Strange things happen when you start GM'ing


Pathfinder First Edition General Discussion

Grand Lodge

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Right, so I've only been playing (and GM'ing) for about three months, since my niece suddenly found an obsession with Pathfinder and insisted I run some adventures for her. (I don't know why she decided it had to be me, but I'm soft as butter, so of course I'm trying.)

I've borrowed most of the source books from a nephew, who lost interest a few years ago, and have been reading a lot to try to give her some good experiences in play.

Just now, I was reading a companion, and found myself suddenly cackling in glee as visions of possibilities in play started running past my minds eye. Literally cackling out loud into my morning coffee.


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*nods* I know the feeling. It is incredibly fulfilling to be a DM. And also not good once you start noticing options to torment players with. *evil laughter*


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This is where I start singing "Welcome to the Jungle" followed by "Hotel California".

Once you go DM/GM, you are forever changed. >:)


Congratulations. It's a lot of fun, and I am glad it's bringing you closer to your niece :)


The worst part is that you can't really share your wonderfully evil ideas with anyone.

Most people just don't care and aren't interested in this type of game. Of those who are interested, they don't care about your particular game. And of those who are interested in your game and would care, well - they're your players, so you can't tell them.

Ah well, there's always here. We'll always care and listen. Just hope your players don't read your posts.


Indeed. I've found a great community of GMs on the Kingmaker messageboard.


Did you talk to your neice about what kind of game she is interested in playing?


My nephew GMs Pathfinder now. *warm glow*


Yeah, Reign of Winter was my first experience Dming Pathfinder. It's so cool to read ahead and see what sort of hi-jinxs the party is going to run into.

It never unfolds the way you think in your head. BBEGs drop too quickly, low CR fights almost end in TPKs, simple things cause massive problems.

Reign of Winter spoiler story

How a drink went bad:
In RoW you enter an unfriendly town after going through the first portal. The barkeep slips a tea that casts SUGGESTION on who ever looks strongest (meant to hit fighters with low wills) and it goes off beautifully. The suggestion was simply "Leave town" and I was able to tell the player who failed his save without anyone else knowing. So he immediately starts walking away. Hilarity ensues as the party is confused and tries to stop him, almost leading to a fight. But I'll never forget how two lines of text lead to an hour+ ordeal

Silver Crusade

The moment you realize you spend time figuring out the history of random complexes. When you devise motivation behind the bums the party runs into, just in case. You concoct a world.

When you mentally keep track of the actions and interactions of fiends, wizards, dragons and their reactions to the whims and actions of your players.

When you find yourself gazing at your players with paternal affection even as you delight in challenging them. Throwing every burning ember of misery at them you can devise and watching them conquer and climb over them, or fall prey and grow in wisdom and humility.

Its tough to leave the screen. When you step from behind it, you are like they are, naked, blind to the dangers awaiting them, and blissfully ignorant of the swords of damocles hanging over every innocuous action.

I sometimes use the experience of being a DM when I play powerful wizards or gods. Someone once commented on seeing me doing pre-game prep that it must be what wizards look like, a beleagured looking man sitting amidst countless books of lore, cackling madly while he scribbles strange diagrams in a strange gridded book.

A player once peeked at my notes unintentionally and indicated they made no sense to him what-so-ever. Even these days, I pick it up and from half a page of hastily scribbled semi-gibberish I can rebuild a dungeon full of encounters.


Severimem wrote:
Just now, I was reading a companion, and found myself suddenly cackling in glee as visions of possibilities in play started running past my minds eye. Literally cackling out loud into my morning coffee.

Practice the "Mwahahahaha!" evil laugh. It creeps the bejeezus out of players...


It is rewarding. But the most difficult part for me is setting things up so that none of the players are bored. My group has everything from a dedicated role player to a wizard who loves nothing more than rolling lots and lots of dice.


I think the best feeling I've ever had running a campaign was when the group found their way into a fabled library of "infinite knowledge." Every time they read a book, they had to make a will save or lose some of their memories. The entire time, an NPC wandered around, saying how he was simply a scholar. Eventually, the party tried to leave, but said NPC stopped them and started transforming. It was a glorious feeling when the actual Scholar in the party made a knowledge check and I watched their faces drop when I said it was a Draco Lich.


I concur. GMing is very rewarding. My players decided to try to scare a dragon away using burning pieces of wood. It was all I could do not to laugh as they discussed it early in the game and got materials together and then keep myself together as they go through all they had to to reach said dragon. They learned a valuable lesson that night, I tell you.


*nods vigorously*

*taps fingertips together, like Mr Burns*


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The DM's job is to keep the party alive while convincing the players he is out to get them.


Dabbler wrote:
Practice the "Mwahahahaha!" evil laugh. It creeps the bejeezus out of players...

I totally do that. And I am told that I get this look on my face when I find something really .... juicy .... to throw at my players, whether its a fight or a mind trip in the campaign.

Unassuming Local Guy wrote:
How a drink went bad:

Yeah ... I was playing a goblin bloodrager with a -1 to his will save when that little incident happened. Except my DM is vicious (totally love him though) and tried to get the whole party with it.


Severimem; there are lots of old modules of all levels available from past "Dungeon" magazines, which tend to be good. The monsters have mostly been upgraded to Pathfinder -or failing that, 3.5 -and the modules/adventures are great to play. We've been players for over 30 years and still have fun with the pre-Pathfinder games. Many monsters not upgraded by Pathfinder etc from earlier versions, can be found in the Tome Of Horrors.

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