I am not suggesting we just let such offenses go. But I do think we need some restraint and more encouragement to our neophyte brethren. If you want to grow the hobby, do not look to the publishers, look to your own table. Have you shut the door of opportunity in the face of a potential new player or did you welcome them in with open arms and gentle guidance?
I have never been a fan of writing down every mundane piece of equipment a character possessed either as a Player or a GM. I realize in a dungeon crawl, it becomes very important to know what items are on hand.
"I mean, if we only had a wheelbarrow, that would be something."
And then there is always the gearing up right before the big infiltration. For me, this just brings the game to a screeching halt. What do you think? Do you like the level of detail? Does it give the game verisimilitude? Do shopping sprees offer opportunity for interesting role play? Or is most of this a waste of table time?
Some newer games gloss over equipment. Counting coins is an option you have to add into True20. In my next game, I am considering adopting a rule that the characters have whatever reasonable item they ask for as a default assumption. Instead of listing out the ten foot pole, I will assume they geared up before heading out. If, as a plot device, I want them to be without a particular item, I will offer some kind of reward for this GM fiat. Since I will most likely be using Mutants & Masterminds, Hero Points are made for this sort of thing.
But, being a poodle, I can not stick with one religion (or non-religion) for longer than five minutes. So I wanted to start a thread for discussion about Taoism.
The Internet Sacred Text Archive is a good place for some Daoist/Taoist reading. I had a hard time following a lot of this stuff.
Someone also pointed me towards 365 Tao Meditations which I check out nearly daily. Some things here I flat out disagree with, but I think that is to be expected. My understanding is that Daoism/Taoism recognizes that not everyone's path will be the same.
Oh! My five minutes are up. Time to start another thread on which is the appropriate Skill when someone wants to go to the bathroom in Pathfinder. I am leaning towards Survival, but I will entertain Craft if anyone can put forth a good case.
"Hatred does not cease through hatred at any time. Hatred ceases through love. This is an unalterable law." --Buddha
Today I found:
"We must always seek to ally ourselves with that part of the enemy that knows what is right." --Mahatma Gandi
In light of these quotes, and others, I have decided to declare today no negativity day for myself. I will do my best not to do anything 'negative', say anything 'negative' and, as much as is practical, not to think anything 'negative'.
Chalk this up as yet another stunt for the poodle to get more attention if you will.
I encourage anyone else who feels moved by the above quotes, thinks this a worthwhile experiment or even just mildly amused/curious to also make today a no negativity day.
One of my favorite games I discovered on another forum…
You are BANNED! Teter has granted you the ban hammer to wield as you see fit. You only have to give a reason, and it does not even have to be a valid reason. So ban the poster above you 4eva!!!
CourtFool is banned for humping one too many legs.
Back in the day, Hilton's excuses were more creative. In 2007, she supported a petition directed to California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger asking that she be pardoned from her 45-day jail sentence for violating the terms of her probation by driving with a suspended license. Why? Because, the petition said, Hilton provides "beauty and excitement to (most of) our otherwise mundane lives."
I often find inspiration for adventures from Wikipedia. According to that website, today, in 1561, an 18-year-old Mary, Queen of Scots, returns to Scotland after spending 13 years in France.
Here is my challenge to you, my fellow Paizoans. Turn this bit of trivia into an adventure. It does not have to be a Fantasy adventure. You do not have to stick strictly to it. Take as much creative license as you please. Just try to maintain the theme.
