Fun fact: an adult copper dragon has unlimited Grease, Hideous Laughter, Ghost Sound and Stone Shape. They are also trap masters and their breath weapon Slows. YFW you realize an adult copper dragon's lair is a CR12 funhouse.
Inspired by reading of a certain game that has the initials "DW" and it's "you succeed but there are consequences", I sat down to drink bourbon and consider the ramifications for PF. I passed out and hit my head on the keyboard, and when I'd woken, my forehead had typed this: - Raise a Level - Attribute Check - You were right all along! You knew it! That thing your mentor told you about now clicks in your head! You have an insight! Eureka! - Go up one level. Relevant XP necessary. 3 days training. Required for gaining level 10 or higher. - Training montage - Attribute Check - spend your time studying your magic, defenses and attacks. +2 "going forward" (meaning +2 to spend on your next Skill Check or Attack Roll). 3 days training minimum. - Build Reputation - Diplomacy Skill Check - Do small local quests and jobs to build a reputation with the locals. Gain a +2 on all Social Checks on your next visit to the city. 3 days minimum. - Gather Intelligence - Stealth or Diplomacy Skill Check - Watch or interact with local officials and important persons to gain a +4 on your next Knowledge Skill Check relating to local events. Gain a +2 on a Social Skill Check while interacting with locals. 3 days minimum. - Earn A Living - Craft, Knowledge or Perform Skill Check - You can earn half your profession checks roll in gold per week of work. - Drinking and Whoring - Diplomacy or Intimidation Skill Check - You uphold your reputation as an adventurer by spending money in the way everyone else wishes they could. Gain +2 on all Social Skill Checks on your next visit to the city. - Gambling - Diplomacy or Bluff Skill Check - Gain a +3 on all Social Skill Checks on your next visit to that particular establishment, and +1 on all Social Skill Checks in that part of town. Cost = 300gp. To earn money through gambling, see "Earn a Living" as Profession: Gambler. - Vigilantism - Stealth or Performance or Intimidation Skill Check - Build a reputation and an identity as a masked crusader for justice! (It's the latest thing). +5 to Fame for each week spent crusading. How Skill Checks work in Downtime: A Downtime Skill Check is a single roll of a d20 + relevant skill modifier.
A Downtime Attribute Check is a single roll of a d20 + relevant attribute bonus.
Ask the player how the background of conflict fits into an adventurer's story, especially since the civil war doesn't figure in your campaign. Often, it's just that simple. Still, many of the player's feats and skills and professions can reflect a background from a nation in conflict. Profession-soldier, for example. An Iron Will can reflect some family he has to go back for one day. etc. Maybe if he seeks vengeance against some army captain who burned down his town and slew his family, you could drop a rumor that said villain is living in/has been seen in/has been stirring up trouble in, a town that is on the way to where the adventurer's are headed. Vengeance Sidequest!
Devargo is a great low-level villain. As such, he's useful to those in the government (and noble families) as they give him permission to run his little feifdom down at the dock, and he provides them with information and occasional vice. The constabulary love villains like him because they have someone they can hold accountable if crime ever gets out of hand. He's an "unofficial lord" as it were. Let Devargo carry on his business, but getting captured by PC's is embarrassing to those in power, as they can't pretend to ignore him if too much public attention is drawn. He'd surely let the PC's know if debts got called-in and powerful sponsors don't want any more foul ups.
I say "fie" to both Orfamay and Claxon. FIE! I say! This is an excellent way to tell a tale and involve the players. One just has to do it in a way that engages the players in a fun way. Idea: The artifact sits in a ceremonial room on an altar where motes of light dance over it in a spectacular and fascinating way. Very magical scene. On the way in, there were interesting encounters in a temple environment where there were interesting bas relief murals upon the walls depicting an ancient people's beliefs, history and way of life. Anyone who approaches the artifact appears to get "zapped", disappears, and reappears a few seconds later either having lived an interesting experience, or weak and nearly unconscious from some traumatic event. Most treasure hunters leave the temple to tell the tale. Here's the deal: The ancient peoples to whom this artifact belonged were very religious (like Egypt-level religious). The stars and the constellations and movement of the planets were important in their religion, as were certain important leaders, discoverers and heroes. The murals should reveal this through a series of [Knowledge Checks]. The motes of light above the artifact move to depict various constellations in the sky (according to this ancient culture). There are dozens of possible patterns. Only when the altar is approached during a specific constellation does the artifact allow itself to be touched without consequence. The consequences however, are not all dire. Through the use of a [Maze] spell, certain chapters of the people's history can be told, like that episode of Star Trek TNG where Picard lives out decades of his life on another planet in just a few moments of time. Hehe. The wrong constellation: The PC's in the room are transported via [Maze] to an ancient battlefield where they are part of an army taking on waves of terrifying undead soldiers led by a powerful overlord. They must slay the overlord to be free of the endless battle. If any fall in battle, they take 1d6 Wisdom damage upon their return, but otherwise suffer no real physical harm. [Knowledge Check] on murals: Reveals two or three scenes where certain constellations were in the skies over important events. If the players approach at THESE times, they can see and hear the words and deeds of certain important individuals -- a heroine, an inventor, a great leader who led them to freedom. Armed with this information, the PC's can put together the story of the people who built the temple, and find which of the temple's murals (use a symbol like a crown or two crossed swords or something -- just one amongst dozens of symbols in the temple) has the scene they're looking for; in that scene, there will be stars in the sky depicting the correct constellation by which to approach the altar. Additional fun: when the altar is approached at the last, the PC's are transported to the time and place where the artifact played an important role, and the actual historical figure will give it to them if they show the proper respect (much like Percival retrieving the Holy Grail in Excalibur).
The fighter kicks the door open... This is already better than some of the Pathfinder novelizations. Anyway, yeah. Fighters are badass. Trouble with discussing them online [versus casters], is those casters tend to be "quantum casters", i.e., whoever is arguing for them assumes they have the most useful spell for any given situation at-the-ready and that everyone fails their saving throws.
I would change Pathfinder back to a roleplaying game from the battle-game it's become.
Continual frustration and ragequitting are not things to enjoy with your friends. Play a simple game like Crypt of the Everflame. It's a beginner module designed to get players working with clues and helping one another. If they're not into it, then do other things. Gaming shouldn't be work. A lifetime of gaming has taught me that it's all about the company you keep, not the game you're playing.
Take it from a gamer whose gamer group has moved a couple of decades down the road: enjoy gaming for the togetherness and escape from day-to-day concerns. Everyone at the table is just another gamer and we're all there to have a good time.
Our group's policy: Bringing in a new character (due to death or switcheroo or whatever) means that new character is 1 level lower than the lowest at the table. Everyone is 10th level? Your new character is bottom of 9th level. It lends some consequences to death without being soul-crushing, and discourages the revolving door. It's also fair to the players who have kept their characters alive.
I think the logical dysfunction here comes from the fact any spell appearing on some non-wizard's spell list is by definition, not a wizard spell. When a cleric casts Plane-Shift, he's casting a divine version of plane-shift, and one given to him by his deity. Now...getting snotty with "why can't you read?" replies overlooks the fact that what I just wrote it how the "yes" crowd is reading the rules. So there it is. Jacob makes a fine argument, as PFS seems to be the watermark of the wider game. I'm open to an FAQ ruling.
It's as Wraithstrike said: You can evade so long as you're not helpless. Even a tanglefoot bag and quicksand do not render a character helpless, so this is one of those things where the rules abut common sense. I've learned to simply nod and move on with the game.
Sword of the Narwhal When used underwater, the wielder of this sword gains waterbreathing and move 60'. They can also make a charge attack by holding the pommel of the sword against their forehead. If they damage their opponent, they must make a DC10 Fortitude save or be knocked unconscious for 1d4 rounds because they were holding their weapon against their forehead, and because they're not really a narwhal. Lightsaber of Disappointment This weapon seems to be the legendary weapon known to be the coolest of weapons found in Numeria: the energy-bladed lightsaber! However, this weapon will always be a disappointment to its wielder. For every question the player asks about it, you the GM should give a disappointing answer: Examples:
Yep! Had 2 women DM's. Lots of fun. I have no opinion one way or the other. Now, ENGINEERS...you don't wanna let engineers play D&D with you.
Hello everyone. I'll post some sessions here for your amusement and input. Four players. Mature, experienced gamers all. 21pt. build.
- Set up a campaign website w/google to post announcements, player writings, and general input. We did this with Kingmaker, and everyone got a kick out of it. It created a nice social hub for us outside of email. - Players contribute backstories. My prompt was "Gaedren Lamm has wronged each one of you in some way." Everyone created a bit of a dark background for their characters except the bard, who is a married man with a family and a career in Korvosa. Session 1: Introductions and backstories all around, and I allow these things to flow into the initial encounter with Zellara. I run the Zellara encounter just a BIT like a haunt: with a single Will save to resist a "wave of emotion that washes over you" (with no consequences). The harrow cards she uses as she tells her backstory got some raised eyebrows, so the players KNEW something was weird about her story. I figured since she can manifest illusionary cards to get their attention, she can manifest an illusionary version of her deck to cast a harrow spread. Also, I slowed down the cadence of her story a bit and gave her an accent because I thought that the way Jacobs wrote her story was a little too matter-of-fact for a ghost/murdered mother and not emotional enough. The Will save was a twist to help with the mood. - The encounter with Gaedren Lamm went a little too slam-dunk. Yargin got knocked unconscious quickly, the half-orc foreman went down in about one round, and the gnome was set-upon by the orphans shortly thereafter. While the map required some explaining ("What is this part here? It's UNDER the warehouse?") Gaedren was eventually cornered. One of the players had her younger sister as a captured orphan working for Gaedren, and the others reported "She's been taken to see uncle Gaedren", just to build a little tension. Sure enough, Lamm had the girl dangling over the croc pit. I ruled it was a "block and tackle with a chain", so that a clever rogue with a rapier might use her blade to halt the chain if he were to let it go. It never came to that. The bard ran and attacked, taking Gaedren down to 0hp in one blow. Gaedren was "accidentally" fed to his croc. In retrospect, I would keep Gaedren's hand on the chain as a readied action against anyone approaching, and let him gloat and lecture. Head-in-the-hatbox found, they realize Zellara's true nature. Spooky moment, and a good reveal. I also threw in a "red ledger" containing a list of contacts and bribed officials around the city. I thought Gaedren might have such a thing and that it would make a useful hook later on. Sneaking into a warehouse at night, the presence of innocents, the criminal nature of an urban campaign were excellent elements, and everyone said they had a good time. In retrospect, I would bump up the circumstances, making for a little more teamwork from the fishery thugs and Bloo.
And then there's the whole "you have to have the spell, and the caster level to cast it" problem. Take a Handy Haversack, one of the most necessary items in the game, and not too expensive at 2,000 gp. Of course, the Caster Level for that wondrous item is NINE, and there are no "stepping-ladder" spells to get to it, so your stickler of a GM can laugh at you behind the GM screen as your STR 10 Wizard struggles with a 100-lb pack until 9th Level. (Dreamscarred Press made the spell a 1st-level power, so at least you can make Belt Pouches of Storage before 9th Level.) There is far too much tizzy over WBL and crafting. First of all, you shouldn't be motivating your players with loot. You should motivate them with adventure. Secondly, take a look at the settlement rules. A handy haversack is 2000gp. There is a 75% chance of a handy haversack being present and available in any large town. Thirdly, use a generator like http://www.archivesofnethys.com/RandomItemGenerator.aspx. Do this as soon as you know your players will be in a particular town. They don't like anything on the list? Oh well. Time to travel to a new town if they want. Now...when it gets ludicrous is when a wizard has access to several teleports per day, and has downtime. THEN he or she can theoretically teleport to any major city, and spend a few hours shopping on behalf of the party members. When THAT starts happening, you start bending the rules in favor of the party simply being able to buy whatever they can afford, so long as it's not a rare wondrous item. OR you can sit there at your computer and click on Nethys' generator for every major city he visits and tell him "that's what you find there this week." What is important is creating a sense of scarcity and "I found this! Muahahaaa!" because it lends a certain verisimilitude to the adventuring world. When players CAN have whatever they want, an adventure becomes less appealing. Wish Lists? Yes, I use those too.
Ho Ho! Go look up "ancient copper dragon" for starters. Here is a CR17 that can cast (at will): Grease, Hideous Laughter, Stone Shape, Transmute Rock to Mud, and Wall of Stone. ...What do you think an encounter with one would be like? It would be like a 3D funhouse of terrorlaughs. It's a dungeon designed by M.C. Escher and run by the Time Bandits. It's doubtful any of them would ever actually FIND the copper dragon unless he wanted them to. Never mind WHAT the party is doing there in the first place. At that level, you gotta go beyond just the list of stats and putting them in a 30x30 room. Go down the monster's list of feats and abilities and put together a story of how they got to be so old and powerful. Consider all of the friends and alliances they've made in their lives and the general ecology of how they live. You'll come up with some epic encounters to keep high level characters guessing. As a fighter I feel useless unless there is a combat going on. Just like a high level dragon, how did a fighter get so experienced? Does he live in a vacuum? What about all of the enemies he's made along the way? What about all of the friends who want a powerful martial to come help them out? (think of all those westerns where they want to recruit the hero). Remember a martial is what the people SEE when they picture "adventurer" or "hero". He should be casting a long shadow. What do you do to challenge the wizard? Make the world a deadly place for someone with less than 100 hit points. Make it a dangerous place for someone with an AC of only around 20 or so. Adjudicate EVERY SINGLE SPELL as it's written in the book. There are actually a surprising number of limitations. Then...make him work for it. Creating an adventure? Surprise! It takes place in a cavern system that is incredibly hot and full of smoke. (Gonna need that Environment spell). Find the bad guy's castle? Surprise! It doesn't have any doors or windows! (Gonna need a transmute or something). It's up on that floating island in the sky? Surprise! How you getting up there? Surprise! It's guarded by invisible redcaps! Now the spellcaster has to somehow make all those redcaps visible for the party...You get the idea. If he thinks he's so great, make him work for it. ...and then have him roll a save for his spellbook the next time they cross a river. He'll start feeling vulnerable.
It tastes like burning.
Sure. An adventurer doesn't choose their gender. They're born with it. Their culture and customs and local mores determine their sexual identity. spoiler: Just like in real life.
Capable of doing... I'm not a huge fan of the idea of "tiers" and the gnashing of teeth that goes along with the idea. To me, we play these games to bring fantasy worlds to life. I'd be as happy running a group of rogues and monks as I would a group of clerics and wizards and druids. It's all about helping that player see through his character's eyes. Anyone who talks down to someone else at the table saying "Oh, you're playing a tier 3 character." gets the Eyebite from me. BUT...I've softened to the idea as there is value in open discussion as to the combat capabilities of the classes. It helps the game system evolve (sometimes). This idea of "is capable of doing" is very...misleading, unless we're talking about a 30x30 room with a monster in it. Feats and numbers...feats and numbers...have fun talking feats and numbers, but don't forget it's a roleplaying game.
Polymorph any Object is a good solution, in my opinion. It's the ultimate polymorph spell, and incorporates doing anything at all to your opponent if they fail their save. At that level, there's no reason why a collective figurine wouldn't be do-able. Are you going to keep them in the package to maintain value? But howabout a little fun? What if we combined a number of spells and (with your GM's permission) made a fun adventure hook out of it?;
Through careful planning and treacherous skullduggery, you've managed to entrap your lifelong enemies in a demiplane of your own devising. It's a nightmare world where they live, fight and die for your pleasure. Each enemy is controlled inside the world through the use of a game piece (of themselves) and an elaborate gaming table. You and your fellow wizards delight at playing "gods" to these men and women inside the demiplane, who play out dreadful stories for the amusement of you and your guests.
Hehe. Wylliam, this isn't a good idea. Tongue-in-cheek and off-color humor is good ONLY in very small doses, and ONLY if you know your audience really, really well. It can be a tension-breaker, but it falls flat if force fed to an audience. Want a joke? Have everyone the party meets become polite and deferential (monsters too) because they're women. Every act of violence on the group's part results in apologies. Every tough guy and thug wants to "explain where they're coming from", Every barbarian is a metrosexual, etc. etc. When the group becomes sick of it, have a laugh and move on.
Let me get this straight: You want to remain invisible, so long as you can make sure no one is looking at you...?
There is an old saying that I don't remember who by: "Dragons are the ends of the Earth", meaning the philosophical ends; the wind, the sky, the earth, fire, etc. I like to think that a god's portfolio isn't just part of their stat sheet, but what they ARE. That is, a god of fire isn't just tip-top with fire, can burn anything, can cast 100d6 fire spells, etc., but they're so big on fire, that they define it. They ARE it. They get to determine what this word called "fire" actually means in the world, for good and bad and everything in between. A rival deity who steals Fire from them gets to redefine it for the entire world, and possibly turns it into a dessert topping instead of a chemical reaction. Games like Nobilis and In Nomine give one a little perspective on the philosophical side of things. It's kind of fun leaving the stat sheet behind once in a while. And I'm one of those who thinks the gods don't need character sheets.
*I wave my hand* "By the power of Gygax, I invoke my power as Dungeon Master and hereby revoke and eschew the 'MMORPG garbage' that has invaded our beloved roleplaying game.""I do hereby resolve to keep an eye on WBL, but only as a background concern and a general guideline to keeping players competitive versus the CR system of the game. Players are there to play their characters, not master a system that is the GM's concern." "I do hereby pledge to challenge and entertain players with rich environments, intriguing story, dynamic and interactive encounters both malevolent and benign, and choose to encourage said players to adopt such an expectation that is wholly above and apart from the static themeparkeyness into which MMORPGs have evolved." "I will be the provider of adventures, not the overseer of a tabletop looting and leveling video game." *I bow respectfully to my peers and colleagues on this forum*
I used it once to dump out an enemy archers quiver. The DM gave me extra xp for that. Personally I just wanted the guy to stop shooting at me.Creative, but illegal. As noted in the spell description, it can only target unattended items. If the archer was wearing the quiver, it's attended. True, but in my home game, I'd allow it once for theatrical "Rule of Cool" reasons. I once used Mage Hand to get caltrops from out of our horses throats when some conniving evil fey sought to feed said caltrops to our horses. It's also good for sneaky situations, like creating distractions through windows, or getting that guard to stop being so attentive, etc. Spur an officer's horse, or set his cape on fire with an ember to get him riled up and distracted. If a player expressed interest in using the spell, I'd be sure to include opportunities for him/her to do so; like gate latches that are just out of reach, or keys left on tables, or children's playthings fallen down sewer grates.
This is actually a great subject, as it highlights something that we sometimes overlook: how magic is used in a mundane fashion in the "ordinary" world apart from adventuring. Fueldrop and Kimera actually mentioned two good ones: beaded or gauzy curtains. A "poor man's detect invisible". A clever wizard might combine this with a magic mouth spell ["sound the alarm when something disturbs the beaded curtain"] and a clever thief might notice a beaded curtain that is high enough to allow a mouse or a cat underneath without disturbing it. Guard patrols are fun. Little things like flour left in hallways [Notice check DC:14] make for reasons why the guards are suddenly on alert. - creaky staircase
For magical protection (for those who can afford it)
Seriously, read the spell "instant summons". It is an entire adventure hook hidden in one little sapphire gem. "prying eyes" is a special spell too. It acts like a "surveillance tape", as everything the floating eyes see is seen by the caster the next morning. Another good adventure hook as the caster and his employers may come after the thieves.
Staff of Fire: A week-and-a-half of game downtime gets me five fireballs or three walls of fire, or ten burning hands - all above and beyond my daily spell slots. I don't see the problem here. It's a limited resource, sure, but it's a renewable one.
I've done this before. Advice:
Ask them "Who are you complaining to?". When they say "you", you tell them "Well, I'm not there." and "Furthermore, whatever bard's tales you may have heard, or books you may have read in-game about the Tanuki, are inaccurate. The Tanuki to whom you're speaking don't know anything about this 'gun-powder'." They will be puzzled at first, but then say "Pirates are attacking! Roll initiative!" and they will be distracted by combat. Players always become distracted by combat. In other words, just put your foot down. Be in charge of your world. Be firm and fair, and let them know to knock off the metagaming, and everyone will have a good time. And that Inquisitor/Paladin? Let him wake up one morning without his paladin powers "The grace of Iomedae has slipped from you. You feel empty without her presence." may wake him up to his responsibilities. Good luck.
Don't punish players for their choices, CHALLENGE them.
I had a group of players glue a vampire lord into his sarcophagus using sovereign glue. The dwarf stonemaster sealed up the holes, and then they glued the vampire in. 'Left him as a present for the local paladin order. Good times.
Sexuality doesn't have a role in my games, so neither does homosexuality. Would you believe many people on this forum aren't even ready to address sexuality in their lives, let alone their role playing games? This is a gaming forum. Save the social justice warrior posts for reddit.
Hehe.
1. Group starts messing up BBEG's plans.
Caster in the group who likes to use invisibility? Wandering Star Motes and archers. LOTS of archers. Roll those d20's MUAHAHAHAA!!! Caster in the group who likes to use evocations? Stinking Cloud'Hard to cast if you can't target anything and you're busy barfing. Wall of Fire = Constant damage to a caster.
Caster who likes to fly? [Summon Air Elemental + Obscuring Mist]. Caster can't target what's on the ground and he's busy fighting an air elemental who can fly faster and better than him. Meanwhile, you're naturally keeping the rest of the party busy with minions and a big-bad minion or two. Home turf should always be to the BBEG's advantage too. Never let them corner the villain unless they've earned it.
1. Letting the flow bog down. Sometimes one or two players get something going and we forget the other people who are driving the entire story forward. Sometimes everyone gets stymied by "what do we do now" or a lack of group initiative, and things slow to a halt while entertaining discussions go on. An hour can go by while someone figures out whether or not to pull the lever. Get things moving again by simply going around the table. "I'm going to go around the table and you can each tell me what you're doing." followed by "Okay, anything else? Let's move on." 2. Getting frustrated with character specializations I've been guilty of this myself, until I had to admit "Well, taking 20 in this skill is what makes your character really tick, so ...take the 20 and enjoy being really, really good at what you do." Sure, I was hoping to really challenge the players in a specific scene I had planned, but they have an expert along who is really good at bypassing that sort of thing. "Well done!" 3. DMPC's It's tempting, it's fun for the GM, but don't do it. You can have NPC's along for the ride as part of the adventure, but don't EVER give in to the temptation to "play alongside" your friends, because it's lazy storytelling (deus ex machina: "Come along friends, and I'll show you the way!")and leads to heavy-handed abuse (force majeur: "The henchman turns into a silver dragon and teleports you all out of danger. Surprise!") and robs the players of their agency in the world ("Gee whiz, what did he need US for after all?").
Roll double 20's in battle, and there is a 10% chance per +1 enhancement that the weapon awakens and becomes self-aware. Roll double 1's and there is a 10% chance per +1 enhancement that it becomes cursed.
I detested Oblivion and its scaling encounters. Bandits wielding glass weapons and armor, etc. Immersion-breaking, imho. In an rpg, we have the luxury of skipping over low-level encounters. Level 1: "There are rumours of orcs in the nearby woods!" Level 5: "The orc king's patrols are no match for you, (hand waving forest encounters) but they are numerous. He's clearly paranoid, and expecting you. How do you want to approach his stronghold?" Level 10: "The local orc chief sends a generous tribute so that you will hopefully leave him alone this season while you're making plans to take on the dragon. He may be a useful font of information though..." Level 15: "Your generals report that they have captured another orc chieftain with ambitions for making himself king. Do you want to have him tortured?" Level 20: "Golarion: a fantastic world, known to be home to many races, including humans, elves, giants and orcs. Do you want to land your ship there?"
I am creating a new undead; a powerful, cursed creature that can steal someone's face, one feature at a time. If I consider what spells would be on that level, to consider the power level of the creature's SLA, I would think that Bestow Curse would be about right. However, since combat seems to be a quick sort of running-of-the-numbers much of the time, the general effects of something like Bestow Curse gets overlooked. What IS the effect of -6 to one's charisma? What would it look like to be cursed to stand there every six seconds drooling like an idiot for the rest of one's life? What are the ancillary effects of Bestow Curse, and does it break verisimilitude in the game to bestow these effects on others? Does anyone know of any examples from the bestiary or from any adventure paths? For example: I considered that if I wanted my wizard to curse someone with -6 CHA, then I would bestow "eternal flatulence" to him, and let him enjoy how THAT affects his likeability until he can find a wizard who can remove it. So I want my undead to be able to touch attack, and steal a person's eyes or mouth for their own use. Again, can anyone think of any similar weird abilities ("Hey! What spell was THAT?!!") from anything in the bestiary. I bring this up because we have gotten into the habit of equating every affect with some quantifiable spell. I would like to keep the horror fresh, if possible. Thoughts?
http://www.d20pfsrd.com/gamemastering/other-rules/settlements Base Value and Purchase Limit This section lists the community's base value for available magic items in gp (see Table: Available Magic Items). There is a 75% chance that any item of this value or lower can be found for sale in the community with little effort. If an item is not available, a new check to determine if the item has become available can be made in 1 week. For every week, if the players are hanging around, I roll anew on http://archivesofnethys.com/RandomItemGenerator.aspx: a very handy website.
I would say it is offensive to those who identify as "undead" and "trans-undead". Why, last Monday morning I woke up feeling like undead, and I thought to myself "I must be born in a living body by mistake". I went to work and someone said "Hey, you look like the walking dead." and someone asked me if I'd seen that t.v. show and I went and found an undead support group (I still hadn't had my coffee) and THEY told me I had every right to be offended by the living if I felt undead. I'm marching in a parade next week for NECROPRIDE. So...Thank you Werebat for reminding me to be offended. I feel so much more righteous now. Nevermind the fact that I'm not actually undead, or that there's no such thing. My feelings (so I'm told) take precedence over reality.
I don't mean to be rude, but this is how back-and-forth hurt feelings and misunderstandings lead to flame wars. I'm going to sidestep that minefield. I make posts to help people who come to these forums seeking help. Here is help, echoing what I posted earlier:
Let's consider that the XP Leveling system goes way back to before video games. It's antiquated. Gamers have matured. Expectations have matured. We now demand a little more verisimilitude in our gaming worlds, and many of us would like tabletop rpgs to have a bit of realism that video MMO's lack. Yep. I've pondered and read people's ideas on training. I don't think it works mechanically. Still, it's strange that level 1 characters can blow into a town, and within a few weeks, they're more powerful than the captain of the guard. What gives? Scheduled leveling is the answer, I believe. Level the characters at certain points in the story. - Level them every two or three adventures.
The GM can then work downtime into the storyline that reflects meeting one's peers for counsel and training.
1: Any class ability that is governed by GM whim is not a good draw point for a class. To whit: No class, or "every class" is "governed by GM whim". My advice is relax, or find another GM. I've never lost a spellbook, but if I did, I would consider it a setback for my character and carry on. Did Conan cry when Thulsa Doom took his stuff? Answer:
He did not. My name is Owly, and I play a Universalist.
I'm having a great time. I kick ass and my party loves me. My Arcane Bond has saved party bacon a half-dozen times, at we all just hit level 11. Heck, my character has even had a girlfriend. Can all of you say the same? I thought not. Being versatile is a difficult path in life, but it is a potent one. I've got something for every situation, and I've made my GM throw food across the table at me in frustration. Sure others can cast more powerful spells, but I've got metamagic feats too, and you have to roll twice to save your can from some of my magic. I can penetrate SR, and I've got an Amulet of Magecraft that allows me to substitute spells when needed. Half Elves with Paragon Surge? Pfft. *pats them on the head*. Good job, son. Now stand back. Some excellent points have been raised in this thread. I'm not convinced that Sorcerers are better. Maybe if we were screwdrivers, a sorcerer would be a custom ratcheting phillips 14" screwdriver. Excellent. My wizard is a whole set of standard and phillips with custom grips. Magnetized. Maybe I can't do what he does, but it doesn't mean I'm turning up my nose at him. We NEED 14" ratcheting screwdrivers. Come along for the ride, Sorcerer. As for "Guidelines" versus "Rules", that 75% chance is the "Magic Mart" that has been discussed in so many threads. Let players buy what they will on that table. Use the rules. It works. Use Nethys's Random Treasure Generator. It's fun. Miss that 75% chance for a scroll of Lightning Bolt? Damn. Go to another town. Buy your secrets there. Carry on. Stay alive. Win or die. Keep adventuring.
Some good answers here, I'll just add my two copper pieces: I call it "The Rule of Your Peers", and it means that you tend to attract the people who are most like YOU. If you're Chaotic Neutral and you "don't give a ph***!" then you are going to find yourself in the company of the kind of people who also "don't give a ph***!". Selfish people tend to attract more selfish people. That CN bard or sorcerer is going to have a hard time finding places to buy and sell high-end items because everyone is going to think he's a brigand. He's going to find it impossible to get a Resurrection or Raise Dead because no one in the holy orders will trust him. And remember, there is always someone more powerful than you, and some other organization that is better informed/better equipped than you. You're CN? CE? The thieves guild in town heard you were around, and they don't like you. In-fact, the guildmaster wants you run out of town. How did they know? They got connections, now get yer hands up! In other words, those who make the effort to be lawful and/or good, get to enjoy the benefits of a lawful and good society, i.e. trust and mutual respect. As for shenanigans and murderhobo-ing, this is a necessary evil. Sometimes players WANT to play with that kind of freedom. Do your best to keep your world real, but don't get in the way of their fun, unless it's egregious and tedious (and bad for paladins). Then when they want a better game, tell them you're ready.
As someone who suffers from a bad back, I can attest that the Symbol of Pain is a good starting point for the effect.
Only you can understand your relationship with your players, but in general, death reinforces the danger that is adventuring. Let players fall when they may and they'll return the wiser for it. That being said, there's nothing wrong with fudging a roll here or there when it fits with the scene cinematically. That's what the screen is for.
From a game theory perspective, it's an absolute game changer. It's necessary for us all to do away with the archaic description "...such as scrying." and let the world remain a much larger place for the time being. Imagine if we all woke up tomorrow, and there was an app on our smartphones that allowed us to find anyone, anywhere, no matter what. It would change everything, and there would be no putting that genie back in the bottle. That's what we're dealing with here; an instant app for finding anyone, and teleporting into their bedchambers. It's worse than Star Trek, where at least ...actually I don't know why people in ST aren't just teleported all over the place all the time...oh, there's no ransom money, right. I say being able to see 10' around a specific person you're scrying doesn't count as "having seen once" for the purposes of teleportation. Now, adventurers will need to research, travel and (gasp!) hire high-level rogues to do some scouting and trap-disabling in order to get them into the bad guy's lair.
|
