Ever click on a thread, read about a DMing problem, but decide not to post a suggestion because the DM would probably take it badly? For example:
"My players are tired of D&D's zillion feats, skills and powers. A couple of them just want to pick a weapon and roll a d20 all the way to 20th level. I'm tired of new school design; I want lots of arbitrary rules, grittier combat, less balance and more black-and-white artwork."
"BUT I HATE TSR D&D AND RETRO-CLONES!"
Or:
"The paladin in my game is causing problems. His strict code puts him in the limelight more often than the other characters, who want attention too, and at the same time makes it hard for them to help the party using their best talents. What should I do?"
"PS: A PALADIN WITHOUT A STICK UP HIS ARSE ISN'T A PALADIN, AND I WANT THIS PALADIN IN MY GAME!!
Well, this is the thread to place all of the helpful suggestions you wanted to make, but knew they would fall on deaf ears. With one proviso: No judgments. Feel free to ask "That seems odd, why would you suggest that solution?", but no "Well that's a bad suggestion if I ever heard one!" And for the love of Jackson's upcoming Hobbit film, don't bash someone else's edition!
Read the post you're responding to. If you're answering a rules question, read the rules in question, think about them, then post an answer. Do all this politely.
These are my eternal, tongue-in-cheek, kept-in-check-by-sheer-willpower answers.
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The thread I believe you're referring to, it sounded more like DM fatigue and just a lack of variety in challenges. A new campaign or reworking with some monster templates can do wonders for spicing things up. They explicitly stated they weren't interesting in a different edition however, and yet the different edition was sort of suggested anyway.
Try your best to offer advice within the guidelines the person asking you presents, and if you can't help them in that way, then don't. But flat out offering exactly what they do not want, is a little jerkish.
It pretty much reads like this:
"I need something to zing up my potato salad, but I'm allergic to pickles!"
"Hurr durr, try some pickles."
" >.< "
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Q: I want to make a character for Pathfinder Society play that is guaranteed to antagonize everyone else in the party and who is based on borderline-shifty rules interpretations. Does anyone have any advice?
A: Don't do that.
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Q: I want rules for Pathfinder that don't rely on gear, have systemic equality for martial and caster characters, portray wounds and combat realistically, and include a skill-based magic system instead of vancian magic (yuck). Can Paizo just publish some easy rules to make this possible?
A #1: Pick any other RPG system released in the last three decades and run that instead.
A #2: Learn to love gear-dependent pseudo-medieval super-heroes and vancian casting.
I offer this one with no special enmity for the query... I get like this sometimes too. But the simplest answer in this case is the above, I think.
The thread I believe you're referring to...
Was just one of the many, many times when I've refrained from making helpful suggestions because I knew it would fall on deaf ears. And that's the point of this thread: to voice those suggestions without thread cr@pping in other threads. Try it, it's therapudic!
Q: Spells like rope trick and confusion are making the game a hassle for me. Also maneuvers like disarm are a nuisance. My players waltz through combat encounters, and I can't seem to challenge them!
A1: Ban the problematic spells and maneuvers! A lot of them exist just to make DMing harder. Seriously.
A2: Play a different game! I'm sure there are plenty of fantasy rpgs where this stuff isn't so problematic. And yes, one of them is 4e D&D even if your uncle's cousin's roommate's sister's dog's groomer said that 4e gave her pinkeye.
This is from a variety of places around the internet.
Our campaigns take about six months of weekly gaming and 6 hour sessions to get to high levels. If your GM takes it any easier than us, you won't be level 19 by this time next year. Seriously chill out and stop thinking about high levels so much and just think about playing the game in the now.
Just because the DM made the DC high and you failed doesn't deserve hyperbole and a woe-is-me spin on everything that happened.
Stop picking weapon finesse. Just stop.
A2: Play a different game! I'm sure there are plenty of fantasy rpgs where this stuff isn't so problematic. And yes, one of them is 4e D&D even if your uncle's cousin's roommate's sister's dog's groomer said that 4e gave her pinkeye.
That's because 4e is a straight-up playa.
Wait...
I'm being told that pinkeye isn't a sexually-transmitted disease.
Carry on.
Q: A fellow player chewed me out for using an improvised weapon in a reasonable fashion.
A: Yell at him lots and lots for being dumb.
Stop picking weapon finesse. Just stop.
Um...would you elaborate, please?
A2: Play a different game! I'm sure there are plenty of fantasy rpgs where this stuff isn't so problematic. And yes, one of them is 4e D&D even if your uncle's cousin's roommate's sister's dog's groomer said that 4e gave her pinkeye.That's because 4e is a straight-up playa.
Wait...
I'm being told that pinkeye isn't a sexually-transmitted disease.
Carry on.
Also, it's very hard to catch anything but a paper cut from a book. :\
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Q: I ultra-optimize my characters so much that they make Superman look like Lois Lane. Why are Paizo`s modules so unchallenging?
A: Stop doing that.
I would politely tell the player to take a hike.
Yar.
There is only one possible solution.
~P
"Nuke the site from orbit. It's the only way to be sure"- Ripley / Hicks?
Also this thread seems to be a codicil of this one
Stop picking weapon finesse. Just stop.Um...would you elaborate, please?
Every single time I have to explain to them that weapon finesse is a trap and that they should just fight with strength instead. And when they do, their damage goes up by ten or twelve. I think the guy who did 1d6+3 went up to 1d6+14 by swapping his 20 Dex and 12 Str and picking up power attack. What did he lose? Nothing. He just wore heavier armor.
I'm not saying that every class should fight with strength. Sometimes, weapon finesse is good, like when you want to attack touch with your 16 dex instead of your -2 strength. Or when you want to dual-wield as a rogue.
Weapon Finesse is kind of a cool trap that the game sneaks in on you. "One stat for high AC and attack!" It doesn't tell you in that feat that you will do 1/5th the damage of a character who just fights with strength. But it should.
And keeping on topic in the thread: Get off the messageboard, give this person a phone call, and don't be afraid to kick them out of your game.
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Q: A player in my campaign (I) wants to play a Full-BAB, Full-Caster with x special abilities on top of it. How do I do that within the rules?
A: <bangs head against wall in rage and frustration before calming down> Go play a different game. Preferably far away.
** spoiler omitted **Stop picking weapon finesse. Just stop.Um...would you elaborate, please?
Wow, and I thought I knew bad optimizers. I thought WF being for rogue-types was self-evident.
Personally, I give it away for free. Because really, those who should use it shouldn't have to blow a feat just to perform their basic combat function.
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Q: On page XYZ of the rules, there's a sentence that you can read in two ways. If you read it in the obvious way the rule is perfectly reasonable, but if you squint your eyes and stand on your head while reading it the rule doesn't make much sense and it's overpowered. When is Paizo issuing an errata?
A: <bashes head on desk>
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This one is close to home for me:
Q: Why is everyone on this forums such a jerk all the time? Can I make them be nice and helpful like me by posting a rant?
A: Stop spending so much time on the forums.
Q: But I'm really bored at work and I like thinking about Pathfinder stuff.
A: Then prep your freakin' game and stop being such a hypocrite.
Q: Okay.
This one is close to home for me:
Q: Why is everyone on this forums such a jerk all the time? Can I make them be nice and helpful like me by posting a rant?
A: Stop spending so much time on the forums.
Q: But I'm really bored at work and I like thinking about Pathfinder stuff.
A: Then prep your freakin' game and stop being such a hypocrite.
Q: Okay.
To be fair, posting on a forum and prepping for a game often involve very different amounts of time, and I for one very much dislike being constantly disrupted while trying to prep, so there is actually a bit gray area in that response. I often find myself with time to update games I am playing in, but not games I am running.
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This one is close to home for me:
Q: Why is everyone on this forums such a jerk all the time? Can I make them be nice and helpful like me by posting a rant?
A: Stop spending so much time on the forums.
Q: But I'm really bored at work and I like thinking about Pathfinder stuff.
A: Then prep your freakin' game and stop being such a hypocrite.
Q: Okay.
Dunno, i believe that a large part of the jerkiness comes from the internet annonymity and the fact that people mostly have no idea who you really are. So people think that they can get away with a lot more than they could if we all sat in a big bar shuffling constantly and talking about stuff. I am not immune to this either, neither is most of the people on this messageboard. It is sad though...maybe if we all posted while thinking how would it be to be in front of the person we talked to, we would be more inclined to be civil and polite to each other.
Q: Why is everyone on this forums such a jerk all the time? Can I make them be nice and helpful like me by posting a rant?
A: Stop spending so much time on the forums.
A': Nope.
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Q: (To a Paizo staff member) Can you resolve this rules issue that has been discussed and debated in a FAWTL thread in a way that will benefit my side of the argument and make me feel justified for wasting my last week in obsessing about this?
A: No, they can't. Accept that you were wrong and stop bugging people about it.
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Q: Here is a really cool idea that I think is awesome and I just want people to tell me that I am the best designer ever. Can anyone tell me their thoughts without hurting my pride or telling me I need to go back to the drawing board?
A: The idea is cool but it breaks the game and will cause more problems then it fixes. Please try this alternative idea that should be in line with you original idea but not break the game.
Q: Your a doo-doo head. My idea is awesome, my 20 years of playing totally means I know better then you.
A: Your 20 years was clearly not spent being a GM, please stick to being a player. It is better that way.
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Q: My GM wont let me do X. Can you give me any advice that will change his mind?
A: No, because doing so will not only be mistranslated by you to your GM, it will also make things worse for you. He has his reasons, go with it and just have fun. If he wants to come here and ask for advice, that is cool. Just don't be surprised when we agree with him once we hear his side of the story.
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Q: Paizo, can I please have a Seltyiel icon?
A: No, his awesomeness is too intense to fit inside a small icon.
T__T
Q: The rules don't really clearly state "X" and I need to know "X" for my game/character! There has to be a rule somewhere!
A: Make ... it ... up. This isn't a professional sport. This is a casual fun game (and I don't even care which one it is). Find something everyone agrees on and be done with it until solution "X" no longer works anymore. There doesn't have to be a written rule for everything. We play a friggen fantasy game where we pretend to be elves and shoot fireballs out of our eyes while our bowel movements cause nations to quake! So why the heck did your imagination hit a roadblock with a rule?
Q: Here is a really cool idea that I think is awesome and I just want people to tell me that I am the best designer ever. Can anyone tell me their thoughts without hurting my pride or telling me I need to go back to the drawing board?
A-ish: Accept and address the criticism, that's why you posted it to begin with.
Also A: Sometimes your idea is awesome and they are wrong, but you still need to fix your wording.
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Q: I'm looking for cheese for my next character. My GM has so far caught all the cheese I've attempted and nixed it. How can I sneak something broken past my GM?
A: I weep for your family.
* * *
Q: Can I break the game this way? No? How about that way? No? What about this strain on the English language? How come? I'm interested in making a character, but I can't find the exploit--er, I mean, decide on a concept. Can't you please first answer all of my questions?
A: This will end in fire, and you won't get to win. Quit before the carnage starts.
(Same question, really, depending on whether you're the GM or a third party.)
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Q: So, how about those g*@-d++ned dirty optimizers, hey? Everyone knows having a single 18 renders you incapable of roleplaying. Back in my day everyone had 6s in all of their stats and that's the way the game should be no matter what!
A: <mimes tying a noose, tossing it over his head, and hanging himself>
Q: I'm DMing a low-magic game and I have a problem. The PCs have nothing to spend their money on/have problems breaking DR/are easily defeated by all of the monsters they fight. What gives, and how can I make it harder?
A: Dear god, please give me the ability to punch people in the face over standard TCP/IP.
Q. This <Perfectly sane> thing is not powreful enough. Why does it exist?
A. Because not everyone plays hyper-optimized munchkins.
Q. X is so much more powerful than Y. Why can't everything be ballanced.
A. Your percieved imballances are your oppinion, not fact. X and Y are completely different, and it is impossible to gauge ballance between the 2. People enjoy the current ballance. If you don't like it, find annother game.
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Q. X is so much more powerful than Y. Why can't everything be ballanced
I see this a lot more elsewhere than on the Paizo boards, but...
Q: I've never actually played in a game of Pathfinder with these classes, but, judging by some mathematical theorem and eyeballing the book, I can declare that these things are fine/not fine.
A: Go to hell.
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*Note: This is not edition bashing! Do not take it as such!*
Q: Back in the days when we played 1e/2e (See also: Now in 4e) there's this thing that is really awesome, and I think would make the game super amazing, and 3e/3.5e/PF stinks cause it doesnt have it. Why wont Paizo bring that back, so the game can be good?
A: 1) It might be against the law, 2) go play that edition, then. No one forces you to play any edition you dont want to.
*Again, not edition bashing. Play what you want. Its all cool with me.*
Q. X is so much more powerful than Y. Why can't everything be ballancedI see this a lot more elsewhere than on the Paizo boards, but...
Q: I've never actually played in a game of Pathfinder with these classes, but, judging by some mathematical theorem and eyeballing the book, I can declare that these things are fine/not fine.
A: Go to hell.
+5
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Q. why do you play (add class here) they suck so much
A. they don't suck they made it in the book didn't they?
b. shouldn't you be doing your actual job not being on forums all day long?
c. seriously the hole where you put pie? shut it.
d. don't break your fingers with all that furious debating and forum posting, i am sure you wife understands how important it is to declare the (insert class here) sucks. you are so misunderstood
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Q: I would never play this, but what do you think about this crazy combination of classes/feats/stuff? What about this one? What about this one?
A: Play them and find out. Stop posting them until you do.
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Q: This new class that has come out/will come out is really stupid and does not fit with the game for a reason I pulled out of thin air. Can everyone agree with me so we can convince Paizo they are wrong to publish it?
A: No. Because there are people out there that are celebrating the fact that this class is available and developed by people who actually know what they are doing.
A(b): Wait... didn't you just post about how cool this odd ball class from a obscure 3pp was?
A(c): You don't have to play the class, and you certainly don't have to let it be part of your game. If you can't do that then go play something else.
Q: Hi! Im a troll. Will you let me troll you?
A: No. But you deserve a swift kick in the nards for trying.
Successful Troll is shocked and hurt at your callous words.
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Successful Troll is shocked and hurt at your callous words.Q: Hi! Im a troll. Will you let me troll you?
A: No. But you deserve a swift kick in the nards for trying.
Rotfl. You are an exception, Successful Troll, because you have prewarned anyone who reads one of your posts that you could be trollolololin.
Q: OMFGWTF IS RONG WIF PEPLZ? WHY CANT U USE DA SEARCH? DIS IS SUCH AN OLE QUESTION WHY YOU HALF TOO ASK IT AGIN???? DONT U NO NUFFIN? U R SUCH NEWB!!!
A: This forum has a search option? Im am shocked that:
1) It actually has a search funtion.
2) The search function works.
3) Go F$%^ yourself.
4) Thanks for taking the time to reply, but in no way helping to answer my question, which you apparently know the answer to.
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Q: OMFGWTF IS RONG WIF PEPLZ? WHY CANT U USE DA SEARCH? DIS IS SUCH AN OLE QUESTION WHY YOU HALF TOO ASK IT AGIN???? DONT U NO NUFFIN? U R SUCH NEWB!!!A: This forum has a search option? Im am shocked that:
1) It actually has a search funtion.
2) The search function works.
3) Go F$%^ yourself.
4) Thanks for taking the time to reply, but in no way helping to answer my question, which you apparently know the answer to.
The flip side of that:
Q: Here is a question that has been asked about five or six times in the last couple weeks, but I haven't bothered to look to see if anyone else has asked it. Can you give me an answer?A: Of course, here is the response I have given five other time. Also, please look to see if someone else has covered that elsewhere. It is not as hard to do as some might think.
This is an interesting situation though. I think it comes up quite a bit more then others, and we can clearly see that both sides of this problem are being frustrated at one of the causes. The search feature in the forums is pretty bad compared to other sites. I have used it in the past to look to see if someone else has asked a specific question and I end up becoming frustrated at the result. I also scan through the forums to see the question was recently asked, which is an easier way to find out which topics have been beaten to death.
Q: I gave all my PCs a 40-point-buy and they have nearly triple their WBL. I'm having a hard time challenging them with encounters of CR = APL. Why is the CR system so useless?
A: Dear Sir. The rulebook makes certain key recommendations as to the appropriate power level of PCs. You should probably read those.
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This is an interesting situation though. I think it comes up quite a bit more then others, and we can clearly see that both sides of this problem are being frustrated at one of the causes. The search feature in the forums is pretty bad compared to other sites. I have used it in the past to look to see if someone else has asked a specific question and I end up becoming frustrated at the result. I also scan through the forums to see the question was recently asked, which is an easier way to find out which topics have been beaten to death.
Very true. The big thing I hate about the search function is its inability to do multiple questions without backtracking to the previous screen. Example: If I do a search in the rules forum, the results it gives me come just from the rules forum. Hmmm, not what Im looking for. I change the question to be worded differently and search again. This time, it has searched the entire friggin website, because I didnt backtrack into the rules forum so I knew I was asking ONLY about the rules forum. WTFDUM.
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Q: Why do players run amok in my sandbox game, destroying things and missing all my hooks that are so obivous and cool. Why do they do whatever they want, after i told them that they can do whatever they want? I meant it whatever i wanted them to want.
A: You should not start sandbox games and you should not tell your players things that you don't mean. Also, Your hooks are not obvious enough. Hit them in the face with those.
Oh and put a gun to your head...just in case you continue whining about this not seeing the advice we all are giving you.
Q: I gave all my PCs a 40-point-buy and they have nearly triple their WBL. I'm having a hard time challenging them with encounters of CR = APL. Why is the CR system so useless?
A: Dear Sir. The rulebook makes certain key recommendations as to the appropriate power level of PCs. You should probably read those.
Oh wow, I have a friend who does this when he DM's, and the cycle repeats every time. He hands out powerful artifacts and allows the rules to be bent sideways in character creation, pours loot on the party, then the campaign trainwrecks by mid-levels and he can't figure out why he can't challenge the party anymore.
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Very true. The big thing I hate about the search function is its inability to do multiple questions without backtracking to the previous screen. Example: If I do a search in the rules forum, the results it gives me come just from the rules forum. Hmmm, not what Im looking for. I change the question to be worded differently and search again. This time, it has searched the entire friggin website, because I didnt backtrack into the rules forum so I knew I was asking ONLY about the rules forum. WTFDUM.
Try this:
Use the searh function on the side. Hit on the most relevant words in your request. Don't press Enter. Instead, click away from the search field to cause the autofill box below it to disappear. This gives you access to a dropdown that lets you choose what area you want to search. Select "messageboards" from the dropdown, then click "Search". Works just fine, to me.
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Question:
Blah blah blah blah blah. Prattle prattle prattle prattle prattle.
Answer:
Lobster means business,
Onions though just make them cry,
Angel adjective.