Shield Guardian

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RPG Superstar 2008 Top 16. ***** Venture-Lieutenant, Arizona—Tucson 1,602 posts (1,643 including aliases). 5 reviews. No lists. No wishlists. 15 Organized Play characters. 2 aliases.


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RPG Superstar 2008 Top 16

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Back in the day of AD&D, characters knocked below 0 HP were considered disabled and unable to fight until they rested and recovered. I really preferred that to the current "whack a mole" standard. Please consider keeping some penalty for characters knocked down to death's door.

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Playing this last Friday, we noticed that its pacing seemed uneven. We spent a couple of hours on the roleplaying, only heading off to the ruins after checking out all the leads in town.

To pick up the pace, I'd suggest that as soon as the players have spoken to enough NPCs to potentially delay the conflict (or have failed in their initial efforts), they get the word that a sketchy group of mercenaries was heading over to the ruins "to see if there's any loot left after all these years". That should increase the Pathfinders' sense of urgency, motivating them to hurry to the ruins. (Yes, that undermines the "we're collecting taxes" bit, but would any PCs you've ever seen actually fall for that?)

Afterward, when the party returns to town, the nobles may be closer to open conflict. I'd describe the signs of imminent violence, with faction supporters heavily armed and staying in groups, innocent townsfolk staying off the streets or frantically packing their valuables to leave town, and merchants' shelves empty as people hoard food and supplies. The boatman that transported the Pathfinders may want to renegotiate up the cost of passage home as townsfolk demand his help escaping the potential war zone. This will emphasize the importance of the party's peacemaking efforts, since they will see how their failure could devastate the area.

RPG Superstar 2008 Top 16

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It may take a while to get the Regeneration that would give you your legs back. In the meantime, find someone with the Craft Construct feat and have them animate a sturdy throne as your mount. I'd go with 2 hit dice, costing 2000 gp...

RPG Superstar 2008 Top 16

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ElterAgo wrote:

Having said that, there is a lot of emotional/historical/interpretive baggage associated with the paladin.

Back in ye'olden times when AD&D first came out. It was generally understood and agreed by most players/DM's that a paladin was 'supposed' to be played as lawful stupid. The GM was also 'supposed' to try and set up situations that could cause the moral dilemmas that might cause a fall (or even better, a fall then redemption). that was just how most people seemed to handle the class and we had fun with it that way. Remember that was also when the game had an almost adversarial relationship between the PC's and DM's.

I don't think that view of paladinhood was as widespread as you think. While I remember dealing with some adversarial DMs back in the day, the groups I knew never had major problems with paladins. Our dungeonmasters' views about paladin were shaped by books like Three Hearts and Three Lions and movies like Excalibur. We had more problems with douchey PCs who couldn't play well with others than with narrow-minded paladins.

RPG Superstar 2008 Top 16

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I'm glad that the player regards it as an opportunity for interesting roleplaying.

I would definitely say that ritually cutting out and consuming the heart of a sentient being is an unequivocally evil act, but that doesn't mean the character who does it is consumed by evil.

Hopefully other moral dilemmas will present themselves in the future: Just keep in mind that in a world where the gods sometimes manifest their will, those who face difficult moral decisions may be rewarded for their choices.

RPG Superstar 2008 Top 16

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There are paladins whose vows require them to give quarter, if honorably requested (Paladins of Iomedae do not operate under that restriction).

This prisoner brags of the evil he will do once loosed: The paladin is perfectly in his rights to act to forestall those actions. That is not an evil act.

5/5 ** RPG Superstar 2008 Top 16

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I've occasionally had trouble with overly optimized characters in PFS, but no issues with "basketweaver" PCs who nerf themselves. I would recommend that any such characters avoid the Year 4 scenarios, however.

RPG Superstar 2008 Top 16

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When I'm playing, I find that rolling up characters inspires me toward more interesting characters. I still remember some of the odd characters the dice handed me: The 18 Int genius paladin, the wizard whose stats all sucked, the high-charisma con man rogue...

I agree that it is certainly possible to create an original character with point-buy systems. Unfortunately, we've all met guys who just... don't. They min-max like crazy, then try to ignore their substandard stats. Those characters need to be periodically reminded that dump stats come at a cost.

RPG Superstar 2008 Top 16

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On one hand, your interpretation is based in the rules: Diplomacy does specify that failure by 5 or more can increase the subject's hostility. Aid Another in that context is a type of Diplomacy skill check.

On the other hand, I think that your interpretation may be counterproductive toward the behavior we want to see from the players. We want players involved and engaged, not tuning out while the "diplomancer" does his thing. As such, I recommend that players be required to specify how they are attempting to aid, but not be penalized for failure. That maximizes their involvement while clarifying their activity in the game world.

RPG Superstar 2008 Top 16

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Rysky, it wouldn't absolutely prevent them: It just makes them awkward...

Sketchy Innkeeper: "Sir Knight, why are you standing that way and looking around all the time? It looks like you expect someone to attack you at any moment. I run a nice place: My girls wouldn't do something like that!"

Sir Paranoia: "I'm not here for your girls! I just needed shelter. Besides, I ALWAYS suspect an ambush: That's why I'm still alive!"

Sketchy Innkeeper: "Surely your Worship must need rest and a warm bath to soothe you after the travails and filth of the road."

Sir Paranoia: "Bathing! I would never be so vulnerable! I shall remain ever-vigilant, seeking only the aid of my loyal allies, whose magic can remove the road's soil!"

Sketchy Innkeeper: "Then all I can offer is.... NINJA ATTACK! KIYYYAAAAA!"

RPG Superstar 2008 Top 16

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Justin Alexander's blog has a wealth of advice for you:

The Alexandrian

I particularly recommend "Don't Prep Plots" and "The Three-Clue Rule"

RPG Superstar 2008 Top 16

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I've had some friends who were fun to be around, but made me want to throttle them when we gamed. There are several possible solutions that have worked in those situations:

1.) Board Game Night - Get these guys to play board games or other non-cooperative games instead of RPGs. Then their utter failure to work together can be channeled into healthy competition.

2.) Paranoia - The Paranoia RPG is perfect for the play style these guys seem to prefer. You can then enjoy plotting against and betraying them, as it is an expected part of the game.

3.) Split the party - Recruit a few competent players and find a way to split the group into two separate groups, each with some decent players to temper the bozos' excesses.

RPG Superstar 2008 Top 16

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It sounds like you played that one just right. Not every party is going to agree about the best solution for justly dealing with captured foes. A cleric of Sarenrae will certainly try to convince captured enemies to repent and will always encourage her party to choose mercy over vengeance. Sometimes this won't seem very profitable: There will always be some who cling to their evil ways.

The Dawnflower brings her gifts to the Just and the Unjust alike, giving all the chance to see their errors and repent of their sins. Who are we to think ourselves greater than her?"

5/5 ** RPG Superstar 2008 Top 16

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Put me down in the "let people use their shiny new PCs" camp.

5/5 ** RPG Superstar 2008 Top 16

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Sometimes it's better to anticipate such conflicts and pull out a different character, even if you then play a pregen.

The Inquisitor's player was clear that he wouldn't tolerate the creation of undead, but the Necromancer then "went there". His refusal to subsequently heal the Necromancer was fair. He is no more forced to support the behavior he detests than a paladin of Abadar would be forced to heal up a rogue who had just caused a fight by ripping off items from a bank vault.

My opinions are colored by previous encounters with folks whose behavior was borderline, but who then expected the party to support their thoughtless choices. One example from a game that went horribly awry: A brand new player's rogue impatiently attacked the town watch while the rest of the party was talking with their leader. The party's displeased paladin refused to participate in the ensuing bloodbath. The rogue then ran and hid, leaving the remaining party members in a needless, brutal fight with the watch. The other players were quite angry that the rogue had pulled such a stunt and let him know that he had better not start needless trouble again. The rogue then bailed out of a later fight to "punish" the party for ordering him around.

When that happened, I pulled the player aside and advised him that he was expected to cooperate with the rest of the party. He then quit, claiming that we were "just hack and slash" and wouldn't let him "roleplay". We later concluded that the player had decided to play chaotic evil while claiming chaotic neutral.

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I'm sorry that I overlooked your message, Quentin. The Alabaster Urn is an evil, self-aware artifact that imprisons a number of powerful monsters. When held, it can disgorge its imprisoned victims. (The hags are the only creatures released during the scenario.) The Urn's special purpose is the destruction of human civilization: It is reserving its most potent monsters until it finds itself in the hands of a weak-willed owner in the capital of a powerful empire.

RPG Superstar 2008 Top 16

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Mark Hoover wrote:
Imbicatus wrote:

Prestidigitation is an instant shower, laundry service, and odor/taste enhancement. It's also useful for minor entertainment on it's own, or AV effect to enhance a Bardic Performance.

It's absolutely VITAL if you happened to have taken a vow of cleanliness. Otherwise, it's a quality of life spell that is great for RP value but it has zero combat value.

Are there other spells that enhance bardic performance? If so, Prestidigitation can't help you there.

You're interpreting prestidigitation too strictly. It can't reproduce what other spells do, but that doesn't mean it can't reproduce aspects of their function or mimic their effects in a limited way. Obstructing someone's vision isn't blindness.

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An inexpensive potion of touch of the sea makes life much more pleasant for those heavily-armored types that decide to take a sudden swim.

RPG Superstar 2008 Top 16

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Ahhh... The legendary "Katana debate", which inspires dread wherever it appears...

Orfamay Quest wrote:
As far as I know, European swords were made with a single, uniform kind of steel; if you needed ten pounds of steel to make a sword, you started with ten pounds of steel, without worrying...

European swordsmiths were welding together steels with different hardnesses to produce blades that were both sharp and resilient as far back as the Viking era. Their blades were not normally designed to hold an edge as sharp as that of a katana, as European warriors favored sturdier blades able to withstand rough treatment that would leave a katana in fragments.

RPG Superstar 2008 Top 16

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K177Y C47 wrote:
So I take it to many of you that if a guy plays a ninja he has to run around in pajamas and be asian and use a Kusari-gama?

No, not at all! If someone has an idea that...

Reskins ninjas as a secretive desert cult whose cloistered followers learn to harness malevolent spirits for supernatural abilities of stealth...

Or they want to make a type of monk whose abilities mimic the legendary powers of the Leopard Men of the deep jungle...

Or they envision the "Behirin Brethren", sorcerers whose bloodline takes on aspects of the draconic and serpentine bloodlines...

I'm all for that.

What I'm not into is the guy who carefully plucks forth the most powerful elements from a dozen books, assembing them into some chimeric travesty in hopes of maximizing his power level. That guy has crossed the line between reasonable optimization and blatant powergaming. An egrigious example I once encountered was a player in a 2nd Edition AD&D game who wanted to play a female drow ranger with one of the fighter class "Kits", with a Native American religion (So he could use the potent "medicine pouch" found in the original Deities and Demigods book), armed with an "improved masterwork katana". I really didn't know what to say to this outrageous display.

RPG Superstar 2008 Top 16

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Muad'Dib wrote:
I have no idea what a Stormwind Fallacy is. My guess is that is has something to do with being right. In that case let me just say I Stormwind Fallacy early and often.

In theory, there is no reason that an optimized ubermensch couldn't be the focus of satisfying roleplay encounters.

Unfortunately, the people who are quickest to shout "Stormwind Fallacy" are often the ones using absurdly warped logic to justify their character's bizarre combinations of classes, spells, feats, and equipment. "Why can't I roleplay an ice-elf ninja from the jungle lands?"

RPG Superstar 2008 Top 16

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I've seen a variety of odd professions chosen by PFS characters without anyone complaining. Just off the top of my head, I've seen...

Profession (mortician)
Profession (taxidermist)
Profession (pirate)
Profession (courtesan)
Profession (rat catcher)
Profession (sycophant) ("I'm the Kato Kaelin of Taldor")
Profession (mercenary)
Profession (fortune teller)
Profession (hunter)
Profession (snake charmer)
Profession (scribe)
Profession (brewer)
Profession (swineherd)

Admittedly, it might be hard to see how a swineherd could make 50 gp in a couple weeks' herding, but such elevated levels of pig-headedness must be rare and valued by bacon enthusiasts.

RPG Superstar 2008 Top 16

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Wraiths will make short work of him...

5/5 ** RPG Superstar 2008 Top 16

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You might want to look at Worldworks Games Deadly Encounter Set. It has an impressive-looking gateway that I printed out and used when running this adventure.

5/5 ** RPG Superstar 2008 Top 16

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I have a couple of observations I'd like to offer:

First, it's somewhat 'metagamey' to say that a creature unloads his full-attack routine "because he doesn't have another foe within five feet". That may be what happens in the game turn, but in the game's world, the creature just took down one foe and looks for its next opponent. It isn't conscious that it just completed a turn and began the next one.

When appropriate, GMs should try to make their players aware of opponents' motivations and approach to combat. A hungry beast may stop to devour a foe while its packmates fight others or a greedy brigand might use his remaining attack to cut his victim's coin purse from his belt or search his victim's backpack for liquor. Just as players' tactics may be suboptimal, some foes aren't on the right sheet of music.

I've had players roll Sense Motive mid-battle when an opponent "shifted gears". "You sense that he's taking the battle more seriously than he did before the barbarian hit him. You expect that he's also not going to take the chance that the cleric will bring anyone else back into the fight."

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Scenario 0-20: King Xeros of Old Azlant has an encoutner that prudent players can settle by roleplaying, making it easily playable in a four-hour slot. I'm also fond of the adventure's plot, which may have your (Tier 7-8) players thinking "Game Over, man! We're all gonna die on this rock!"

5/5 ** RPG Superstar 2008 Top 16

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I wish that I had read this before running a "slot-zero" game for the Dark Menagerie. In our post-mortem, we hit upon several of the same ideas that were detailed here. We also had a few of our own twists:

* The floating helm should play "tour guide" in Ancient Azlanti. I'd keep it silent and mysterious to start out, but then it starts to provide unhelpful commentary as the party is attacked by the dungeon's various inhabitants. "Many visitors ask how Nhur Athemon keeps the creatures in his exhibits so docile. It's no mystery, really: They are bound with enchantments designed to last for centuries! You can even go up to these scorpions and pet them if you wish."

* My players immediately slammed the door and started buffing when they reached the scorpion room. One of the scorpions promptly ripped it off its hinges and tried to drag a PC into the room.

* The decapus should have an illusion up since it just heard the PCs massacring the scorpions. I'd recommend an illusionary floor with a robed, skeletal figure standing in front of an altar. The skeleton is holding a pitcher, which it raises dramatically and begins to slowly pour its contents onto the altar. That vignette will get one of the fighter-types in almost any party to charge, only to fall through the floor and end up prone in front of the beetle.

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If someone wants to borrow my Folio when I'm running a game, I generally require that they briefly "Vanna White" the folio, showing off its many fine features. This has been a running gag at my tables.

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If the monsters have the HP to pull it off, don't be afraid to deliberately draw AoOs. Once the PC uses his AoO, the next monster can often grapple, run past to nuke the squishies, bull rush, trip, disarm, or cast spells with impunity.

Make the PCs AFRAID to use their attacks of opportunity.

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While steel bows actually do date back to the Middle Ages (they made some in India), Pathfinder's bow descriptions assume a bow made of wood (perhaps with horn and sinew for composite bows). As such, special metals would not be appropriate for organized play.

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SCPRedMage wrote:

Actually, if you're advocating "sticking up for the majority of players having fun" by way of flat-out banning troublesome options at your (public) tables, then actually, you ARE, in fact, advocating breaking the rules.

Again, if you're running a public PFS game, you must allow all PFS-legal options at your table. If a player then uses one of those options to be disruptive, you deal with that player, but you do not remove the option.

I've participated in organized play events for many years now (Living Greyhawk before Pathfinder Society) and in that time, I've seen few situations that couldn't somehow be settled. Nearly all problems can be resolved if people communicate with tact and mutual respect.

Having said that, I try not to force my GMs and players to sit at the same table with people who kill their enjoyment of the game. If an otherwise legal tactic or overly powerful combination of abilities keeps the other players from enjoying themselves, I'm going to request that the involved player change some details of his approach. As an example, a ferociously-optimized character who dominates play might be no problem at all if he looks for a table where he's a level behind the other characters instead of being the highest level PC at the table.

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In the end, it all comes down to the fact that NOBODY likes being told how to play their character. Clerics don't like being told to shut up and heal the "real damage dealers" and other classes don't being told what to do, either.

I think that this community has recognized that if one forced healer-types to overspend on consumables in order to accomplish their party responsibilities, healers become scarce. Based on that, characters have been advised to carry their own healing resources.

The original poster's point seems to be adequately summarized by the statement, "Don't be a jerk, no matter how valid your basic concern may be."

RPG Superstar 2008 Top 16

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Salamandyr wrote:
Maybe give the fighter class enough skill points to actually feel like a competent, skillful character and see if that improves anyone's desire to play one.

Salamandyr, you're a bit behind the times. A skillful fighter isn't hard to build in Pathfinder. A human fighter with INT 13 can bring 5 points to the table with every level (2 + 1 INT + 1 Human + 1 Favored Class). There are plenty of build options that will make that Int 13 a worthwhile investment. Start him with Combat Reflexes, Combat Expertise, and Improved Trip (or Improved Disarm), hand him a polearm, and watch as he makes foes cry with frustration.

Salamandyr wrote:
As another option, give your monsters a custom feat that allows them to automatically close any time someone near them makes a five-foot step. That'll get rid of the annoying "melee archers" who back up and full attack repeatedly.

You overlooked a couple of my favorite Pathfinder feats: Step Up and Following Step.

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VRMH wrote:
Why would you get "walloped" when casting Color Spray? It's a standard action to cast, so just move out of the way after spraying your foes.

I expect that he's putting himself into harm's way to get the most targets into the color spray's area.

To make the most of your spell, people need to use the delay action. If the fighter who beat your initiative delays, you can move up to cast, immediately followed by your meat shield. If you stand 5 ft. behind two front-line types (leaving 5 feet between them), you can nuke the spaces right in front of them. Anyone who wants to melee with you must walk into a flank box. By using delay, you can ensure that you all advance and retreat together.

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During last Saturday's session into the Accursed Halls, the players decided to visit the "civilized" local goblin tribe, hoping to find information about the goblin warlord that had once ruled there. This improvised scene worked well. Allow me to offer the following suggestions for interactions with the goblin tribe:

1.) The chief's title grows longer and more absurdly grandiose each time it is used.

2.) He requires gifts from any non-goblin who enters his august presence. My players brough pieces of scrap metal, making up absurd stories about the items.

3.) No one entering his "court" is allowed to have their head higher than the chief's. Fortunately, his throne places his head 3 feet from the ground.

4.) Every time Zog's name is mentioned, all the goblins present go to one knee, shouting "Kneel before Zog!"

5.) The chief wants a famous item of Zog's (his sword), but will not tell non-goblins what this mighty item might be.

6.) All those requesting permission to enter the Accursed Halls (or do anything else) must first prove their worth... in a yodeling contest.

7.) Goblins cheat any way they can think of in such a contest. Intimidation and Sleight of Hand are just as important as actual Perform (yodel) skills.

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I've posted this before, but here is the text of the handout I give the mist-tainted. I find that by emphasizing silly ape-like shenanigans, I discourage PvP. While a bit of inter-party brawling could be fun, I don't want to risk that something bad might happen to a character at another PC's hands. If someone's 7 HP sorcerer were squished dead by a fellow player's mist-tainted barbarian, they would likely take it amiss.

The Mist-Tainted

Overcome by the mist’s bizarre, corrupting influence, you begin to degenerate into a raving madman, little better than a jungle animal.

Strange ideas course through your mind: Bloodthirsty urges to smash those who oppose you, discomfort at your constraining garments and armor, and the need to find any tiny parasites inhabiting your fur and that of your friends. You would enjoy eating a banana, if you had one.

You have gained the Mist-Tainted template:
• Both Intelligence and Charisma go down to 6.
• You gain +2 to Strength and Dexterity. This gives you +1 Initiative, +1 Armor Class, +1 to Attacks, and +1 Damage.
• You are immune to fear effects.
• You have +10 to Climb checks and a climb speed of 20 feet.
• You have +5 to Acrobatics and Stealth checks.
• You gain a slam attack. It does 1d4 (+Strength Bonus) Damage.

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Adam Mogyorodi wrote:
I've never heard of a business refusing to print a single copy of a Paizo PDF that was legally bought. Does this happen to others?

Most print shops just look that my name is watermarked on the document and check for permission to make a copy for non-commercial purposes, but I have occasionally run into some problems: A local print shop refused to print a copy of The Jester's Fraud for me.

I thought that was a bit overcautious, especially since I'm the scenario's author.

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Sojourner wrote:
That apparently otherwise reasonable people actually believe that the founding fathers built an "auto-armed insurrection" button in to the Constitution is just beyond me. There is no "right" to violently revolt against the government built into any of our laws.

You're entitled to your opinion, just as Supreme Court Justice Joseph Story was entitled to his...

"The right of the citizens to keep and bear arms has justly been considered, as the palladium of the liberties of a republic; since it offers a strong moral check against the usurpation and arbitrary power of rulers; and will generally, even if these are successful in the first instance, enable the people to resist and triumph over them."

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Perhaps I should have spoken more precisely and stated that I particularly agree with THIS STATEMENT from Ted Nugent...

Ted Nugent wrote:
“So those of us of goodwill, decency, and logic and who’ve studied the evidence and the facts we know that it’s not a gun issue, it’s not an ammo issue, it’s not caliber issue, it’s not a rate of fire issue,” he said. “It is mostly a prescription drug and a mental derangement issue where we do not take care properly of the people that show signs of dangerous behavior and mental retardation.”

I didn't mean to imply that I agree with him all the time, but I definitely agree that our nation has failed to care properly for those who suffer from mental health issues.

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I agree with the Motor City Madman...

Ted Nugent wrote:

“So those of us of goodwill, decency, and logic and who’ve studied the evidence and the facts we know that it’s not a gun issue, it’s not an ammo issue, it’s not caliber issue, it’s not a rate of fire issue,” he said. “It is mostly a prescription drug and a mental derangement issue where we do not take care properly of the people that show signs of dangerous behavior and mental retardation.”

“Increasing evidence that is coming in from all angles that every perpetrator of these mass slaughters,” Nugent added, “was on some type of psychiatric pharmaceutical and that every one of these mass murderers was known by everyone around them, their associates, their family, their fellow workers, that they were psychos, they were dangerous, they were mentally deranged, and that they were indeed a threat.”

“But no one acted on it because of this curse, this surge of political correctness where we’re more concerned about hurting a psychopath’s feelings than to have him controlled and put away to save innocent lives,” he said.

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Pan wrote:
Thank god I have a garage! When shopping for a home I wanted a place close to a theater, bar, liquor store, university, and restaurants. I need to start sleeping in the car in the garage!

I'm just the messenger. It's really not my fault that criminals like to hit cars in theater parking lots.

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In my experience, web is an excellent "counterspell". More than 20 feet of web gives full cover, so when the enemy starts casting, your readied caster blocks his line of sight and line of effect...

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If you know your team faces a tough fight, prepare a path for retreat before you engage the enemy. Caltrops, lamp oil spread on the floor (or stairs!), bear traps, shallow holes filled with pungi stakes, and defensive spells can all make pursuers consider a different line of work. Canvas tarps or other innocuous objects spread on the floor can leave them wondering what you covered there.

If a smart enemy knew you were coming, and had time to buff/summon/set traps/call his minions, retreat. Don't fight him in the place of his choosing. Instead, go eat lunch. Enjoy a few relaxing tunes from the party bard. Come back over an hour later, when most of his buffs will have expired and his minions are tired of standing around waiting.

Then send a silent image into the room first, letting it suck up the first attack (or first few attacks, if your foes aren't too bright...).

If the enemy feels impatient, he may come after you instead. Draw him into your trap-seeded line of retreat and watch him suffer...

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Quote:

You are GMing a game and a player (…snip…) describes his favored weapon as a plasma blaster that makes pew pew noises (but it's actually just a composite longbow +1).

d) none of the above.

I explain that he has made himself subject to “The Imperial Stormtrooper Marksmanship Rule”: His first shot of any combat automatically misses and opponents gain a +10 Luck bonus to AC against any others.

Quote:

Your players run into a town market square and immediately decide to rough up all the little old ladies and hungry orphans.

a) The little old ladies and orphans probably deserved it. Besides, you'd never want to curb your players' creativity and play style, right?

I do ask my players if this is why they wanted to play First Steps, Part I again and resolve to slaughter them in the last act.

Quote:

A new player shows up at your table in a 7-11 scenario, as there wasn't room in any other game at the Con.

b) OUTSTANDING! He can be the first to die, as pregens don't really matter, right? Then the rest of the party can take his stuff, it'll be great.

After Jason dies, I ask him whether this was what he had in mind when he wrote the rulebook.

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Adamantine Dragon wrote:

I celebrate and reward resourcefulness just fine Malignor. I also do my best to be aware of potential game exploits. The difference between "resourcefulness" and "exploit" is hard to define in any way that everyone would agree with, but everyone agrees that it happens at some point.

When it comes to the general guidance that lower level spells should not be able to duplicate the effects of higher level spells, that is directly coming from the Paizo game developers as advice to deal with "resourcefulness" gone amok.

We all agree on basic principles, such as "don't let your players abuse cantrips by exploiting poorly-phrased or vague rules". We just disagree about where that line is properly drawn.

I'd say that you're not duplicating the effects of a higher-level spell if it takes you several minutes to freeze up a patch of floor. The effect may have some similarities, but there are also significant differences. If you draw the line that conservatively, you're essentially telling players not to "push the envelope" at all.

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