Down the Verdant Path...new PbP GM (Inactive)

Game Master R. Sweet

That's usually how I do it too for classes with animal companions. Familiars and eidolons get a little more leeway since they're capable of making their own decisions without master input; I'll usually leave it up to player whether their buddy acts on their initiative or if they want it to have it's own initiative.

In other news, Herbie is awesome! I think an all-vine leshy game would be great fun but I don't know if I'd rather play in such a thing (since I have a leshy of my own) or run it :3

I agree, although my leshy is being built to pair with my brother's dino rider.

GM, what I find really helps is when you bold the ones that can currently act.

My usual way to do this (with some other examples):

Initiative
Remember that the mushrooms are difficult terrain
Haste, Inspire Courage (+2) are active
John Doe -10 hp, fort save vs poison
Nomen Nescio -3 nonlethal damage, -2 STR, -1 CON drain
- - -
Enemy, who can not act
- - -
Poor Quon who rolled a 1 for initiative

I repeat this short block in (almost) every combat post I make, replying to your own post is an easy way to replicate it.

Red border/smaller image is tadpole. Orange border/larger image is Bid Daddy.

GM, what I find really helps is when you bold the ones that can currently act.

My usual way to do this (with some other examples):

Initiative
Remember that the mushrooms are difficult terrain
Haste, Inspire Courage (+2) are active
John Doe -10 hp, fort save vs poison
Nomen Nescio -3 nonlethal damage, -2 STR, -1 CON drain
- - -
Enemy, who can not act
- - -
Poor Quon who rolled a 1 for initiative

I repeat this short block in (almost) every combat post I make, replying to your own post is an easy way to replicate it.

Thank you. I am still learning how to do this whole PbP thing. I am seeing how things work and am incorporating into my posts. Well, trying to remember anyway.

You are doing great, the things you need to learn are only the more technical things. We obviously don't have to teach you how to GM!

Yeah...no. Been GM/DMing since last millennium (mid 90s).

A suggestion, GM: going person by person like this through initiative can sometimes make a round take far too long. It's usually better to let everyone who goes before the next monster go in whatever order they post.

Herbert: hahahahaha.

One more adventure and I level up and can get rid of that penalty to fire into melee...

This will do it then. You'd've tagged Big Daddy at least once if it weren't for those meddling kids!

Just an FYI to my players, given the QUANTITY of PC and PC affiliates, and likely vast player experience, I am running you thru the upper tier.

Technically I don’t think you can if the APL is lower than 3. Is it?

Hmm

Technically I don’t think you can if the APL is lower than 3. Is it?

Hmm

APL is 2.5...

Actually, I believe it's 1.8, if everyone's header is correct.
5*2+1=11
11/6 is about 1.8

Actually, I believe it's 1.8, if everyone's header is correct.

5*2+1=11
11/6 is about 1.8

Not +1 per minion? I can back down to lower tier next combat if players decide. Not much damage being done currently to players.

Why would the minions impact APL? They are a class feature, paid for by not getting other class features.

I knew that. I've just gotten so used to my regular players being done with tier appropriate combat in one shot, I've taken to upgrading.

I really should have my coffee and actually look at who is playing afore combat starts.

It's okay! We all make mistakes - for example I'm bad to forget that combatants are flat-footed starting out until it reaches their initiative. So don't worry :)

I also should have mentioned the 15' reach the tongue has. BUT, someone told Big Daddy and Tadpole they weren't were they were supposed to be. They forgot/were confused they could do that.

Ok. I'm looking at other PbP I'm on...I see what I did wrong vs APL. I double (or triple) counted noses.

No harm done. In my opinion it is better to stick to the appropiate tier*

Why? So that if things go south nobody feels pressured into playing in an inappropiate tier. If players find out they are easily overcoming the opposition they should tone down on their efficiency, but that way it remains a player decision and not a GM decision.

R. Sweet I am really starting to feel bad about the 'little' Toad attempting to eat the walking salad bar.

For the record, I'm not attending PaizoCon so I'll be good to continue over Memorial Day Weekend if everyone else is!

If you guys don't mind, I think I'll stick with the block initiative, rather than individual init. That seems to be working better here, especially given the multiple time zones we are accommodating.

I am not going to Paizocon, and I agree that block initiative works better in PbP

I'll be heading off to PaizoCon on Thursday. And as I will be shake more than a few trees there with running six games I might not post to much please feel free to bot me if necessary. I will have an updated BotMe! in my profile shortly.

I am Not going to be at Paizocon!
It looks like I have a few rounds to burn ahead of time anyway :D

(Minna here) - I think you've got the sequence of events in order now, yes! And don't worry, running combat via PbP does take some getting used to. I think it's been a little harder for you because you've not had a chance to really experience PbP as a player before experiencing it as a GM. Doing both at the same time is quite the crash course but I think you've been doing really well so far :)

Some other things you can do to make things easier for yourself/your players can be:

(1) Leave a link to your maps in one of your headers (those same places where you might put character information such as HP, spells, etc. for a PC). This provides a link to the maps every time you post as a GM which is easier to manage, especially on mobile, instead of having to scroll to the top of the campaign page every time.

(2) I often use TinyUrl.com to plug in links to things (such as maps) and condense them down in order to save space in my headers and make post formatting a little less cumbersome.

(3) Whether you put it somewhere on your slides or maybe save it as a spoiler somewhere in the Campaign info, it can save time to have the Initiatives and Perceptions of your PCs pre-formatted so all you have to do is copy and paste them into your post. For example, check out the second slide under my Faithless & Forgotten or Solstice Scar links (not Portent's Peril, it's not done yet >.>) - I borrowed that table format from uh...GM kuey, I think, but it's really handy to have as a reference!

Combat: less getting used to it, more this combat having PCs arrive during different rounds, needing to make climb checks or take dmg first, THEN entering combat.

I have an open word doc at home I'm using for the HTML tags and such.

Just trying to remember everyone is a challenge.

Ooo my format is being used woot! I like what you have done with it :)

Go Ayla, go! :D

GM, I just wanted to point out that Ayla linked to Paizo's official PRD which specifically says that an arrow used as a melee weapon counts as in improvised weapon.

"An arrow used as a melee weapon is treated as a light improvised weapon (–4 penalty on attack rolls)"

This is also found on page 145 of the core rulebook.

GM, I just wanted to point out that Ayla linked to Paizo's official PRD which specifically says that an arrow used as a melee weapon counts as in improvised weapon.

"An arrow used as a melee weapon is treated as a light improvised weapon (–4 penalty on attack rolls)"

This is also found on page 145 of the core rulebook.

I'm not super worried about it. Worst case scenario, I fall, take 1d6 Nonlethal, wake up, and run back up the tree. This way, other people get a chance to contribute!

Besides, he could have Catch-off-Guard ;D

The 1d8 Dagger damage I'm a bit concerned about, but I'm sure it will work out!

Yep, the damage by the second part of that text would be 1d4, not 1d8, because it's treated like a dagger in terms of damage.

I did not notice the link. Looked up different rule. You are correct. Let me double check the scenario.

Too flipping many books and rules. Thank you for the correction. Does nothing but make me better at GMing.

I'll post again in about 90-120 minutes...

GM - I have to say, I enjoy your silly sense of humor when you post. It's definitely not something that everyone enjoys (I know some players who prefer a more serious bent to their games) but I personally get a kick out of it :)

Thank you. Believe it or not, most of it just comes to me. I see it as part of my job as GM to entertain my players. Anyone can dry read, but it takes a special kind of nutcase to really entertain.

Wow this last week has been wild. My Apologies for being rather absent.

no worries, knew you were gone, we are still in the combat that hadn't quite started afore you went and had fun w/o us.

no worries, knew you were gone, we are still in the combat that hadn't quite started afore you went and had fun w/o us.

I ended up running 6 games this last weekend (including the special 8-99C) along with speaking at the PbP Seminar.

Much fun was had and plenty of people to meet with the love of the same hobbies.

So were you Peppered with questions or not?

Indeed I was peppered with questions not enough to be considered an as-salt though. Some questions included some of the areas on how to start in PbP as a player and also a GM.

I can translate my last name into minimum 3 (4?) languages...always fun when someone is excited and calls out SWEET...Yes?...huh?

Also...I'll be leaving for work soon, 12 hour shift, will have phone and tablet (with scenario)...so posts from me will be hit and miss.

As I've got Quon, then the rest of the party before I go, have fun!

Out of curiosity, does anyone speak/read German? I have an idea about this next bit.

That depends on the kind of German. At one point I could translate mathematical articles in German into English, since this was a requirement for my degree. That test was over 12 years ago, and I haven't done anything with the German since then.

Math doesn't count as numbers are the same in all languages. MOST Americans speak only English. So I'm guessing unlikely barring Quon....