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 Recent Posts
Never laugh at live dragons.Actually, laughing at undead dragons is usually not a good idea, either... Okay, snurted tea all over the keyboard... Tons of great ideas for you. Now, all you have to do as a GM is get the courage up to enforce one of them and make them have fun with it. As servants, raised by benefactors or as a new party to discover the old party's fate. No matter how you do it, let us know how it turns out. Have Fun Out There!! ~ W ~
I used to work at a university that had a Television/Sound Stage. ~ I used to have the gaming tables set up in the middle of the Studio, with several lights shining down on it. If you were sitting at the table, the rest of the room was inky black, very creepy. ~ I played music/sound effects on an old reel to reel tape deck that I had edited music and effects on different tracks so wind/thunder came out of one set of speakers. Music out of 4 other speakers and other creepy stuff out of several other floor monitors to give a different perspective from the ceiling mounted monitors. ~ While I sat at the table, if I needed that 'Booming Dragon' voice, I had a lavalier mic and a small mixing board at the table so I could send it to the Overhead Monitors for the boomers and down on the Floor Monitors for man sized or ground effects. ~ Now, the music and stuff was usually the same, it took a lot of work to edit the soundtracks every week for game night so that was a drag. For the 'Special' night, I put some extra effort into the mix. Examples: - Seafaring Adventure I had lots of wave crashing effects, storm noises and creaking rigging and sails slapping. Awesome! - Mass battle, I had lots of horse pounding, general crowd sounds and sound from an SCA War with around 1k nutters whacking each other and yelling. Also, awesome. - Haunted Mansion...yeah, you can figure that one out. Lots of work, sometimes not worth it if the game night is a slow mover with lots of RPing and paperwork but all in all, a great time! Not sure how much money or time you'd have to put into this in your own home. Could be relatively cheap or mind blowingly expensive depending on your tastes! I wish you the best of luck with what ever you do and please let us know! Have Fun Out There!! ~ W ~
Oh heck yeah! It would be a nice change from the usual! I have a group that would love this concept, they are melee combat bunnies extraordinaire and love doing detailed fights. They hate it when the mage in the group blows up large groups! I may have to toy with this concept for them. I also think that there would need to be some adjustment to healing to keep it an exciting fast paced game. Maybe some herbs, ointments found in nature to help healing. Hmmm, a quandary. Have Fun Out There!! ~ W ~
Mage Bane ~ Rare plant that a trained alchemist ( NPC Class before the PF Alchemist Core Class) could work into a non lethal poison that temporarily inhibits spell casting. Very illegal in several Wizard heavy kingdoms! Very expensive and profitable if you wanted to take the risk smuggling it across borders! Made for some great runs when the PC figured out the Caravan they were guarding was packing some of this stuff! Lots of little things just to add some spice to the game and not really change anything in the mechanics. Have Fun Out There!! ~ W ~
I had a Player I suspected of doing something like this. He 'found' all the hidden goodies, avoided all the snags and was one step ahead of me the whole time, it seemed. So, in a crucial part of the Module, I pretended to be hung up on an encounter and asked him a question about it. Now, I hadn't told them the hang up I had and this Player gives me the EXACT frigging strategy from the module. I give him 'The Look', he gives me 'The Look' and the rest of the Players booted his keester from the game. He himmed and hawed about it, trying to make excuses and finally got up and got gone. ~ You really don't need to do a lot of work to switch things up. Just the names! Make Sauron's name Gandalf, Gollum's name Gimli. Also, you could switch up Magic. Especially magic his character is going to want. Make it something else that would benefit one of the other Players. You won't need to do the whole AP, just enough to keep him on top of things and always wondering what is going on. Oh, if he EVER calls you for doing it... D4s to his seat when he goes to the restroom!! Then, boot his cheating sore arse outta the game!!!! Don't play with jerks. Have Fun Out There!! ~ W ~
Well, I am the only DM/GM for the three groups I run for. Old Timers - Game running from the mid 80s. It is a 6+ hour trip for me to get to them and I make it there once a month for a weekend marathon. I have been the only DM for this game from the get go. Young Guns - Game running from the Early 90s. I met this group at a Con and they adopted me like a pack of lost puppies. Several have tried DM / GM and it never really worked out, so, I'm it. Kingmakers - Game that started up not too long ago. This group was started by a friend who has somehow (Sneaky little varmit he is) worked himself into all three games! He saw the Kingmaker AP and met some other folks at a FLGS looking for a DM for this AP and well, was kind enough to volunteer me. Great guy, huh? Good thing I like him, eh? So, I haven't really played in what, close to 2 decades now and really don't think I could anymore. I'm too used to being on 'that' side of the screen. I should also say, I am blessed with Three Groups of very different players / play styles and all are mature, fun and work well together and keep it as fun for me as it is for them! Have Fun Out There!! ~ W ~
While I'm sure some folks are gonna miss em, I'm glad they are gone. Personally I thought they were kinda snarky and cheap. I must say though, my Combat Oriented Group had some amazing fights with them. Avasculate the target, hit it with some maximized Orbs of Inhuman Annihilation and POOF, no more bad guy. Yes, my players kinda complained when I told them we were dropping the Spell Compendium and just going with Core PF (at the time, no APG) and they pouted till they read the books and found those frigging Pit of DOOM spells. Lol, all new kinds of pain. Suffocation is also a favorite now. It's all good, there are spells in any version of any game that if your players are keen on and set themselves up to maximize their effects on your bad guys it's gonna hurt no matter what you do. Your job is to keep challenging them and keeping it fun. Good luck and let us know how it goes!! Have Fun Out There!! ~ W ~
Tri is right on, as usual. In one of my groups, they have an Artifact weapon and just learned the joy of AMF and that fighter going OFF on enemy spell chuckers. I mean, he's a level 19 Fighter trained to cut things DOWN. Once he's on you and you have none of that fancy pantsy magic... yeah, pain. Lots of pain, for one round that is.
Simply, YES I run 3 campaigns. 80s, 90s and a new Kingmaker Group. All groups are different except for one player who has wiggled his way into all three! They ALL use teamwork. In one fashion or another, either Teamwork Feats, Flanking, Combat Maneuvers and Leadership. The 80s Group is big into roleplaying and when combat does occur, these guys use everything in the book to bring down critters because their characters would support and aid each other in any way possible. It's just good story. The 90s Group is big in combat! Anything to give them that 'edge' in the fight! Teamwork Feats are HUGE for this group. They also use Leadership and Combat Maneuvers as often as it is advantageous for them. It's a no brainer for them. Kingmaker, while these are all new players to PF / D&D, the one experienced player has turned one of the other Melee Types into a pair of Stone Cold Killers. If these two get on your toes, that may be all you have left you can recognize at the end of the fight! I call them 'The Cuisinart' Brothers. So, yes, if your groups or you want that edge in a fight or situation, Teamwork is the way to get it. Have Fun Out There!! ~ W ~
I don't think the current system is too harsh. My group likes the little bit of randomness. While we did have a melee type roll low, as did I on his HPs. He took Toughness and bought his character some Con gear and brought him up enough to be viable. Is it fair to him to have to take a feat and pay for gear? Maybe not but he did have 3 or 4 max HP rolls later on and shot up a ton. He was a most happy HP Sponge after that. As long as everyone at the table is having fun, it doesn't matter what system you use.. If it works for you, roll with it (No pun intended). Have Fun out there!! ~ W ~
I just started Kingmaker and I must say as a fellow Grognard, I love the feel. Group out exploring, starting a fledgling kingdom, fighting the bad guys and some politics are just coming into it. It's a Sandbox lay out which means the PCs basically set the tone, speed and flavor of the game for alot of it. Lots of stuff to get familiar with as a GM, there are a lot of places and things that the PCs can go and do so I have to keep a good amount of stuff ready. Love it!! My group is right now doing trade negotiations with some groups in the area and still battling some of the beginning bad guys and looking forward to playing. They love the mix of Roleplaying, Combat and Tradeskilling. So far, all is good. I recommend you give it a look see and show your players!! Have Fun out there!!! ~ W ~
After reading this whole frigging thread.... THIS Look, if you're not having fun, why in the name of all that is holy are you still doing it??? I am truly lucky that I GM for 3 groups and each is totally different except for one player. One is over 8 hours away from me, one is local and the new one is an hour distant and we have all turned into good friends and THIS is the key. The dinks get weeded out and we move on. Oh, and for the final word... Have Fun out there!!!! ~ W ~
Lol, I had a friend in one of my groups along time ago play with his youngins. Something like this also happened and I remember him and his Missus telling me the stories and the little devilkins just giggling and snickering. I looked at him and just said: "Guess you don't skimp on presents at XMas and BDays do ya?" His wife cracked up and mentioned 'boobytrapping their bedroom door so the know when the little heathens come into the room while their sleeping! He just smiled, shook his head and mentioned something about his parents getting even with him or some such thing. Good luck with the gaming. I haven't gamed with any young kids in a LONG time so I both envy you and wish you good luck! Family that Plunders together stays together? I also pity the boy that first wrongs The Sisterhood!!! Have Fun out there!!! ~ W ~
Okay, no build will win vs a GM that is out to get you.... give it up. Some very good advice out there... Torger has a good passive aggressive way to get a point across and seriously, the person that suggested the 10 others just make the point of not wanting to make up another set of characters to just go out and die uselessly is a great idea. I mean, if you're not having fun, why are you doing it? His house is the reason he's the GM? Dumb. Work one of the others into "Giving it a Wing" for a campaign, see if it goes! You never know, it might just end up showing him and the others there is a different way to play. I am the only GM in my area for 2 groups now for over a decade and run another group that I have been the only GM for since the 80s that is over a 10 hour drive. These groups are night and day different and what the one group likes, the others loathe. I then, adapt that game to the group, not just the way I and the one group like. Oh, and yes, it is my goal to 'Win' as a DM / GM. Sorry. My idea of winning? If at the end of the Game Night, the group is talking about the NEXT game! If they're not smiling and thanking me for almost grinding their bones to make my bread, I didn't win. I win if they are looking forward to more of me as a GM. Even if I KNOW none of them want to do it, it makes me feel like I've won. The guy behind the screen has got to know it is a two way street. Yeah, you need him to GM but it's awful lonely behind that screen if no one is on the other side! If one of you wants to DM, give it a go. Seriously, what's the worse that can happen? You kill the old GM at level 7 every campaign? >.< Sorry, couldn't resist. Hope some of this helps... Have Fun out there!! (If not, why are you there????? ) ~ W ~
I ran a game for a friend of mine. He was a solo Cleric and led a band of NPCs through out his career. It went from 1 - 18 before we quit. I played the NPCs in roleplaying situations and he ran them in combat situations with me pitching in on personality quirks. Example: One of his NPCs was a rather snarky scout (rogue) who had a quirk that he was a Klepto. He collected 'trinkets' from every town he stayed in. Made for some great moments. Also, his Mage NPC had a Familiar that was 'not fond' of his cleric. You know, you have a cat that hates one of your friends? Yeah, good times. It takes a lot of work for you as a DM in my opinion as you only have one Player Brain working on options and plans. So, you have to keep the NPCs offering ideas (sometimes NOT the right option) and plans to keep them moving. At least I did. If you and the Single PC are good friends, it could make for a very rewarding game. Mine was. Heck, we had a long drive one day (6 hours) and we roleplayed a session for most of it. I rolled the dice as he drove and we covered a huge amount of ground in his campaign! Good luck and I hope some of this helped. Have Fun out there!! ~ W ~
ABSO-frigging-LUTELY hilarious! My wife just snorted her tea out her nose. You sir win the Thread in her humble messy opinion! Have Fun out there!! ~ W ~
Thanks Tri!!! Have Fun out there!! ~ W ~
Greg and Kierato have your answers. I always have players leave at least a copy of their sheet with me so on the night of the game, one player doesn't show up, another player runs his/her character to keep them caught up on XP and gear. I have also done the "Let me see your sheets / Pre Roll" method. If he balks at either, ask him nicely why as others have suggested. And if he still won't let you see his sheet, tell him, he can't see your game that night. Fair is fair after all. If he has a problem, boot him. Hate to be a creep but if he won't play by the same rules as the others, you don't need him. Have Fun out there!! ~ W ~
To answer a few..... To fill you in our poor picked on Fighter... He has NO ranks in any Knowledge Skills...Not one. Not Geography, Dungeoneering, Local, Nobility...NADDA. He has no Professions dealing with Tactics, Planning or mass combat. He has during the game, verbally chided the Holy Nutjob and Tree Hugging Bow Bunny as uptight and snooty and to cowardly to get in close to kill someone. The other players have Knowledge of the Local Geography, Nobility and others that may help with what kingdoms may be bringing to the conflict. They Both have made efforts to help the Generals during the last campaign and not try to upstart them in public, like our fighter. Sorry, should have put some more details into the previous post. Not picking on him or out to get him and when the Steel Hits the Meat when they are out in the field, this guy can and does execute battle plans like a fiend. Now, when the PCs are alone, he gets all the face time he can handle when it comes to taking on objectives. He just has a REAL challenge when it comes to the Big Game Planning. He so far hasn't made nice with the three NPCs he needs to get in good graces. He gets recognized by the Generals, as in the last Border Skirmish as a key to holding an important Bridge. Heck, he even got an Award of Arms out of it. Which he promptly sold. /sigh Have Fun out there!! ~ W ~
Okay, my take on this... I am a very easy going GM. I WANT the PCs to win. I really do, I apologize when their decisions get them gacked. I root for them to make saves, get crits and do really nifty plans in the campaigns. I have now, 3 games that I GM. I am the only GM in my area now for over 12 years and heres a bit that gets me: My Old Grognard Game from the mid 80s has a bunch of roleplayers that love the story and the fighting and understand that the Dwarf Fighter with a 7 Charisma should NEVER be in the room of any important meeting. He plays his character like a 7 Cha. He's rude, loud and thoroughly annoying if he thinks his opinion is right. He's only slightly less annoying if he thinks others are right. My 90s Group is a Tactical Combat Heavy group. They enjoy the fights. They understand that taking low stats is a bother but hey, if it ups their Main Combat Stats that's all that matters to them. In this group, I have to constantly remind the Int 9, Cha 9 Fighter that he is NOT invited to the War Council as he is just not up to the in depth planning of coordinated battle plans and beside, his Cha makes him friggin annoying to the Kingdoms Paladin and Ranger Generals. He gets all pouty and watches as the Cleric and Wizard are allowed in to the Planning. Which those two players enjoy WAY too much. Punishing him? Yeah, not. My new group, which is just getting into Kingmaker, has a 1/2 Orc Barb who has a Cha of 5. Yes, a 5. He is a very outgoing person and likes to be the front man. Tell me, are you going to let The Elephant Man to do all your negotiations? He is a great Rollplayer and thinks his personal ability, which is quite impressive, should be all he needs. He gets very annoyed when I ask for his Diplomacy/Bluff/Intimidate rolls. The entire group likes him as 'The Face' and are kinda hoping his Barb bites it in an upcoming fight so he can make a real 'Face' Character. Is that picking on the poor guy? I don't think so. Now, these Three Groups have only one Player that overlaps them, and he is good with way I do it. I personally hate Min / Maxers that try to avoid the rules by taking a low stat and work around the consequences by rollplaying or other means. Sorry, you take low stats, your gonna get bit. Lots of monsters now have Save DCs based on other than the main Con/Dex/Will stats. Characters whine and moan when they see them and go out of their way to avoid these fights. Not happening. Is that mean? If so, give me the black hat, waxed curly 'stache and maniacal laugh. If your group is having fun, you're doing it right and since I've had the one group since the mid 80s and sometimes we have to drive 10 hours to get to each other for our monthly game, I must be doing something right. If your group is having fun, you're doing it right. TLDR: We all have different play styles and Players, if your group is having fun, keep doing what you're doing. If not, work something out and move on. Have Fun out there!! ~ W ~
If your Monk used his Sling, is he still capable of moving his full speed? I know he can still move 50' with his ranged attack, but the OwlBear can still keep charging. It changes his rounds of attack if he wants to keep his distance but, he still could. Just, how long is that fight going to take? Lol, doable but kinda boring. And Bruno has a point, rough terrain would kill this for the monk. An owlbear could be considered immune to the rough terrain if it was his home / hunting range. Interesting scenario. Have Fun out there!! ~ W ~
While I really hope someone does a conversion for IK, it's just so friggin daunting a task, I don't think it will ever happen. Warmachine has killed the IK RPG. It was too much of a cash cow to spend time on the RPG. My group had just finished The Witchfire Trilogy and were getting ready to go after Vinter and his Skorne buddies! I bought all those books and then my game was put on hold as everyone got deployed, married and new jobs.... by the time I had the group ready to go again, PP had moved on and we gravitated to PF instead of 4E. Miss the gritty, gnarly, hunky, clunky goodness that was Iron Kingdoms!! Long Live Julian Hellstrome, Father Dumas and King Leto!!! Have Fun out there!! ~ W ~
I go with a 'Limited Sandbox' approach where my players can go where ever and do what ever and I will steer them to the level appropriate encounters for said desires. I give them the worlds, Mystara, Greyhawk and now Golarion and let them pack up their kit bags and go get dirty. One of these games has been going on since the mid 80s (Mystara) the other since the mid 90s (Greyhawk). They trust me to keep them entertained, challenged and looking for more!! So far, so good. While Golarion is my newest and weakest world, they all have been very entertained with the whole Kingmaker AP and have jumped in with both sabatons and look like they may take Ol Staggy soon! That is if they don't get distracted with Kobold Freedom Fighters! ~ Mystara Game is very detailed about armor and weapons and how they interact with each other. The game is very Roleplay heavy with combat being secondary even with characters in the 20s. I know that sounds backwards with the detail to armor and weapons but the players know that some weapons are gonna cut them down and with some very brutal house rules since the start, combat is nasty and can go south fast, so they like to think/ work around the fights. Some games, not a die is rolled in anger! ~ Greyhawk is very Tactical and Combat oriented with very little Roleplaying. This group doesn't like the details of the Mystara Game and prefers a simpler combat style. If this group is not in a dungeon or maneuvering on an enemy, it gets slow. Fast is the pace and action is the word of the day! Sometimes it feels like a Table Top Miniatures Battle Game, but everyone has fun and they keep sending emails about the next game so, they have to be having fun eh? ~ Golarion Game is under a Month or so old and is still getting its legs under it. Looks like a good mix of both the above games. We shall see how the sandbox plays out for them. Sorry for the Ramble... Have Fun out there!! ~ W ~
A day without laughter is a sad sad day in my three gaming groups. I have only one person who is in all three and he is amazed that some of the sillyness is not repeated in each group. Another saying is "If we're not having fun, why are we doing it?" While I don't try to write any humor in, tried it way back in the early days and major failure, I let it roll off the players and ride it like a good wave. When it breaks, you let it go and get back to paddling. It's all about.... Have Fun out there!! ~ W ~
Not sure it will go dry. I mean look at the Talent Pool that is there now. And with the way they interact with the community to test and develop new stuff, I see an almost unexhaustable well of new ideas in the pipe! They keep coming out with stellar APs in a good steady stream. And with all the areas of Golarion they will have a ton of 'Gazetteer' style books to release, rules to consolidate, fiction to write, ice cream to make.... errr, wait.... Hopefully you see my point. I see a lot of years ahead of good solid RP Happy Dances in my future. If one day, it does start to go dry, and we start eyeing each other like the Donner Party, I have faith the minds at this company will be elbow deep on the next thing to keep us happy. I think Mistwalker had some good ideas for that time, I'd love to see how they'd do with those genres'. But that is a topic for other threads and dreams Have Fun out there!! ~ W ~
Been playing D&D since the 70s. Started the MMO Nightmare with Evercrack, went to WoW, Warhammer Online, D&D Online, LotR Online to name the biggies... I love MMOs. They give me the ability to zone out for an hour to go do some 'stuff'. PvP, quick Dungeon, trade skilling etc. They have in no way replaced my Table Top Gaming Addiction. I can name maybe a total of 7 MMOs I've spent time in and that pales in comparison to the number of games I've dumped thousands of dollars into (Books, Minis, Maps, Random Shtuff!) and still look for new stuff. I mean, how many editions of D&D are out there and we've all bought darn near every splat / Module for? How many hours have we spent reading, modifying and playing these games? WAY more than an MMO. Now, I can see exactly where Steel_Wind is coming from. With the way technology bounces ahead in huge chunks, one day, we may be around a 'Virtual Table' of our own. It could happen and it sure would make the 8 Hour Gaming Trip (one Way) once a month a lot easier and could make that game happen multiple times a week! Huzzah! Still, while they will influence the player base, I can't see a totally computer run game replacing the Face to Face gaming in my life. Others may go that way, but our old Grognard and Grognardess Games will be Tabletop and Face to Face.... even if it's over a high speed internet connection!! Have Fun out there!! ~ W ~
This! Hehe, since I am the only GM in our, now, three groups is my vote! They all know I modify and adjust any modules I run. So far, the only complaint was a magic item that was in the module I took out because it didn't fit into my campaign. As long as they're having fun, I'm doing okay. Have Fun out there!! ~ W ~
The only really sticky issue I can see here is, if we give these classes rechargeable abilities out of combat, we have to start thinking of giving it to Wizards, Clerics, Sorcerers etc. I know the mechanics are clunky but if we can't mitigate the other classes wanting their abilities rechargeable, this just isn't worth the grey matter for me to waste... so.little.left. Interesting topic though and good luck with it! Have Fun out there!! ~ W ~
While Samurai, Ninja and Gunslinger have no place in my Campaigns it is cool to see the thinking behind them and the fact that Paizo is giving us a chance to bang them around for free with OUT buying anything first. Unlike other unnamed Publishers, we have an insight as to whether we want these classes, which ever variation they are, in our games. I appreciate the fact they DO listen to us, even the ones of us kicking them in the gnarly bits about stuff we don't like. If you don't like it don't buy it caveat is not for you, all fine and dandy. Since my groups all know what flavor of game we're in and well, they've been in the same games for 15+ and 8+ years and a new one is just now getting into Golarion, we can all sit down and discuss the new stuff. It's really no biggie. Will I buy these new books? Not sure yet, I may snag them and see if they have other nuggets of love I like and can add and then let my players know if they should snag em. Heck, I may just buy em because I'm turning into a friggin Fanboy here and want to support a company I actually like! Meh, who knows. Basically I'm just glad they are still trying to keep the juices flowing and giving us options to keep our games fresh. Bloat? Glut? Target Rich environment? Beats me, I'm just glad they're still trying. Have Fun out there!! ~ W ~
Melee - Viable - Must be able to stand up to a level specific target with out fear of getting drilled in a round except by a freak Crit. He / she must also have a reasonable ( 75% or better ) chance of stomping said baddies guts out in 3 rounds of close contact (ie Full Round Actions). Ahh, we use a Roll and Keep method, not point buy. It is a generous method also. So, I defer to your call on the melee for your argument. In my two campaigns, the above is what goes for Viable for us. Spellcasters are not only doing damage. My Older Group has learned that they have a plethora of options if they are bouncing spells. They enhance melee, debuff / buff and do other things to get 'fire superiority' on targets. Kinda scary when they get going. I also see folks wanting to put actual numbers to this question, which I really can't for the reasons you stated at the bottom of your post. With out knowing the Stat Method, CR vs Character Level and even situational modifiers it's tough. The examples above are what passes for Viable in my games. YMMV Have Fun out there!! ~ W ~
Hmm, I've never really thought of a Mathematical way to determine a viable or successful character before other than if the Character lives to die of old age and boredom in his Keep / Castle / Tower / Hamlet / Kingdom or is dumped in an unheroic heap in a land fill. I guess it would go something like this: Melee - Viable - Must be able to stand up to a level specific target with out fear of getting drilled in a round except by a freak Crit. He / she must also have a reasonable ( 75% or better ) chance of stomping said baddies guts out in 3 rounds of close contact (ie Full Round Actions). Ranged - Viable - Must be able to lay a sufficient amount of fire on a target to either suppress Casters not in close melee or help to obliterate a melee in close combat with his Melee / thugs. This means he must be able to penetrate heavy armor regularly. Skill Bunnies - Viable - Be able to succeed on his / her specialty a minimum of 8 out of 10 attempts. I mean, if that person has gone down that quagmire that is a Skill Bunny, they better make it pay off and DUMP points into those skills. They should also be able to help with combat by either flanking heavies, restricting the enemies mobility, etc. I don't expect my skill heavy players to be toe to toe with out some extenuating circumstances and even then, they need to be able to weather the fire till relieved. Mages - Viable - Be able to every fight contribute to Battlefield Suppression / Exploitation, Direct Damage, Damage Mitigation. Even if they are not casting spells, they should have wands, scrolls and potions ready to assist others. If you are a out of spells, you better have some tricks up your sleeves to keep you and your buddies in the fight! Clerics - Viable - The ability to supplement your party in any circumstance. Be it combat, recon, Intel Gathering or what ever. Also, I've seen numerous debates on healing in combat, if you don't like to heal in combat, you'd better be able to deny the enemy the ability to do damage to your thugs. I'm not sure if that answers your query or if anyone agrees but that is what makes a character viable in my games. Group - Viable - They work as a team, coordinating strengths to minimize weaknesses and exploit the enemies flaws. Group - Non Viable - They could all be 30 point equivalent build characters maximized for what their roles are but if they don't work together, fail group. Have Fun out there!! ~ W ~
I allow any Arcane Caster Class to fire off a spell from a Spellbook. It acts as a scroll and is used up / gone when read that way. Any spell check for different levels must be made or the spell is lost and it fizzles or something whacky depending on the situation. Just my own little House Rule that my one group has been using since the mid 80s. Have Fun out there!! ~ W ~
Most of my players have figured out, that not all that shines is gold and they need to be on guard when plying folks for info. I rarely if ever just allow them to make a "Gather Info" roll and get the full scoop on something. NPCs will use as logical a motivation (Alignment, PC Notoriety; good or bad, Situation at the time) to give info and what not. I mean, if you have a group of trusting folks, don't be mean about it and give them Sense Motive Rolls to get a clue the NPCs might be pulling their leg a bit. Then at least you can say you gave them a chance! But a fact of many plots and APs are NPCs misleading PCs for their own diabolical machinations of world domination! The PCs better be equipped to ferret out the bad guys and save the world!! Hope some of this helps! Have Fun out there!! ~ W ~
I allow it. I have a group that has been around since the mid 80s and they now have a group of 14! 7 players and 7 cohorts plus the added troops that came with the cohort. The Cohorts make it so everyone, regardless of the scenario has a dog in the fight. Scouting, combat, research and skills. They love it. I have adjusted after they destroyed the first few encounters. It was quite an eye opening. It does allow me to break from the 15 min Adventuring Day as this group can handle 5 or 6 good encounters in a game day and not feel the need to scurry off and rest. In several adventures they were in a harrying / harried war and some days got almost zero down time and they had the healing and magic depth to keep on chugging through the waves of minions attempting to over run their Castle / Fortified Town till the the enemy was in danger of being cut off from their supply lines. You will need to be very aware of the force multipliers involved in a group nearing 10 souls. If you can adjust it might just be some of the best times you will have. Keep in mind, they have their own personalities and quirks. They are not robots to keep around making items for the group or doing all the scut work. If they are mistreated, they roll out and spread the word not to work for the 'Yahoos' over in Shmukville. Hope some of this helps Have Fun out there!! ~ W ~
Got this as a Birthday Gift as I was a big fan of 1st Ed L5R. As said above, the feel of the book is just WOW, very nice cover and artwork. Very hefty book. Reading through it, so far, very pleased! Looking to give my groups a change of pace from our PF Games I am running right now. One group loves to roleplay and from my previous experience, this will be right up there alley! Looking forward to see how this evolves and if it can get itself a good core following! Have Fun out there!! ~ W ~
While Metamorphosis Alpha and the Gamma World were absolutely two of my favorite games back in the day, I just can't get over them being 4e Rules with Cards. Just. Can't. The old grognard in me is just put totally off by the Mutations Switching from fight to fight. Just too weird for me. I gave the Gamma World 3.0/3.5 a go when WotC put it out and it went over like a lead brick with my groups. Both of which loved the earlier GW games. Kinda sad, was hoping to see some life in the old games I could get behind. Guess I just can't get over some personnel issues with the concepts. Have Fun out there!! ~ W ~
Still rolling here also. We did 3D6 3 times keep highest per stat in 1st Ed. We Did 4D6 drop lowest in 2E - 3.5E Now in PF when a character buys the farm it's 4D6 drop lowest and reroll 1s. Always put the stats in the order you like. Tried Point buy once and the players kinda just were unhappy with it. Have Fun out there!! ~ W ~
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