pachristian's page

245 posts. No reviews. No lists. 2 wishlists.




I've often had issues with 'vanilla' magic items. You know what I mean. The plain +1 Sword. The plain +2 Ring of Protection. They're - dull. Often necessary in the game, but, dull.

An idea that I'm batting around is to require every magic item to have a purpose. A magic weapon must have a special effect in addition to, and in proportion to, it's bonus.

Similar abilities would apply to other magic items. For example, the +2 ring of protection might become a +1 ring of protection, +3 against Genies. A healing potion could be cure light wounds, cure serious against claw damage. (cost would be the same as a cure moderate).

The cost of said items, like the cost of magic weapons or armor, would be stepped up one level - there would be no cheap +1 items.

This would take more bookkeeping than vanilla items, but I think it might make magic items more special in the game.

Has anyone tried anything similar? If so, did it work?

Do you think I'm looking at building storylines? or just a big headache for everybody in the game?


1 person marked this as a favorite.

Every character class in Pathfinder has a party role that they fill. As a general rule we expect the cleric to heal, the fighter to stand on the front line, and the ranger to track. If a character of a given class does not fulfill his party role, we are troubled: Not that the cleric has to heal us, but his or her class is the best healer, and as a general rule, we expect them to be able to do the job.

Every character class has stereotypes associated with it. Wizards are stereotyped as bearded and bookish, paladins armored and sanctimonious, and rogues sly and criminal.

Some of the most interesting, and fun, characters I've seen in games were characters that were able to perform the work expected of their class, but who violated the class stereotypes.

An example: A bard character who was a ship's captain. She did not sing to give buffs; instead she barked orders. Like any good bard she had a store of oddball knowledge, and a few spells up her sleeve, but her "Performance" was her command voice and speaking.

So how about the rest of you? What characters have you played, or had in your games, who 'fulfilled the role - broke the stereotype'?


The question on the table is: Would the Legacy of Fire adventure path be appropriate for my gaming group?

I like the Arabian-nights themed setting and the descriptions I've read of the adventure modules.

My core game group consists of:
Experienced female gamer, likes roleplaying and social encounters, expert in spying and intrigue type games.
Inexperienced female gamer, gets into roleplaying her character, does not care about rules - likes to be coached, but good problem solver.
Experienced male gamer, great player, but very single-minded - has trouble spotting subplots and clues.
Experienced male player, extremely smart, even brilliant, knows rules well, very serious, minimal role-playing, but never misses clues.

My floating group (i.e. the ones I can't count on being present regularly) include;
Expert role-player and brilliant player, tends to like to put 'one over' on the GM. Easily dominates group when he's present.
Inexperienced female gamer, does not know rules well or care, likes to play fighters. Good player when she focuses (still a teenager).
Inexperienced female gamer - same as above
(yes, our children)
Experienced player, good role player and quick with rules - I have not gamed with him much, but am hoping he will become a regular player.

I don't want to hang any critical plot points to hang on the floating group, but want them to have a good time when they are present.

Can anyone advise whether adventure path is a good match for this group?
I will, of course, allow players to make their own characters, but can anyone suggest classes or special abilities that are (a) needed or (b) you think would be a good match for identified players.


This compendium is a must for anyone thinking about running an Arthurian related game.

Possibly the most valuable resource lies in describing the major characters and how they have evolved over time: We see characters such as Gawain and Merlin, and how they have been interpreted in different eras. The Companion illustrates by example how standards of what is "right and noble" have changed since the Middle Ages. This information is easily applied to any game set in a medieval or quasi-medieval world.

I did not buy my copy through Paizo (I've had it for years), but I highly recommend this book to anyone with even a modicum of interest in the age of Chivalry (hint: it's not always what you expect!).