Buckinin's page

I'm surprised there was no large amount of horned helms that allow the wearer to push or trip people by shouting a command word.

the original item i wanted to submit was very heavily based on Ultimate Magic. however, it kept feeling like a siac or a rehash of existing items but with words of power. Maybe If i remembered to enter earlier i would have tried making it superstar worthy. But instead, another item popped in my head, one which I decided I could make it to it's best potential in a few weeks and with 300 words better then the first idea. who knows. maybe I 'll submit it next year... it'll give me 12 months to perfect it. or next year I could make an item based on Ultimate race guide. lol

can one submit only up to 4:59 PM eastern time, or is submitting on exactly 5 PM okay??? just a hypothetical question....

Buckinin wrote:

just an example that is different from my idea, but the idea of "lace twice as fast as a person" how fast is that? and "increases resistance to being delaced" how tough is that normally? etc.

I have no doubt that the judges would ask those questions, and if you don't offer an answer, your entry would most likely be well on the way to the reject bin.

Yea that's exactly why I posed my question. Because I wanted to make something that helped in tasks not described in detail in the core book, but I did not want to go into the details of it (since I don't think its a good idea to make a whole new rule system for some rarely used mostly RP thing...).

But, I am still debating doing something different, and I have vastly cut the fluff. Now I just have the problem that I got several completely different ideas right before I was about to submit. Do I enter my item I worked hard on and love to bits, but feel isn't quite there, or a new idea that I believe MAY be amazing? LOL I'm trying to merge them, but we'll see.

My friends have not been helpful at all as far as looking at semantics and theme and format and balance... but have surprisingly been helpful with the "wow" factor. Which apparently I need more of.

And even indirect comments on here have helped my brain juices to flow, giving me a hint of other people's perspectives!

@ Ross Byers

Thats EXACTLY the wording you guys helped me come up with in my head, and I am happy to see someone put it up! That's the style I was looking for and now I'm really excited about writing correctly and tight. Thank you!!

PS thanks for the awesome Use Rope example!!!!! Genius!

hmm i suppose maybe I'll just cut the fluff. i was hoping it would make the item cooler and describe WHY a bonus/ability is given, but i suppose its better to mention only the things that can be measured. i wish i could come out and say what the aspect is.. lol but i think i got a bettter idea now. thank you guys!

@owlbearrepublic

now, for somthing like coooking you mentioned, what about having a knife that makes food cooked with it taste better and makes cooking take 1/2 the time? is that awesome for fluff? or is that exactly what the judges dont want? since we can assume some characters cook, and some gms have rules for cooking and some dont. etc.

I think the problem is i am basing it off of /using rules from the book that are already vague/gm discrection. and thats the tough part, because i dont wanna stat out and add a new mechanic that was purposfully left out of the core book and left to story/gm. ii really love it though, so i may just try it anyway... i suppose a quick/joke version while trying to be different could be

Wand of Shoe ties
when pointed at a shoe and the command word is given, the shoe laces lace themselves twice as fast as a person would, and a knot is tied in it that greatly increases its resistance to becoming delaced. in addition, this item bestows the sure footed ability on the wearer of the shoes until they are removed.

just an example that is different from my idea, but the idea of "lace twice as fast as a person" how fast is that? and "increases resistance to being delaced" how tough is that normally? etc. but its mostly flavor and gm discrection because the real point is the feat. BUT there may come a time when someone tried to untie it, or time is of the essence, or a character argues they sleep with the shoes on. etc however, those are gm discrection/argument concerns that govern shoes even without the item, the item just points them out more..

hope that bettter explains it without ruining my item's secrecy :/

and ps it doesnt need toomuch explaination or over 300the words, its just, as in the example, i dodnt wanna give a dc for untieing shoes or say how long someone can go without removing them, as i feel that is in the domain of the gm and too uneccasary. like saying an item glows, i dont think i should take time to describe how bright and if someone can use it as a torch or not, as its up to the gm i feel.

I'm very confliced with an item idea I have right now. hopefully i can stay anonoumous while trying to figure this out but...

What is the judges and everyone else's opinion/advice when it comes to abilities/etc. implied, but left up to gm discrection, vs abilities explained with a new rule set system? i know its vague, but there are many real life things that the core books do not stat out, and are left up to gms to decide to include or not, and how to stat.

I wanted to make an item that allowed some cool stuff, but i realized was using too much space in order to rules wise describe things that is usually left up to gms. so, you think its okay to leave that stuff open, only describe it and not stat it out?

hopefully this isnt giving my item away, though now i may not even submit it... hope i can hear some opinions as its driving me crazy. thanks!

at first i thought 300 was too little words. i kept going over. it was so frustrating.

Then i took just one aspect of my item and made it it's own item.

Not just did the word count drop, but i found myself loving the item sooo much more!

My process has not been what I thought it would be. It turned out to be:

1. Item close to what the judges suggest in the superstar panel comes to mind.

2. Pick some different variables, stat it out.

3. Get very upset with it and make something totally and randomly different.

4. After spending hours perfecting item #2 and making many versions, finally realize it's a SIAC and cry myself to sleep.

5. Come up with a cool idea inspired by an item I made previously as a PC and mull it over till i get something unique.

6. Make many versions of it that I try to include as 1 item (with different variants). Realize it's too many words AND does less stuff then I thought.

7. Pick the one variant I think is the coolest and run with it as it's own slightly more powerful more sexed up item.

8. Get paranoid about adding too many unnecessary effects and possibly being too violent.

9. Post this.

10. Sleep on it and repeat all over.

You could try using a thesaurus. I use them often. Or, do something else. There was an item I wished to create, but it too was too close to an idea in an existing universe. and It sounds like it may be close or even the same as your idea. lol But after mulling it over, I eventually came up with a cool original idea inspired by a custom wondrous item I once made as a PC. But, good luck and if no other ideas for different items come to mind, i say try it. Worse case scenario, you get rejected, which is better then not submitting anything at all.

Caster Level (CL): The next item in a notational entry gives the caster level of the item, indicating its relative power. The caster level determines the item's saving throw bonus, as well as range or other level-dependent aspects of the powers of the item (if variable). It also determines the level that must be contended with should the item come under the effect of a dispel magic spell or similar situation.

For potions, scrolls, and wands, the creator can set the caster level of an item at any number high enough to cast the stored spell but not higher than her own caster level. For other magic items, the caster level is determined by the item itself.

@Celestial Healer, at first i interpretted it as it uses cl for its effects, but now that you point it out, it says "item's" not effect's. thanks for pointing that out!

i was having trouble with CL too. it states that the item uses it's CL too for saves and such. does this mean if i have an item cast a spell, and the CL is 10, the cl of the spell is 10 and the save for the spell is +5? I was considering including "cl of effect =..."i some variable,, like 1/2 char level or save bonus =... char's int etc. would that be fine formatting or should it always be whatever the cl is?

I greatly agree with all the posts here. its interesting to see almost everyone agreeing on what they would like changed.

My opinion as player and gm is definitly to make the traits/abilities more generalized so that they can fit any setting or race. Both by eliminating prerequisites and assumptions of the campaign world, and adding many more varied/general/different/new abilities and traits. If the system is for GMs or those with GM approval, why limit it to types and abilities that already exist?

The current system looks less like a custom race system. and more likee a golarion flavored racial variant system. I don't mind being pointed or guided in the direction of making alternate races that fit golaria, especially because that is what I see this system being used for half the time, but i want somewhere there to be everything i need to make something completly different in terms of flavor but still follows pathfinder rules.

Great idea for a system, love it, but wish it was more open. I love game systems that have point buy, especially ones that let you buy anything and tweak everything. if the options are kept to golariaesque ideas, i would prefer to have a big book ofready to go races then a custom system. But an all encompessing system would be best. I hope the final system more resembles that then a collection of alternate racial abilities.

Was really looking forward to this system, and still am! I love new direction, new takes, and improvements upon the written and assumed conventions of fantasy roleplaying.

That being said, breaking up spells into components, I find refreshing, and as a GM, very useful and, pretty much, awesome. There is of course some things that I'm not sure how they will play out, if they are balanced, etc., but I know that's why the book isn't out yet, it isn't finished.

I am a little disappointed as I was hoping instead of just Target and effect, there would also be words for duration, save, strength, bonus effects, etc.

I guess the last two years I've been really spoiled by the Mutants and Masterminds system of powers. Something I just love is the ability to control EVERY aspect of the ability, even how many times per day, time to cast, if it needs components, etc.

I would love to see feats or words that make a spell stronger but increase casting time or component cost, or ones that add a negative effect but make it better in other ways.

Heck, I'd love to see the a system where it isn't based on spell level, but just raw spell power or word points, or more so, a system that does not limit a spell caster to spells per day. But, I digress.

All in all, i still enjoy the concepts, originality, and use of the system. Not sure if I or my players will use it, that remains to be decided by the finished product, but I am very happy this option will be given, and I really applaud you guys not focusing too much or just building more and more extra rules and options (spell) for pre-existing things (systems). Thank you.

Thanks for all the advice guys! I've been planning ahead a bit more now. I suppose I'm just used to making my own worlds, where it is all from my head, so winging it has become more time consuming with this. LOL I did have a talk with the players, and I do believe I am slowly getting them invested. I have one new player that is from the town (She's the Daugther of Gaven Deverin), one of the players is making his character realize in character that helping the town yields treasure, another player became an oracle, another a cleric, (Though of a TN god), and I'm giving them all dreams where there gods are hinting at them to help. LOL

I will have the nobles get involved, though I'm still trying to think of which family, and for good or worse, and which PCs. Also, I'm thinking of changing, or maybe even adding, some of the victims of the skinsaw murders to be the very few NPCS the care about in the town. (Mainly Ameiko and some hookers. WHich already I randomly rolled and one of their "Love" interests wants to become a monster.)

Also, I had gogmurt ambush them on the bridge at thistletop, (Forcing them to get in each other's way, have no means of escape, accidentally AOE themselves, and fight while in the thistles and entangled) and I think they are sooo pissed about it, I think they all now have a personal vendetta against every goblin. LOL

I'm also gonna tie the one PC's father (And other PC's enemy) into the story. I'm thinking of trying to maybe make him part of the main plot, and just make every enemy they meet has met him and knows of him, so they are following clues to him.

Another little story to share: My PCs were so frustrated at Erylium, and only defeated her due to a barbarian taking a potion of true strike, and the Alchemist using a bomb splash damage to find her, then using True Strike and the throw anything feat and impaling her on the Ranseuur that they found on the statue. Then they spent like a half hour arguing about who got her Tiara/headband thing, and got seriously violent out of character. THey take their RPGS seriously.

Hello everyone. Recently my group has switched to using the pathfinder RPG system, and I decided to run RotR for them. I usually do not run pre-made adventures, so it's a bit of a learning experience for me and the players, with ups and downs.

Sadly, I did not fully sit and read all of the adventure paths or the advice online first, I just started with module 1. I am having several problems because both mine and my player's expectations for the game are a bit different then we thought it would be.

First off, most of the players made characters that have no real reason to stay in sandpoint (unless the town offers them massive amounts of money. I had sheriff Hemlock offer them 5GP a day to stay in town while he was away, otherwise half the party would tell him to screw himself and just wander Varisia.) Out of character too, I believe the players are too used to the "Town of the week" Formulae of constant traveling and the main goal being their character's backstories.

My one player's character has a father that is an evil necromancer that he is trying to hunt down. I'm already thinking of tryng to work him into the plot, but IDK when and where. Too early and it's too anti-climactic. Too late and they won't find out till it's no use.

Anyway, besides having trouble keeping them motivated to help (Oh BTW they are all NN or CN except one is CG), I am finding it hard to really convey the story to them. Alot of the details about Nualia, or the runelords, or even the catacombs of wrath and what they are are really not explained to the PCS. And while I do understand there is a level of "Wait for big reveals in later levels", It almost hurts my soul seeing the players believe the catacombs are the goblin's base, or how one of the player's took (and actually had some good reasons to have) Thassilonian (Father being necromancer and I wanted to tie into story), and I'm not sure really what to convey from most of the books and runes lying around. Or know how much of the culture he knows.

Here's a cool little story: I gave the player's a print out of Tsuto's journal (Which they easily defeated him, burnt out one of his eyes, put him in jail, and are ready to rip his limbs off if he doesn't talk. Not sure how the town feels about that....especially Ameiko), and they assumed the goblins were going to attack like the next day, and that Nualia was trying to resurrect Lamashtu and send her to the town, and that the "Smuggler's tunnel" under the glassworks is just an empty tunnel. So, we spent like 2 hours with the PC's planning on caving in the tunnel, and yelling at the important people in town (very rudely, and with hemlock still out) to immediately give weapons to every able body, and fortify themselves in the church and be ready for a goblin attack. And they started in depth planning on burning the bridges to town down, setting traps, etc. And when some of the nobles (You may be able to guess who) didn't like these ideas, the PCs threatened to kill them/let them die and leave the town.

I had to make them roll an INt check to hint that the goblins may not attack now that they hold all of their plans and one of their important men. And I had to out of character nudge them a bit to explore the cave to find the dungeon before just sealing it up and forgetting about it. And even now, they are half way through the catacombs, and they think it's actually the secret goblin base and Koruvus was transformed by his sword and that the zombies are new and the sin spawn are Nualia's creations.

I suppose it's perfect in the long run, but its soooo frustrating for now. LOL

So, I suppose, besides sharing the funny mishaps, I would like some advice on how to get the PCs to be interested, when their entire characters only care about money (and ONLY massive amounts), when they want to always be traveling and not stuck somewhere, and when they don't know what's really going on, and when the players are those type that want to go do their own thing and if I give them ANYTHING (like if I take the time to describe a commoner instead of saying "A commoner") they start massive RPing with it and assume it's major plot OR they get upset there is so much unnecessary detail and that it takes so much time.

They are a good bunch of people, but I just suppose RotR has alot more down time, mystery, and backstory then any of them (Or I) are really used to.

Oh and another small thing, one way or another, my players are about a level more then they should be, and are going through with ease. I don't want to just make everything +1 or so (Which I already have to do to convert it to PFRPG), but I don't want to give them less XP then they should be getting either.

Any comments or suggestions are appreciated. Also if you have questions or would like to share your stories I'm cool with that too.

Thank you for taking the time to read all this shtuff!