It has recently been brought to my attention that I am more known for the things I hate than anything else. It has lead many to believe that there is nothing more to me than my vast, vast stores of Haterade(tm) and maybe a few captured clones running around the place. This is untrue, however- I have so much love to give! Therefore, I have decided to make this thread. Every day between now and the 21st(whichi s my birthday, I originally planned to post this yesterday but I had work), I will post a short soliloquy about something I love!
Day 1- Wine
Despite being a consumer and purveyor of Haterade(tm), I do enjoy the occasional *ahem* adult beverage. While I do enjoy wine in both the red and white variety, my personal favorite is something I made myself years ago while living with my roomies. Here is the recipe...
1941(Like the video game!)
1 part soy milk(vanilla or unflavored)
1 part seltzer
1/4 to 1/2 part Jack Daniels(stuff can be strong and throw off the flavor)
A goodly amount of caramel syrup(as much as you like, be careful not to oversweeten)
Mix with a hand blender and you're done!
Next up: Women
Day 2(to catch up)- Women
While I do indeed love women, this thread isn't about my sexual preferences and proclivities. Instead, I will talk about my love for women in gaming. As some of you may already know, I do my best to keep at least one all-female gaming group going, and I am currently preparing for yet another game this Sunday. I feel it is very important to increase the amount of women in gaming, and make the ones already there feel comfortable- many female gamers I have met have stated they feel more comfortable gaming with at least one more woman around the table. The game I have going now is a Darklight Sisterhood game, both all-female and a non-good game to boot. I do hope Paizo puts out a non-good adventure path sometime soon, but that's another story. I do love seeing a wider variety of faces around the game table- not just in race, but in sex as well.
This thread will be used to put jot down happenings during the game, quotes, character deaths, what have you. I'm not sure how into this my players will be(not all have Paizo.com accounts), but I'm hoping they'll join in! For any who happen to be watching/reading along, keep in mind that there will also be a lot of chatter(hopefully) about the house rules I'm using, which are being tested out during this adventure but are primarily for use in my own campaign setting, Freehold! The Saga of Wune, which is a 3.5 homebrew. Some may question to validity of testing out 3.5 house rules in a Kingmaker/Pathfinder game, but I've been chomping at the bit to run Kingmaker for a while now, and I figure why the hell not?
We should start playing tonight and the first posts will probably show up around tomorrow morning sometime(unless someone says something REALLY funny).
I was going to put this in another thread, but I think this deserves it's own topic. To sum up my situation...
Spoiler:
Sunday was the Darklight Sisterhood game and it was a frustrating one- PC paranoia regarding the item they are supposed to be transporting back to Cheliax has reached an all time high, as they refuse to leave it, yet complain about carrying it with them wherever they go. Apparently they feel someone is going to steal it from right under their noses the instant someone isn't sleeping on it(it's a table). At one point in the evening one of the PCs finally caught on that they had given their pursuers the slip, and was ready to move on with the adventure, but the path they had chosen was rather spartan(in the middle of the desert), so there really wasn't much of anythign to do. By that time in the evening, we were all full of food, and all of the gamers save one had some type of injury or malady so everyone was cranky, and we ended the game for the evening. I would understand if there were assassins following them at every turn, but the party has done an EXCELLENT job giving the Pathfinder society a whole as a laugh, and even got to enjoy some hospitality at the hands of someone who worked for them who, for a minute there, thought they actually WERE Pathfinders(and could have even hookwinked away one or more artifacts from him if they kept up the ruse, they were rolling well when it came to social events). But no, the table is somehow attracting eyes everywhere, holding them back in combat(it really isn't, they've SLAUGHTERED[quite cruelly, I might add...evil party] the one group of people who came looking for them and have defeated every monster they met by chance), and a pain to carry around(the party sorceress uses floating disk to carry it about, and the party cleric, a halfling, sits on it to enjoy the free ride). For god's sake it's JUST A TABLE! No, they can't shrink it(it's a depowered artifact, so it's resistant to shrink item) and the bag of holding they have isn't made for carrying furniture, but there's no need to panic over it- it's an inanimate object and not going to run away, nor is anyone going to steal it- it's a table and you'd need a couple of people to carry it!!!!
So, does anyone have any ideas on what to do? AM I being unreasonable or is this just rampant metagaming(two players feel I'll have someone steal it from them the instant they turn their back, like when Homer had a huge sugar pile in the backyard on the Simpsons)?
It seems that we are in the midst of a bit of a quandry on these boards- you can't throw a stone without hitting a topic on how someone should and shouldn't play a character, or things that went wrong in games because of power-mad DMs or XP-hungry players. However, I do not think this is because of any one thing anyone is doing wrong or right, just that gaming styles differ between individuals, sometimes wildly so. So, how do YOU play this game of ours?
This thread isn't necessarily for listing all of your house rules alphabetically or your skippy lists(although you can do that if you wish), just to give a brief synopsis of your dos and don'ts in a game, from either side of the DM screen.
I don't know if this is in the tradition of fantasy football or what, but I just remembered how much fun I had with this on another board I used to be a member of years and years and years ago. I don't recall the exact rules, but I think the only hard ones was no crossovers(no mixing your DC with your Marvel, or even companies that are subsidiaries of the big two), no multis(two people being on a team at the same time, as Wolverine humorously pointed out in a recent issue of the Avengers. Wolverine. On the Avengers. No. Just no.) and no homebrewed teams or characters(Sorry Eileen). There used to be a rule against obscure teams, but that one fell by the wayside when it was discovered just how many Alpha Flight/New Warriors/Defenders fans there were out there.
Most recently it came to my attention that the Darklight Sisterhood was not going to be included in the Faction Guide for Pathfinder. At first I thought it was a mere oversight, and that this amazing collection of anti-heroines would be fully detailed in Faction Guide 2: Electric Boogaloo. I and a few others voiced our concerns in the thread for the Faction Guide only to discover that the Sisterhood would not be appearing in Faction Guide 2, Faction Guide 3: The Search for Spock, or even Faction Guide 4: The Quest for Peace. The Sisterhood was being dropped as an idea, as it was considered too simplistic and did not fit into the direction that Pathfinder was going in the future. They were even described as a gaggle of ditzes at one point.
As I am running a monthly(all girl, mind) Darklight Sisterhood game, this hurt. However, all those parties interested in going ahead with their ideas for the Sisterhood were given the green light to keep developing it in the boundless realm of Fanon(located just down the hall from Xanadu and across the street from Neverland). It is in this spirit that this thread came to be.
Below is a direct cut and paste of something I put together for my Darklight Sisterhood game. It considers the Sisterhood an affiliation, and since I didn't get to make more than a passing glance at the rules for affiliations, I'm sure there are things in it that are going to be off- either too weak or waaaaaay too powerful for some. So give me some feedback/critiques, etc. And by all means, post your own versions of the Sisterhood- it's in the hands of the fans now...
The Darklight Sisterhood
Alignment: Neutral, with Neutral Evil tendencies
Headquarters:
Leader: The Grand Mere, a group of successful sisters who have retired from active adventuring. The group currently has a dozen members.
Prominent Members:
Scope: Safehouses are located all over Cheliax, and a few sympathetic Paramours can be found in wealthy cities in other countries.
Resources: Considerable due to a number of advantageous marriages both in and out of Cheliax. See affiliation scores for more information.
Affiliation Score
3 or lower: Paramour (if male) or Cousin (if female): Those lucky enough to have attracted the Sisterhoods interest are being sized up for membership, a potential tryst, or perhaps both. Men never progress past the level of Paramour, however, they are often strung along with promises of greater levels of influence, eventually being married off to a retiring Sister either as a reward for exemplary service or as a last-ditch effort to keep from losing a wealthy patron (in either case, their money is used to fund Sisterhood activities). Cousins are given a few menial tasks to determine their loyalty and utility, those who are seriously considered for membership are hazed- the current ordeal is to wear garish parodies of the latest Chelaxian fashions in day to day life- and is to obey a sister without question yet within reason, as they wish to keep future family relations cordial.
4-10: Sworn Sister: At this rank, the prospect takes an oath and officially discards her last name in a private ceremony performed by their sponsor under the observation of one or more of the Belle Mere. She is now a member of the family until death or dishonor (which always leads to death). She is given official missions of up to middling importance, and usually operates under the auspices (although rarely direct observation) of her sponsor. She receives a +2 bonus to all Perception checks, one Knowledge skill, and one other Skill that she already has ranks in. She also receives 1000 gold in “pin money” (or an item of equal value) after the ceremony.
11-20: Scandalous Sister: At this rank, the sister has probably had a few successful forays into the field, publically shown up (or privately eliminated) a member of the Pathfinder Society, or is milking a would-be Paramour for the benefit of the family. She may gather a number of Cousins (either Rog 1 or Wiz 1) equal to her Charisma modifier (if positive) for hazing and private use, and can suggest missions to the Belle Mere. +2 to either Bluff or Diplomacy checks, +2 to Survival or Heal checks, and +2 to Appraise or any one Knowledge skill of their choice regardless of whether or not they possess ranks in it. They can also borrow up to 2,500 gold pieces in assets from the organization. The money must be paid back(or item[s] returned) within a month.
21-29 Sister Superior: At this rank the sister has made a name for herself within the Darklight Sisterhood. More than a few members of the Pathfinder Society have been discredited or have met with mysterious ends as a result of her machinations, and she probably has more than one serious Paramour. The number of Cousins she may call upon increases to 1d6+her Charisma modifier (if positive), she may also sponsor worthy Cousins for Sisterhood. She can also send Sworn Sisters on missions without the Belle Mere’s permission (although not necessarily their knowledge, Scandalous Sisters have the right to refuse these missions, though few do). The Sister receives a +2 inherent bonus on any Save of her choosing and can borrow any magical item up to a +2 bonus in value or up to 5,000 pieces of gold from a secret Abadaran account into which Sisters the world over deposit money grifted from their Paramours, or assets of equal value from the organization. She has up to three months to return the item, refund the money, or relinquish the assets.
30+: Belle Mere: A sister no more, at this rank the character is inducted into the secretive Belle Mere order. She has probably married one (or more!) of her Paramours, and has retired from active adventuring as the Pathfinder Society considers her a “person of interest” in the disappearance of several Pathfinders. She can assign a number of Sisters of any rank equal to her Charisma modifier +1d8 to go into the field in her stead. She can command any reasonable number of Cousins to attend her as a personal guard/escort, and can lead the ceremony that promotes them to full members of the Darklight Sisterhood. At this rank, the Belle Mere can cast charm person (DC 20) a number of times per day equal to her Charisma modifier(minimum of once per day) as a supernatural ability. While it is considered rather bad taste to use this ability against fellow Sisters, she faces no real repercussions for doing so. She also receives a +2 bonus to any one ability score, can borrow any magical item worth up to a +3 bonus indefinitely (+4 and greater must be returned within a year; though she can keep the item if she pays for it), and can withdraw up to 10,000 gold pieces from the aforementioned Abadaran account, which must be returned within half a year. She has unlimited access to any and all non-monetary assets of the Sisterhood, including clothes, land, and titles.
Executive Powers: Assassinate, Gift, Research, Shadow War
More or less exactly what the title suggests, this thread is for putting up ideas specifically for feedback from other writers, both published and not, as well as feedback from those who just enjoy seeing how the minds of others work. This really isn't for arguing game mechanics or things like that, although it may come up during the posts. Just put up an idea that you're mulling, perhaps some of the feedback will help you get past that block you've been dealing with for the past few weeks/months/uncomfortably long period of time you do not wish to quantify.
Good afternoon all. This thread is based off of an idea I mulled over with a friend of mine last night who also didn't make it in this year. It's an aside to the contest where others can post their non-submissions and recieve criticism and feedback whilst creating a bit of a portfolio for themselves. Who knows, maybe it'll turn a few heads.
The next stage was supposed to be one for creating a new type of monster, so we'll start there. Of course, people still competiting in RPG Superstar should NOT post here until they are *gulp* eliminated. I'm hoping everyone gets behind the spirit of this thread, and I am very much looking forward to seeing what people come up with!
I'm sure we've all faced the occasional animated object masquerading as something else before, but I'm wondering if it's possible to pull off the poor man's golem or the unturnable skeleton. Can one make an animated object out of something other than tables, chairs, and the occasional pair of m'lady's unmentionable?
Has anyone picked this up yet? I would have a copy in my hands right now, but all the bookstores I went to have yet to take them out of storage and put them on the floor.
Hey everyone, it's taken me a while, but I've finally put together a homebrewed adventure for Pathfinder. I am looking for no more than 5 people (since I have one already confirmed). We will be gaming about once every 20 days (which averages out to three times every two months) a few blocks down from Compleat Strategist on 34th, close to the Lowes' Theatre. We are considering running this game on Wednesdays and will need players who are serious and consistant regarding their game attendance.
Adventure Overview:
About five years ago, the City At the Center of the World recieved it's newest curiosity- a Garundi nobleman by the name of Haloush. He slowly became a source of amusement as he cultivated a reputation for always betting on the wrong horse: each and everyone one of his business ventures failed. The silks he attempted to ship from Tian came in boxes that were poorly waterproofed. The antiques he procured from Osirion ended up being nothing more than crates of brightly colored sand. His foray into selling magical items almost got him killed as a host of irate customers bearing cursed items stormed his home demanding compensation. At the end of his rope, he was forced to sell his original estate and move into a smaller one in a shady part of town- and in sight of the Puddles, no less. However, not all of his investments have been fruitless- a few months ago he got caught up in a fad that saw the well-to-do outfitting young adventurers with quality equipment in the name of helping the less fortunate achieve their goals- and the PCs were Haloush's charity case. Now he has sent you a summons, requesting your presence at his manor to discuss an expedition to far off Alkenstar...
Character Creation:
Allowed Races: All Pathfinder Beta.
Allowed Classes: All Pathfinder Beta.
Allowed Alignments: Any save Chaotic Evil.
Starting Level: 1.
Stats Generation: Roll 4d6 7 times, each time dropping the lowest die and then dropping the lowest score overall. Arrange scores to taste. Each player will then have 1d3 bonus points to distribute amongst their stats.
Hit Points: Hit points will be determined using the "Constitution" method as described in the Pathfinder Beta book.
I just finished reading the Hedge Knight 1 and 2, and all of KenzerCo's D&D comics and the Ptolus comic. I have to wonder- when is Paizo putting out a comic for Golarion?!?!?
They're back, and more like a fantasy adventuring party than ever before. This book is full of action and the one liners had me ROLLING. I strongly suggest this book- it may just get you reading marvel regularly again.
Just wondering. The arrival of 4th ed has made many people(myself included) worry as to the fate of their homebrews, and I think it would be a great idea to provide a place for them to quiver in fear or defiance. Who's with me?
I just got back from I-Con in Stonybrook, NY with a whole bunch of shiny new dice and funky DM toys! I finally picked up a pair of hourglasses for use in game(a 60 second one and a three minute one- no more metagaming when I'm timing my players), and the dice are fun for DMing purposes because they randomize NPC attitude, race, class, and alignment on both the law-chaos and good-evil axises, and hit location! On a roll, I went on to amazon.com and picked up the first of the old Sword and Sorcery Dungeon Counters- I'm officially ready for my next session! Does anyone else have any fun DM-only toys out there?
Okay, I know it's a "dead world" *shuddering at the term*, but I'd like to see a few adventures that take place there. Isn't that where Lolth got her start?
Just wondering. I got into a huge debate about this the other day with a player in one of my games. While I think the Warlock is ingenious, and the Hexblade is pretty much okay, I truly can't stand any of the others- in my opinion they are trying too hard to replace the originals. Am I biased? Uninformed? Old-fashioned?
Monster tokens, that is. I just got that new-fangled dungeon map thingie and I love it- does anyone know where I can get the paper(possibly printed out) monster/hero tokens that were in the backs of a few dungeon magazines way back when? Are there PDFs available?
Hey! It turns out the original thread was lost, so I'm picking where I left off with Savage Tide Player's Guide Conversions. Mebbe if the original post is ever found, I'll merge everything into one easy to read thread.
Savage Tide Player’s Guide Conversion
Okay…more than a few days late, but here’s the next step- the conversion of the Player’s Guide.
In Pyrespace, Azure District is not merely the gateway to the rest of the world- it is the city’s main Spelljamming hub. The Islarns have lost interest in Quelya moreso than in Sasserine, having left the planet for greener pastures. Keltar is eagerly awaiting the return of one of his younger children or older grandchildren to become the new harbormaster. Furthermore, the exotic pets available through the black market are decidedly more amphibious- the vipers are instead anacondas, the dire bat becomes a dire sea turtle, and the leopard is instead a sea lion.
In Greyspace, Captain Shadwik knows that some of the ships that dock in Sasserine to trade at the behest of the Vanderborens are “queer”- made of a thick wood that can handle the rigors of the void- but he knows nothing of spelljamming.
The Water Rat feat is unchanged.
Pyrespace Champion’s District sports more lithe retiari and beastari than muscle bound bastard sword wielding butchers. There is no Scarlet Brotherhood here, although a group of deranged fanatics who believe themselves the heirs of Arcane can be used in their stead- especially if they worship Wee Jas.
In Greyspace, the Scarlet Brotherhood has known of Spelljamming for quite some time, but the Sasserine chapter has not has much luck in procuring a helm. They would be quite interested in any information on the worlds beyond, and are not afraid of using violence to obtain this information although it would be a last resort- they do not wish to discredit the Scarlet Embassy.
In both settings, the latter part of the Arena Blood feat (+2 bonus on grapple checks, sunder attempts, trip attempts, bull rush attempts and disarm attempts) only activates on a spelljamming (or mundane) vessel if the character who has it is a captain fighting in front of their crew. The Steadfast Loyalty feat is also shared amongst crew members if a captain has it and is within sight of his crew.
In Pyrespace, the suspicion people have in Cudgel District only applies to offworlders or known spelljammers- they are more tolerant of those who explore Quelya. The Greyspace version is also unchanged, although any characters who become known spelljammers (or to associate with known spelljammers) are likely to be run out of the district. The Church of the Whirling Fury will keep a VERY close eye on them so long as they are in Sasserine, and may even manipulate events to have them arrested on trumped-up charges, although not necessarily killed.
The Suspicious Eye feat is unchanged.
Merchant’s District is the Vanderborens home in either setting and changes the least as a result. In Pyrespace, Lady Anwyn Aralani is obsessed with mythical aquatic elves as opposed to drow. In Greyspace, the setting is unchanged. In both settings, the benefits of the Merchant’s Tongue feat can rise as high as 20% when selling Sasserine items off-world or vice versa.
Noble District in Pyrespace is largely unchanged, save that Kira Willlowtop also sells space charts in addition to their aquatic counterparts, and Zebula Meravanchi imports exotica from off-world. The House of the Dragon takes a dim view of spelljamming which is encouraged by elements in Cudgel District, although the black sheep evokers and transmuters of the college often find employment on a Spelljamming vessel quite readily.
The Greyspace Noble District is unchanged, save that Kira and Zebula would pay through the nose for space charts and flora and fauna from other worlds respectively.
The Academy Graduate feat is unchanged, although it must be stressed that in possessing the Knack for Magic feat in Greyspace is not enough to propel a spelljamming vessel- one still needs to be a spellcaster in order to do so.
Shadowshore is more than it seems in either setting. In Pyrespace, few spelljammers advertise their occupation in the district unless they are in the employ of Vico Bevenin (or to a lesser extent, Emil Drackus). The novice Lotus Dragons occasionally serve as muscle for these powerful men, and easily find legitimate work as hands on vessels in their employ.
In Greyspace, Shadowshore is as presented, save Vico Bevenin has recently discovered that has recently discovered that the Vanderborens are former spelljammers, but is at a loss as to what to do with this information since he lacks a helm. He has hired enterprising members of the Lotus Dragons to get close to Vanthus to learn something of the family secret. He does not know of the Scarlet Embassy/Brotherhood’s interest in spelljamming.
The Child of the Shadow feat works both on- and off-world, and the combat applications apply in the tight quarters of a spelljamming or seafaring vessel.
Finally, Sunrise District. As I have recently procured Dragon #348, I will address the affiliations in the next post. The district itself changes little, save that in Pyrespace the plantation owners have their plantations off-world as far as Verdura, and Aniphastus Knowlern knows that certain elements amongst the nobility of Verdura conspired to have the Vanderborens assassinated.
In Greyspace, the plantations are obviously on Oerth, and Knowlern knows that the Vanderborens were once spelljammers, although he is not one himself nor is he associated with the Imperial Elven Navy.
The +2 bonus provided by the Student of Nature feat applies to attacks from creatures of the aquatic subtype in Pyrespace. It is unchanged in Greyspace.
Has anyone else discovered how wonderful these books are? This guy has breathed new life into an unexplored part of ansalon- these two books are so good, I've gone on e-bay to get the old Taladas boxed set. Even if you don't care too much for the Heroes of the Lance, check these books out- I can't wait for the last part of this trilogy!
PC's often meet strange fates- imprisonments(which happened to my character tonight- deck of many things...*sigh*), implosions, drowning, being stepped on by a creature several times larger than it, etc- that often result in the end of that character's career. This greatly upset me as a novice and journeyman player, but nowadays I actually get excited about a character's demise- it often results in strange new adventures. Am I alone in thinking this? I think I saw a topic like this not too long ago, so I apologize if I'm beating a dead horse, but I can't help but wonder how the party is going to fair without me and how they are going to get me back...
The only question is...what does he look like? While I LOVED the way half dragons looked way back when they were first introduced in Council of Wyrms(which I still love- humans being somewhat...evil? GREAT!), things have changed a lot since then. There was an old issue of Dragon that I have somewhere in my pile that delved deeply into half dragons and their issues socially, and also a page in the back that went over the myriad of possible half dragon appearances. But as more and more material comes out, I've noticed that half dragons look increasingly static- a reptillian humanoid with a dragon's head. Did I miss something, or is this what they're supposed to look like now? I'm having a lot of trouble coming up with stuff for them in my homebrew....
Yeah, I'm going there. I think this adventure path is just the shot in the arm Pyrespace(from Spelljammer: Shadow of the Spider Moon) needs to get more people into it! Is anyone with me? I'll start working on stuff asap.
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