paizo.com Recent Posts in GMs - Little "oopsies" you had to roll withpaizo.com Recent Posts in GMs - Little "oopsies" you had to roll with2012-11-11T23:48:51Z2012-11-11T23:48:51ZRe: Forums/Pathfinder First Edition: General Discussion: GMs - Little "oopsies" you had to roll withParagonDireRaccoonhttps://paizo.com/threads/rzs2p592&page=2?GMs-Little-oopsies-you-had-to-roll-with#982013-02-12T08:25:30Z2013-02-12T08:25:30Z<p>Two encounters when I ran Return to the Temple of Elemental Evil in 3.0 didn't go as planned. </p>
<p>The players breezed through what I thought was a clever and challenging encounter. Two assassins who had drank potions of invisibility trailed the party to a room with a rust monster. It was a group with eight players and difficult to challenge most of the time, but I thought they would freak out after seeing a rust monster and a few party members would take significant damage or be killed from the initial death attacks. I didn't think it through, the monk ran and soloed the rust monster and the wizard launched a fireball into the room, trusting that the monk would make the reflex save. An assassin failed the save against the fireball and the clever challenging encounter last three rounds with the party taking minimal damage. I should have anticipated the monk soloing the rust monster, and placed the invisible assassins further apart from each other.</p>
<p>A different enounter ended up being much deadlier than intended. The party needed xp to level up before the next section of the dungeon (eight pcs slows down progression). I moved a mind flayer with five levels of sorcerer to team up with a thirteenth level cleric. The cleric buffed up expecting the pcs, and started off with destruction on the half-fiend barbarian, who needed to roll a three or better to save. The mind flayer floated in behind with levitate the pcs and mind blasted them. I designed the encounter to provide a lot of exp without danger equal to the EL. The five levels of sorcerer added to the mind flayer's CR without significantly making it more dangerous. The cleric is scary at first with destruction, but two or three melee types could kill the cleric and get opp attacks to prevent spells while the rest of the party dealt with the mind flayer.</p>
<p>But it didn't work like I planned. The half-fiend barbarian rolled a 1 against the destruction and died in the opening round. The halfling bard that no one liked was at the back of the group and no one helped him against the mind flayer (the 3.0 bard was underpowered and I believe the rest of the party let the bard die so the player would make a new character). Six of the seven surviving characters fought the cleric, and the mind flayer attached four tentacles to the bard. I told the bard's player that if he cast shout the mind flayer would not get a saving throw and he would break free. The player, who had been playing D&D for more than fifteen years, said "I've got a better idea" and cast shout at the cleric. The player forgot the mind flayers eat brains. The mind flayer ate the bard's brain, resulting in two pc deaths from what I thought would be an easy encounter. The party chipped for true ressurection for the barbarian and did not bring the bard back to life.</p>
<p>My favorite near-tpk was in a 3.0 home-brew campaign. The party consisted of two half-dragon dwarven rogues and two halfling rogues (I let the players roll up characters before the first session and they all chose rogues and chose their races without consulting each other). They were heading into a volcano to fight a red dragon, in a slightly-Hobbit-inspired adventure also drawing from a 1st ed Dragonlance adventure in the World of Krynn module. One of the half-dragons was planning on betraying the party and going to work for the dragon. The player had a lot of faith in my ability as a DM, more faith than was warranted (I'm not up to running a campaign where the players sell each out and can still work together). So the dragon is on a ledge over a pool of lava, and the players are on a ledge opposite him. The adult red dragon uses his suggestion ability and tells the half-dragon dwarf to "step off the ledge and come over to him." The player makes the will save but thinks the dragon is casting fly on him so voluntarily fails the will save. He steps off the ledge and a halfing is next in the initiative order and tries to grab hold. We had decided half-dragon dwarves weigh about 400 pounds and halfing had a strength of 11, who fails a strength check, so the halfling also goes over the ledge. Next in initiative is the second halfling, with a strength of 12. He grabs the first halfling, fails the strength check, and also falls over the ledge. The second half dragon grabs them and I don't want to end the campaign this way so I make the strength check dc 15 and he succeeds. But it was almost a tpk from a suggestion spell the player made the save agsinst.</p>Two encounters when I ran Return to the Temple of Elemental Evil in 3.0 didn't go as planned.
The players breezed through what I thought was a clever and challenging encounter. Two assassins who had drank potions of invisibility trailed the party to a room with a rust monster. It was a group with eight players and difficult to challenge most of the time, but I thought they would freak out after seeing a rust monster and a few party members would take significant damage or be killed from the...ParagonDireRaccoon2013-02-12T08:25:30ZRe: Forums/Pathfinder First Edition: General Discussion: GMs - Little "oopsies" you had to roll withmdthttps://paizo.com/threads/rzs2p592&page=2?GMs-Little-oopsies-you-had-to-roll-with#972013-02-11T00:15:13Z2013-02-11T00:15:13Z<div class="messageboard-quotee">TriOmegaZero wrote:</div><blockquote> <div class="messageboard-quotee">mdt wrote:</div><blockquote> I almost had an entire group TPK.</blockquote><p>Not your fault however. :)
<div class="messageboard-quotee">mdt wrote:</div><blockquote>The BB was a half-dragon witch</blockquote>Now I'm REALLY embarrassed. </blockquote><p>I forgot to tell you the class? Yeah, sorry. He didn't even have to cast any spells. He only used a hex on the cavalier to make her horse hate her and that was it.TriOmegaZero wrote:mdt wrote: I almost had an entire group TPK.
Not your fault however. :) mdt wrote:The BB was a half-dragon witch
Now I'm REALLY embarrassed. I forgot to tell you the class? Yeah, sorry. He didn't even have to cast any spells. He only used a hex on the cavalier to make her horse hate her and that was it.mdt2013-02-11T00:15:13ZRe: Forums/Pathfinder First Edition: General Discussion: GMs - Little "oopsies" you had to roll withMark Hooverhttps://paizo.com/threads/rzs2p592&page=2?GMs-Little-oopsies-you-had-to-roll-with#962013-02-11T03:05:15Z2013-02-10T23:52:33Z<div class="messageboard-quotee">Scaevola77 wrote:</div><blockquote> <div class="messageboard-quotee">Jim.DiGriz wrote:</div><blockquote> <div class="messageboard-quotee">Scaevola77 wrote:</div><blockquote> . . . a town that was having a <b>spring/summer festival</b> where many games were being played. Unfortunately, he had not thought through a potential game list, and so just started rattling off different games going on. <b>Somehow curling made the list</b>. Needless to say, the PCs all wanted to go curling at the festival, and so he had to make up the mechanics for curling on the fly. </blockquote>Curling at a spring/summer festival? Magical ice? </blockquote>Yep. Curling. He still hasn't explained how exactly it worked, but apparently the players had fun with it. </blockquote><p>Curling sheet- Using precedents established through trap building to create permanized yet cheap running water, a series of traps were established around the rink, known as the "sheet" utilizing create water, ray of frost and a single sleet storm spell to create a constantly forming/evaporating sheet of ice. The target and lane are defined by a prestidigitation and arcane mark woven into the sleet storm trap. Matches are timed with an hour limit; at that point the ice traps need to shut down and refresh.
<p>This trap, crafted by the clever gnomish adept named Zamm Bo-Ni was originally meant to be part of the town's defenses but due to cost overruns the illusory fireworks, color sprays and mecanical golems meant to accompany the sheet were never produced. Since these generators only seem to kick on during the summer festival for some reason and no one really knew how to shut them down, they were repurposed for the entertainment of the crowd.</p>Scaevola77 wrote:Jim.DiGriz wrote: Scaevola77 wrote: . . . a town that was having a spring/summer festival where many games were being played. Unfortunately, he had not thought through a potential game list, and so just started rattling off different games going on. Somehow curling made the list. Needless to say, the PCs all wanted to go curling at the festival, and so he had to make up the mechanics for curling on the fly.
Curling at a spring/summer festival? Magical ice? Yep. Curling. He...Mark Hoover2013-02-10T23:52:33ZRe: Forums/Pathfinder First Edition: General Discussion: GMs - Little "oopsies" you had to roll withScaevola77https://paizo.com/threads/rzs2p592&page=2?GMs-Little-oopsies-you-had-to-roll-with#952013-02-10T20:45:02Z2013-02-10T20:45:02Z<div class="messageboard-quotee">Jim.DiGriz wrote:</div><blockquote> <div class="messageboard-quotee">Scaevola77 wrote:</div><blockquote> . . . a town that was having a <b>spring/summer festival</b> where many games were being played. Unfortunately, he had not thought through a potential game list, and so just started rattling off different games going on. <b>Somehow curling made the list</b>. Needless to say, the PCs all wanted to go curling at the festival, and so he had to make up the mechanics for curling on the fly. </blockquote>Curling at a spring/summer festival? Magical ice? </blockquote><p>Yep. Curling. He still hasn't explained how exactly it worked, but apparently the players had fun with it.Jim.DiGriz wrote:Scaevola77 wrote: . . . a town that was having a spring/summer festival where many games were being played. Unfortunately, he had not thought through a potential game list, and so just started rattling off different games going on. Somehow curling made the list. Needless to say, the PCs all wanted to go curling at the festival, and so he had to make up the mechanics for curling on the fly.
Curling at a spring/summer festival? Magical ice? Yep. Curling. He still hasn't...Scaevola772013-02-10T20:45:02ZRe: Forums/Pathfinder First Edition: General Discussion: GMs - Little "oopsies" you had to roll withJim.DiGrizhttps://paizo.com/threads/rzs2p592&page=2?GMs-Little-oopsies-you-had-to-roll-with#942013-02-10T20:26:41Z2013-02-10T20:26:41Z<div class="messageboard-quotee">Scaevola77 wrote:</div><blockquote> . . . a town that was having a <b>spring/summer festival</b> where many games were being played. Unfortunately, he had not thought through a potential game list, and so just started rattling off different games going on. <b>Somehow curling made the list</b>. Needless to say, the PCs all wanted to go curling at the festival, and so he had to make up the mechanics for curling on the fly. </blockquote><p>Curling at a spring/summer festival? Magical ice?Scaevola77 wrote:. . . a town that was having a spring/summer festival where many games were being played. Unfortunately, he had not thought through a potential game list, and so just started rattling off different games going on. Somehow curling made the list. Needless to say, the PCs all wanted to go curling at the festival, and so he had to make up the mechanics for curling on the fly.
Curling at a spring/summer festival? Magical ice?Jim.DiGriz2013-02-10T20:26:41ZRe: Forums/Pathfinder First Edition: General Discussion: GMs - Little "oopsies" you had to roll withSnorterhttps://paizo.com/threads/rzs2p592&page=2?GMs-Little-oopsies-you-had-to-roll-with#932013-02-10T18:24:46Z2013-02-10T18:24:46Z<div class="messageboard-quotee">Ravingdork wrote:</div><blockquote><p> In a homebrew game, the PCs were supposed to fight a bunch of punks in a factory with a conveyer belt system in hopes of stealing a quest item from them. During the fight, the punks were going to drop or throw the quest item onto the conveyer belt and half the battle would be chasing it down as it goes all over the place, repeatedly exchanging hands and what not as it did so.</p>
<p>It turned into a humdrum fight and basic treasure recovery as none of the NPCs bothered putting the quest item on the conveyer belt when I FORGOT MY OWN PLAN.</blockquote><p>You were illustrating the encounter area with the RoboRally boards, right?Ravingdork wrote:In a homebrew game, the PCs were supposed to fight a bunch of punks in a factory with a conveyer belt system in hopes of stealing a quest item from them. During the fight, the punks were going to drop or throw the quest item onto the conveyer belt and half the battle would be chasing it down as it goes all over the place, repeatedly exchanging hands and what not as it did so.
It turned into a humdrum fight and basic treasure recovery as none of the NPCs bothered putting the...Snorter2013-02-10T18:24:46ZRe: Forums/Pathfinder First Edition: General Discussion: GMs - Little "oopsies" you had to roll withOdraudehttps://paizo.com/threads/rzs2p592&page=2?GMs-Little-oopsies-you-had-to-roll-with#922013-02-10T18:05:17Z2013-02-10T18:05:17Z<p>For Kingmaker, I kept slipping up on Oleg's name and kept calling him Olaf. After like 5 times of me slipping up, I finally say f+#% it and called him Olaf. Also his wife Svetlana got some laughs from us because that's the name of this really terrible manga artist that draws people horrifically out of proportion and somehow got her own show in Canada. The running gag was that every time they saw his wife, her features were always different. Arm shorter than the other, eyes too close. Was funny.</p>For Kingmaker, I kept slipping up on Oleg's name and kept calling him Olaf. After like 5 times of me slipping up, I finally say f%&& it and called him Olaf. Also his wife Svetlana got some laughs from us because that's the name of this really terrible manga artist that draws people horrifically out of proportion and somehow got her own show in Canada. The running gag was that every time they saw his wife, her features were always different. Arm shorter than the other, eyes too close. Was funny.Odraude2013-02-10T18:05:17ZRe: Forums/Pathfinder First Edition: General Discussion: GMs - Little "oopsies" you had to roll withTriOmegaZerohttps://paizo.com/threads/rzs2p592&page=2?GMs-Little-oopsies-you-had-to-roll-with#912013-02-10T17:51:10Z2013-02-10T17:51:10Z<div class="messageboard-quotee">mdt wrote:</div><blockquote> I almost had an entire group TPK.</blockquote><p>Not your fault however. :)
<div class="messageboard-quotee">mdt wrote:</div><blockquote>The BB was a half-dragon witch</blockquote><p>Now I'm REALLY embarrassed.mdt wrote:I almost had an entire group TPK.
Not your fault however. :) mdt wrote:The BB was a half-dragon witch
Now I'm REALLY embarrassed.TriOmegaZero2013-02-10T17:51:10ZRe: Forums/Pathfinder First Edition: General Discussion: GMs - Little "oopsies" you had to roll withRickmeisterhttps://paizo.com/threads/rzs2p592&page=2?GMs-Little-oopsies-you-had-to-roll-with#902013-02-10T17:25:40Z2013-02-10T17:25:40Z<p>I usually forget the size aswel :D
<br />
I have smaller than you, your size, and everything bigger than you is BIG... Big surprise when •after• combat I read the fluff out loud, and it described it as being 9-12 feet high.
<br />
My players' eyes are not easily forgotten!</p>I usually forget the size aswel :D
I have smaller than you, your size, and everything bigger than you is BIG... Big surprise when *after* combat I read the fluff out loud, and it described it as being 9-12 feet high.
My players' eyes are not easily forgotten!Rickmeister2013-02-10T17:25:40ZRe: Forums/Pathfinder First Edition: General Discussion: GMs - Little "oopsies" you had to roll withScaevola77https://paizo.com/threads/rzs2p592&page=2?GMs-Little-oopsies-you-had-to-roll-with#892013-02-10T17:04:28Z2013-02-10T17:04:28Z<p>Not from a campaign I was in, but one of my fellow players apparently was GMing a game where the party entered a town that was having a spring/summer festival where many games were being played. Unfortunately, he had not thought through a potential game list, and so just started rattling off different games going on. Somehow curling made the list. Needless to say, the PCs all wanted to go curling at the festival, and so he had to make up the mechanics for curling on the fly.</p>Not from a campaign I was in, but one of my fellow players apparently was GMing a game where the party entered a town that was having a spring/summer festival where many games were being played. Unfortunately, he had not thought through a potential game list, and so just started rattling off different games going on. Somehow curling made the list. Needless to say, the PCs all wanted to go curling at the festival, and so he had to make up the mechanics for curling on the fly.Scaevola772013-02-10T17:04:28ZRe: Forums/Pathfinder First Edition: General Discussion: GMs - Little "oopsies" you had to roll withWPharolinhttps://paizo.com/threads/rzs2p592&page=2?GMs-Little-oopsies-you-had-to-roll-with#882013-02-10T15:04:31Z2013-02-10T15:04:31Z<p>There was one time, and don't know what I was thinking, that I described a creature in detail that was attacking the party. Except I neglected the most important bit of information: the fact that it was huge size. They were thinking it was medium and it started this argument about how reach works and I couldn't for the life of me understand how they were confused. So I got frustrated a grabbed some minis. They immediatly pointed out that was retarded and I hadn't told them that it was this massive creature. Yeah...that was derp.</p>There was one time, and don't know what I was thinking, that I described a creature in detail that was attacking the party. Except I neglected the most important bit of information: the fact that it was huge size. They were thinking it was medium and it started this argument about how reach works and I couldn't for the life of me understand how they were confused. So I got frustrated a grabbed some minis. They immediatly pointed out that was retarded and I hadn't told them that it was this...WPharolin2013-02-10T15:04:31ZRe: Forums/Pathfinder First Edition: General Discussion: GMs - Little "oopsies" you had to roll withMark Hooverhttps://paizo.com/threads/rzs2p592&page=2?GMs-Little-oopsies-you-had-to-roll-with#872013-02-10T14:18:16Z2013-02-10T14:18:16Z<p>So many...where to start?</p>
<p>How about silly names:</p>
<p>- Marin, lord of Battles (homebrew deity) - battle cry created by my players? "You've been MARINATED!" This deity no longer appears in my homebrews.</p>
<p>- Every single NPC I can't think of the name of is "Larry" as in "They got Larry; let's GET 'em!" My players thought it'd be awesome to jot down notes on every Larry for a while. A few months into the game they presented me with "The chronicle of Larrys", a record of all the poor shmoes I'd thrown around.</p>
<p>- I had a dwarf bartender change names 3 times over the course of a few months of gaming b/cause I could never remember his exact name. The third time I did it I called him the same name as the blacksmith (conveniently also a dwarf) and my player called me on it. I went with it: Player - wait, isn't that the name of the blacksmith? Me - the dwarf looks embarassed and for the first time you notice he looks amazingly like the blacksmith, save that his beard is red and the blacksmith's is black. "I...don't know what ye' mean lad" he stammers. You notice his apron is stained with soot as well as liquor...</p>
<p>Also there are GAPING inconsistencies in my campaigns. There have been details I've forgotten to drop "How do you guys NOT know the name of the noble who's missing?" players look befuddled, "because you NEVER told us...", there's been whole set pieces in homebrew games I forget so that the adventure makes no sense and of course I forget little things...like what's happening in the game's plot.</p>
<p>But we all keep rolling on don't we?</p>So many...where to start?
How about silly names:
- Marin, lord of Battles (homebrew deity) - battle cry created by my players? "You've been MARINATED!" This deity no longer appears in my homebrews.
- Every single NPC I can't think of the name of is "Larry" as in "They got Larry; let's GET 'em!" My players thought it'd be awesome to jot down notes on every Larry for a while. A few months into the game they presented me with "The chronicle of Larrys", a record of all the poor shmoes I'd...Mark Hoover2013-02-10T14:18:16ZRe: Forums/Pathfinder First Edition: General Discussion: GMs - Little "oopsies" you had to roll withWolf Munroehttps://paizo.com/threads/rzs2p592&page=2?GMs-Little-oopsies-you-had-to-roll-with#862013-02-10T10:06:07Z2013-02-10T10:06:07Z<p>I use the GameMastery Combat Pad because I was terrible at keeping track of initiative order without it. </p>
<p>My habit when I first started using it in my 3.5e Forgotten Realms game was to write the name of the creature on its initiative magnet so I'd say "Now it's the ghirrash's turn" (for example). I'd remind my players afterward that they shouldn't know what the creatures were. My players used to joke that they had the Detect Name ability to recognize what creatures were. </p>
<p>More recently in my current Pathfinder campaign, I mostly let the players manage the Combat Pad and keep it out for everyone to see. Unless a creature's type is glaringly obvious, I use an initiative magnet that is just labeled as "creature." Sometimes I'll just use a colored AleaTools magnet right on the Combat Pad that corresponds with a matching color assigned to the mini on the board if I have more than one of the same mini in use. </p>
<p>So, yeah, for the most part players in my current campaign don't get the Detect Name (Su) ability.</p>I use the GameMastery Combat Pad because I was terrible at keeping track of initiative order without it.
My habit when I first started using it in my 3.5e Forgotten Realms game was to write the name of the creature on its initiative magnet so I'd say "Now it's the ghirrash's turn" (for example). I'd remind my players afterward that they shouldn't know what the creatures were. My players used to joke that they had the Detect Name ability to recognize what creatures were.
More recently in my...Wolf Munroe2013-02-10T10:06:07ZRe: Forums/Pathfinder First Edition: General Discussion: GMs - Little "oopsies" you had to roll withredcelt32https://paizo.com/threads/rzs2p592&page=2?GMs-Little-oopsies-you-had-to-roll-with#852013-02-10T08:09:09Z2013-02-10T08:09:09Z<div class="messageboard-quotee">master_marshmallow wrote:</div><blockquote><p> my story isnt as funny, i was in a dungeon with traps laid throughout the floor, and my character had secured a safe pathway from a switch back to the starting point, only, the GM had forgotten about one of the traps when i crossed it the first time, so i unwittingly went back over it, thinking that nothing would happen because i was retracing my steps and BAM
</p>
trap sprung on me, his excuse was "the floor board was sticky the first time"</p>
<p>thanks dude...</p>
<p>on a lighter note, when i played 3.5 we had an entire homebrew campaign setting where damn near all the NPCs were famous musicions</p>
<p>there was the Aero-Smithery run by Steve and his apprentice Joe
<br />
(meant to be steve tyler and joe perry)</p>
<p>there was the AC/DC armory, run by Angus
<br />
(meant to be Angus young)</p>
<p>we had an NPC named Scott Staff who was a Paladin and the Head of the town guard in our main city, and he was based off Scott Stapp of Creed (hence paladin) and every time he spoke he said MYAH (imagine the worst/best scott stapp impression)</p>
<p>we also had an NPC (who later became a premade PC) named Scott Wild-Land who was a homebrew version of an arcane adept who was seeking his familiar who happened to be a Pseudo Dragon that he lost
<br />
(based on Scott weiland of STP, who is a heroine addict, "chasing the dragon")</p>
<p>we still had plans for running into a character based on David Bowie who would be a druid (based on david bowie's appearance in the Venture Bros) </blockquote><p>Haha! This reminds me of one of the "easter eggs" I put in a very long campaign one time. There was a young up and coming bard named Ossian who was extremely popular and known for his wild singing and shows. As the party traveled the Forgotten Realms, they kept running into this bard performing gigs everywhere. Finally someone in the party decided he might be an "important NPC" and went to talk to him. I made them burn a Tongues spell to completely understand him since he spoke in a broken language none of them spoke fluently. Determining he was not after them or related to any of their quests, they dismissed him but did go to one of his shows. There were groans around the table when his name was announced... Ossian, Ossian Osbourne.master_marshmallow wrote:my story isnt as funny, i was in a dungeon with traps laid throughout the floor, and my character had secured a safe pathway from a switch back to the starting point, only, the GM had forgotten about one of the traps when i crossed it the first time, so i unwittingly went back over it, thinking that nothing would happen because i was retracing my steps and BAM
trap sprung on me, his excuse was "the floor board was sticky the first time"thanks dude...
on a lighter...redcelt322013-02-10T08:09:09ZRe: Forums/Pathfinder First Edition: General Discussion: GMs - Little "oopsies" you had to roll withChristopher Delvo (alias of xXxTheBeastxXx)https://paizo.com/threads/rzs2p592&page=2?GMs-Little-oopsies-you-had-to-roll-with#842013-02-10T07:57:58Z2013-02-10T07:57:58Z<p>I once named an NPC bard "Felecio." I didn't realize what I had done until it was far, FAR too late.</p>
<p>I now think hard about what I name objects and people in my games, and say the names out loud several times, in several different ways, before I decide on something.</p>
<p>...Catch Phrase,</p>
<p>-Chris</p>I once named an NPC bard "Felecio." I didn't realize what I had done until it was far, FAR too late.
I now think hard about what I name objects and people in my games, and say the names out loud several times, in several different ways, before I decide on something.
...Catch Phrase,
-ChrisChristopher Delvo (alias of xXxTheBeastxXx)2013-02-10T07:57:58ZRe: Forums/Pathfinder First Edition: General Discussion: GMs - Little "oopsies" you had to roll withChris P. Baconhttps://paizo.com/threads/rzs2p592&page=2?GMs-Little-oopsies-you-had-to-roll-with#832013-02-10T07:29:06Z2013-02-10T07:29:06Z<div class="messageboard-quotee">Detect Magic wrote:</div><blockquote><p> I sometimes speak aloud what I'm thinking, revealing more information than was necessary, when it comes around to the NPC/villain's turn. </p>
<p>"Alright, the <i>werewolf</i> is up. Alright, he... damnit." </blockquote><p>I did something similar once!
<p>I had been building up this mystery all session. The PCs had tracked a man through the wilderness back to his little shack in the woods and were about to ambush him when we got into a small debate about how Stealth worked. One of the players asked to see the PHB for clarification, so I passed it to him.</p>
<p>... only I <i>actually</i> handed him the Monster Manual, which I had left open to the entry on werewolves. щ(゚Д゚щ) They all noticed it and tried to act cool, except for one player, who suddenly had the urge to remind me that he bought silver arrows the last time he was in town.</p>
<p>Also:</p>
<p>Once I had to hastily name a female NPC who turned out to be more important to the storyline than I had anticipated. Flustered, I thought up a pretty common name, and then chose the first random surname that popped into my head to go with it. It wasn't until I caught my players snickering at least an hour later that I realized I had inadvertently named her after a well-known porn star.</p>Detect Magic wrote:I sometimes speak aloud what I'm thinking, revealing more information than was necessary, when it comes around to the NPC/villain's turn.
"Alright, the werewolf is up. Alright, he... damnit."
I did something similar once! I had been building up this mystery all session. The PCs had tracked a man through the wilderness back to his little shack in the woods and were about to ambush him when we got into a small debate about how Stealth worked. One of the players asked to see...Chris P. Bacon2013-02-10T07:29:06ZRe: Forums/Pathfinder First Edition: General Discussion: GMs - Little "oopsies" you had to roll withmaster_marshmallowhttps://paizo.com/threads/rzs2p592&page=2?GMs-Little-oopsies-you-had-to-roll-with#822013-02-10T07:20:31Z2013-02-10T07:20:31Z<p>my story isnt as funny, i was in a dungeon with traps laid throughout the floor, and my character had secured a safe pathway from a switch back to the starting point, only, the GM had forgotten about one of the traps when i crossed it the first time, so i unwittingly went back over it, thinking that nothing would happen because i was retracing my steps and BAM
<br />
trap sprung on me, his excuse was "the floor board was sticky the first time"</p>
<p>thanks dude...</p>
<p>on a lighter note, when i played 3.5 we had an entire homebrew campaign setting where damn near all the NPCs were famous musicions</p>
<p>there was the Aero-Smithery run by Steve and his apprentice Joe
<br />
(meant to be steve tyler and joe perry)</p>
<p>there was the AC/DC armory, run by Angus
<br />
(meant to be Angus young)</p>
<p>we had an NPC named Scott Staff who was a Paladin and the Head of the town guard in our main city, and he was based off Scott Stapp of Creed (hence paladin) and every time he spoke he said MYAH (imagine the worst/best scott stapp impression)</p>
<p>we also had an NPC (who later became a premade PC) named Scott Wild-Land who was a homebrew version of an arcane adept who was seeking his familiar who happened to be a Pseudo Dragon that he lost
<br />
(based on Scott weiland of STP, who is a heroine addict, "chasing the dragon")</p>
<p>we still had plans for running into a character based on David Bowie who would be a druid (based on david bowie's appearance in the Venture Bros)</p>my story isnt as funny, i was in a dungeon with traps laid throughout the floor, and my character had secured a safe pathway from a switch back to the starting point, only, the GM had forgotten about one of the traps when i crossed it the first time, so i unwittingly went back over it, thinking that nothing would happen because i was retracing my steps and BAM
trap sprung on me, his excuse was "the floor board was sticky the first time"
thanks dude...
on a lighter note, when i played 3.5 we...master_marshmallow2013-02-10T07:20:31ZRe: Forums/Pathfinder First Edition: General Discussion: GMs - Little "oopsies" you had to roll withmdthttps://paizo.com/threads/rzs2p592&page=2?GMs-Little-oopsies-you-had-to-roll-with#812013-02-10T06:59:34Z2013-02-10T06:59:34Z<p>I almost had an entire group TPK. </p>
<p>They'd been chasing clues for 7 or 8 games, and finally due to some faulty intelligence transfer from one of the players (who managed to screw up every possible bit of information I gave when telling it to the other players), they were woefully underprepared for the big bad battle. </p>
<p>So, I had their employer step in and bring them all up to WBL, and fill in some blanks finally. Then they went to attack the Big Bad who had the McGuffin. The BB was a half-dragon witch with a nasty scythe, and 12 mooks of various types (including one adept healer with a wand). </p>
<p>The very first thing the PCs did was leave their own witch 120ft from the fight, their archer 80ft from the fight, and then the rest charged into the throng of mooks. </p>
<p>BB half-dragon witch simply ignored the melee people and the archer, flew straight to the witch, and sliced her into kibble in 2 rounds. Then flew to the archer and sliced him into kibble in 2 rounds. By then all but 2 mooks were down (plus the noncombatant healer, who refused to attack, would only heal the others, and the LG cleric coudln't attack the healer due to personal code of honor). In the end, the cavalier's horse was the only one standing, and it managed to bring the BB down to 25% hit points, which was the BB's standing order to retreat with the McGuffin.</p>
<p>So the Cavalier's horse was the only 'survivor' of the fight. Sheesh.</p>I almost had an entire group TPK.
They'd been chasing clues for 7 or 8 games, and finally due to some faulty intelligence transfer from one of the players (who managed to screw up every possible bit of information I gave when telling it to the other players), they were woefully underprepared for the big bad battle.
So, I had their employer step in and bring them all up to WBL, and fill in some blanks finally. Then they went to attack the Big Bad who had the McGuffin. The BB was a...mdt2013-02-10T06:59:34ZRe: Forums/Pathfinder First Edition: General Discussion: GMs - Little "oopsies" you had to roll withMalignantMindhttps://paizo.com/threads/rzs2p592&page=2?GMs-Little-oopsies-you-had-to-roll-with#802013-02-10T18:33:26Z2013-02-10T06:35:46Z<p>Once I was running a adventure in 3.5. There was a room that had a almost full page description. After finishing reading it to the group, they started making camp in there. Thing is, there was an ogre in the room. That the super long description never mentions. So, after the party is halfway setting up camp...</p>
<p>Me: So, what do you guys do about the ogre in the room?
<br />
Players: What ogre?
<br />
Me: The big ass ogre in the room that you guys ignored.
<br />
Players: Obviously he's friendly since he's letting us set up camp.</p>
<p>Now, whenever I'm DMing, if I read a long description of ANYTHING, the players ask "Is there an ogre?"</p>
<p>Later in that same game, they opened a door to what the adventure described as a "long and dark hallway."</p>
<p>The hallway in question? 10 ft. long.</p>
<p>I'll never live down either of those.</p>Once I was running a adventure in 3.5. There was a room that had a almost full page description. After finishing reading it to the group, they started making camp in there. Thing is, there was an ogre in the room. That the super long description never mentions. So, after the party is halfway setting up camp...
Me: So, what do you guys do about the ogre in the room?
Players: What ogre?
Me: The big ass ogre in the room that you guys ignored.
Players: Obviously he's friendly since he's letting...MalignantMind2013-02-10T06:35:46ZRe: Forums/Pathfinder First Edition: General Discussion: GMs - Little "oopsies" you had to roll withLegion42https://paizo.com/threads/rzs2p592&page=2?GMs-Little-oopsies-you-had-to-roll-with#792014-07-16T09:56:01Z2013-02-05T19:39:34Z<p>In my world I have created a Specific NPC, his name is Bob. Bob is a 90 year old 20th level wizard and has an extreme case of the scatterbrain. Bob runs a magic shop called Bob's Bargain Basement. His store exists in a small demi-plane that has a random chance to attach its door to any empty store front door in the material plane at any given moment. think Howl's Moving Castle style only random based on the size of the city. His inventory is supplied by a magical contract that transports any "lost" magical item from the material plane directly into the store. Bob does not have the time or inclination to organize or identify any of the items in the cramped shop. He organizes his shelves and aisles by item time but the contract stocks the shelves. His magical rings appear on a peg board that is 10 pegs by 15 pegs and stacked 10 rings deep per peg.</p>
<p>If asked what a specific item is he describes the items physical characteristics and is immune to the effects of any item brought to the store by the contract. Since bob has no idea what the item is he has no inclination of what to charge for them. I roll a d100 to determine what percentage he charges for the item of its actual cost. This may seem like a very monty haulish kind of place until you take into account that most intentionally lost items are cursed items. The aisles between the shelves require that any medium sized character wearing med armor or heavier must shuffle sideways down the aisle to avoid knocking items off of the shelves. Any item, normal or cursed, that falls off of a shelf has a percentage chance, usually 40%, to attempt to equip itself to the player.</p>
<p>all that aside, I once made the mistake of allowing the party to search for Bob's at 1:30 in the morning while in the middle of a sugar high and little actual sleep proceeding the marathon game. The players decided to break into 3 2-player teams and "attack" Bob with 3 competing conversations among 6 PCs at the same time. After 20 RL minutes of round robin appraisals, Bob's failed memory checks, bluff attempts and general all around confusion on my part the players walked away with a tidy sum of gear. As well as a purple PC, a gender changed rogue, a male fighter who's hair had been polymorphed into flowering ivy and magically compulsed dwarf. to this day they still chuckle at me when I start on the sugar train.</p>In my world I have created a Specific NPC, his name is Bob. Bob is a 90 year old 20th level wizard and has an extreme case of the scatterbrain. Bob runs a magic shop called Bob's Bargain Basement. His store exists in a small demi-plane that has a random chance to attach its door to any empty store front door in the material plane at any given moment. think Howl's Moving Castle style only random based on the size of the city. His inventory is supplied by a magical contract that transports any...Legion422013-02-05T19:39:34ZRe: Forums/Pathfinder First Edition: General Discussion: GMs - Little "oopsies" you had to roll withMachariushttps://paizo.com/threads/rzs2p592&page=2?GMs-Little-oopsies-you-had-to-roll-with#782013-02-05T16:42:53Z2013-02-05T16:42:53Z<p>I mis-interpreted the Dread Wraith's negative energy damage to mean "negative energy drain". I nuked two cohorts and a PC in successive rounds before the rest beat feet. The players forgave me for it, though, since I'm still pretty new to the GM-trade.</p>I mis-interpreted the Dread Wraith's negative energy damage to mean "negative energy drain". I nuked two cohorts and a PC in successive rounds before the rest beat feet. The players forgave me for it, though, since I'm still pretty new to the GM-trade.Macharius2013-02-05T16:42:53ZRe: Forums/Pathfinder First Edition: General Discussion: GMs - Little "oopsies" you had to roll withredcelt32https://paizo.com/threads/rzs2p592&page=2?GMs-Little-oopsies-you-had-to-roll-with#772013-02-05T16:35:20Z2013-02-05T16:35:20Z<p>I have noticed that I tend to forget pervasive conditions that cover an entire complex or location at times. For instance, a level of caverns that have heavy fog that cuts visibility. I start off great, then after a 45 minute debate among the players, dinner break or other significant interruption, the conditions seem to disappear until I remember them again. Fortunately for me I have honest players. </p>
<p>Namewise, the only recent name blunder in recent memory came when I pronounced Chelaxans as "chill-laxing" and now my players laugh whenenver a native of Cheliax enters the game. </p>
<p>I once got myself when I spent a month writing and setting up in-game events leading to a big pre-planned adventure. It was to be a 5 game-session adventure and to make sure the players found it, I had four big hooks to get the party involved. They ended up killing the two NPCs due to mistaken identity, burning both clues, and leaving town due to the killings before the last hook could happen. After that I switched to a more sandbox, less rail-road style permanently.</p>I have noticed that I tend to forget pervasive conditions that cover an entire complex or location at times. For instance, a level of caverns that have heavy fog that cuts visibility. I start off great, then after a 45 minute debate among the players, dinner break or other significant interruption, the conditions seem to disappear until I remember them again. Fortunately for me I have honest players.
Namewise, the only recent name blunder in recent memory came when I pronounced Chelaxans as...redcelt322013-02-05T16:35:20ZRe: Forums/Pathfinder First Edition: General Discussion: GMs - Little "oopsies" you had to roll withTouc (alias of M P 433)https://paizo.com/threads/rzs2p592&page=2?GMs-Little-oopsies-you-had-to-roll-with#762013-02-05T21:33:19Z2013-02-05T16:15:24Z<p>Mispronouncing "brazier" as "brassiere" with women in the group for an entire dungeon.</p>Mispronouncing "brazier" as "brassiere" with women in the group for an entire dungeon.Touc (alias of M P 433)2013-02-05T16:15:24ZRe: Forums/Pathfinder First Edition: General Discussion: GMs - Little "oopsies" you had to roll withSpook205https://paizo.com/threads/rzs2p592&page=2?GMs-Little-oopsies-you-had-to-roll-with#752014-07-16T09:52:04Z2013-02-05T14:58:17Z<p>I had a large battle consisting of multiple goblins, four spellcasters and elementals of all four primary colors.</p>
<p>The battle went on, spells flying, hordes of humanoids moving. PCs cleaving, spell slinging and what not left and right.</p>
<p>And then I overheard them, peering suspiciously at this one fire elemental that just hadn't done anything the entire battle. Just sitting there in its initial position.</p>
<p>They became intensely suspicious of it, thinking it must have a plan, or be concealed spellcaster. </p>
<p>I'd just forgotten to move it. I forgot to put it on the init chart..</p>
<p>The party ended up tip toeing past it. They concluded it had fallen asleep and opted to not irritate it. The entire rest of the adventure kept resulting in people wanting to pause but 'That creepy fire elemental might wake up.'</p>I had a large battle consisting of multiple goblins, four spellcasters and elementals of all four primary colors.
The battle went on, spells flying, hordes of humanoids moving. PCs cleaving, spell slinging and what not left and right.
And then I overheard them, peering suspiciously at this one fire elemental that just hadn't done anything the entire battle. Just sitting there in its initial position.
They became intensely suspicious of it, thinking it must have a plan, or be concealed...Spook2052013-02-05T14:58:17ZRe: Forums/Pathfinder First Edition: General Discussion: GMs - Little "oopsies" you had to roll withSpiral_Ninjahttps://paizo.com/threads/rzs2p592&page=2?GMs-Little-oopsies-you-had-to-roll-with#742013-02-05T14:42:47Z2013-02-05T14:42:47Z<p>Hm. One I still cringe remembering.</p>
<p>I managed to <b>kill</b> a Champions character.</p>
<p>Taught me to never get po'd when a pc takes a different route.</p>
<p>I was just learning to GM. The group was going to be sucked into a different dimension created by the BBEG. They were picked up by a federal group and driven to the site where they were to be caught in the expanding field that has swallowed a town. One pc refused to travel in the van. Insisted on using his motorcycle. It never occurred to me to just catch the motorcycle in the field. I got mad because he wouldn't follow the plot and had demons with killing attacks jump out and slash him, hoping to scare him into getting in the van. </p>
<p>He had no resistant defenses. I rolled max...</p>
<p>Immediate retcon.</p>Hm. One I still cringe remembering.
I managed to kill a Champions character.
Taught me to never get po'd when a pc takes a different route.
I was just learning to GM. The group was going to be sucked into a different dimension created by the BBEG. They were picked up by a federal group and driven to the site where they were to be caught in the expanding field that has swallowed a town. One pc refused to travel in the van. Insisted on using his motorcycle. It never occurred to me to just...Spiral_Ninja2013-02-05T14:42:47Z