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I got one of the dailies, and splurged on a few I wouldn't have tested otherwise. A great holiday!
I still classify them as vermin.
This once got so bad that the three casters 'rebelled' and went on vacation! Let the princess be burned as a witch! I need to reload. Starting every day at half spells got tedious...fast!
Having had several players over 40+ years decide to scuttle my campaigns, My solution has always been the boulder from the sky. And that player does not get a seat again. Wrecking a world for the pure maliciousness is not merely attacking me as GM, but every other player at the table. And I run the 'boulder' a number of ways, from villains that just happen to involve a super's weaknesses to a cult of 'soul thieves'! I am too old, ugly and ornery to put up with someone who just wants to be a jackass. Often, I have only had a single night every week or so and I don't babysit donkeys. If a player decides he is superior, he can run the game. I have too many other things to do to put up with another 'CN' twit with delusions of adequacy.
One pool of RPG gamers I play in is 5 gays, 2 Lesbians, at least 1 bi and 2 of us lonely straights. Diversity is a joke at our table.
A battle of Avatars! Our campaign uses a similar 'class', only available to Eberron Changeling Wizards, that allows taking the form of creatures based on CR (broken). Using Evolutions will work better in my opinion, as they were at least meant for this modification. You might add features or feats to allow faster or partial changes, perhaps based on the points value or theme (flight is flight). Our class will break in a level or two when the CR really becomes 'game-able.
Nice work so far, I did my 'version' as part mtn goat. By fixing the Str as +2, it helps justify the Climb skill, a trick I used based on split hooves. Reading your post, I can no longer justify their horns being too small to count. Keep it going! It is a niche to fill.
We had a 'quest giver' that kept sending us on progressively more dangerous missions (higher CRs) and feeding each of us outright lies to cause distrust, very successfully I might add. Think a final boss fight where no one helps anyone else.
A book just appeared in your toys as a child. It was illegible to any but you and you found it fascinating. As you grew, you realized everyone else seemed to ignore the book and it always turned up. On the day you first cast a cantrip, the book vanished, gone looking for a new student. This is a thing in my campaign world, a number of 'artifact' primers making magic more common and preventing powerful Wizards from hogging it.
Sounds like fun! count me in.
Every rule in our 'tome' has to have the Reason behind it, the GM 'at the time's take and has room for discussions. In a nearly 40 year old group, there are a host of left overs from earlier incarnations. At one point, a Wizard could cast ANY spell she knew, just limited in spell count. They didn't see that as a problem (no wizard players) until I helped them move to 3.0. Foolish of me as I play the main Wizard currently. House Rules should be talked about, but the GM should have veto power over his game. I disallow a lot of 'time' magic due to it hurting my head to keep up with. After our last experience, we ruled that 'he who wanted it' could run it: just volunteer! It has been 8-9 years and no one dares. Are GMs weak for banning things? Not if it makes them not want to run! They should make it known and have better reasons than just 'no'. One of our GMs effectively banned naval adventures because she didn't Grok the rules! She ran a sky pirates series a few years back, having finally understanding a 3pp set of rules. Growth is good.
Anything is edible, if you put enough Ketchup on it. Purify food 1/2! Material component: a bottle of Ketchup 30yro joke from Dragon. RIP
If the above aren't enough, there are a few items on drive thru rpg. Several have become regular 'monsters' in my game.
I am just starting my own and would love to see what you've done. My twist is that it is modified by level, + D6, breaks to be set at the 'fives'. Some of the Major Trumps will be actual 'personages in the game and there will be a number of other 'Trumps' a la Zelazny's Amber.
Interesting. I do have an 'Elf' class that is the default for Elves that does something like this. It focuses on nigh everything 'elfy' and is best described as a dilettante class. Mediocre at most everything, but quite skilled. Not designed for PCs, but I had one player that loved them.
Check with the dm is sound advice. They should be able to weave your history into the setting. I play an Eberron Changeling (shape changer) that is threaded through a lot of campaign backstory and loaded with all the adventure hooks needed. Having an extensive and interwoven background makes the character a lot more real and easier to play.
Above, 2% is a rather high life expectancy, 17th century rates approached 10% at times, quite the nasty century, mostly children dying young. There were towns that were wiped out due to any of a dozen ailments, etc. My ancestor left a town after over a thousand people died of diphtheria in a bad winter. Only a few wagonloads of survivors were left the next spring, according to family history. You'd have to have a decent level cleric to have enough cure disease spells. Longer lived fantasy races would have to have rates below 1% to survive. Immortal races are often proof vs diseases, but klutzes will still fall down wells and headbutt boars, preventing anyone from a true 0%. Goblins in our game run about 10% at minimum, but 'maturity' is age 2, I think, and finding one much over 20 is hard. Violence affects the above numbers negatively and should not be discounted. Flavor for a campaign world could be based on the availability, disposal, usefulness, etc., of corpses. In a necromantic culture, they would be either a item of trade or actual currency. Some races might not leave physical remains behind (Samsarans in our game 'vaporize' in order to 're-coalesce' elsewhere). Others might transform (trolls into stone). Some cultures might honor the dead, recovering bodies being a tenet of life, while a cannibalistic culture would have no thought of eating the dead sibling or three. Dwarves in our group use ossuries to store the bones of ancestors, at least partially in a form of ancestor worship. Good Necromancy types run various tombs, graveyards, etc. Orcs follow the tradition of eating their dead and cracking the bones to cripple those too weak to keep living. Goblins are light on the bones and heavy on cartilage, thus they get left where they fall unless eaten, their spirits not being strong enough for necromantic work. There are several races we make sure to stake and bake due to their post life tendencies. Giants are too powerful for necromancy to control and can be very upsetting.
Most campaigns last less than 5 sessions, unfortunately. After that, I see most lasting a year or about two dozen sessions. If you get lucky, a group just gells and go for years. The group playing tonight at LGS is over the first hump and bearing down on a year of weekly games, but have changed GMs and had only 2 of the original people, though some were not there. It is real important to create the group that works well. Alas, the universe conspires against us.
I'd blame the GMs, they control terminology. But I could be using the wrong term, too. The key was that we knee-capped him from being more powerful. They use a +2 template for what he was intending, and a +0 for what he became. Liches start at 11 and have numerous commutations. A fullbore, no qualifiers lich is at least 15, while others vary from the 'demilich' (10+) to the Dracolich (past 20).
Per the old saw 'point-buy is predictable', the last three games I 'rolled' in (LGS open game), I was (converted into point buy) at least 13 points better than anyone else, with the worst imbalance being 53. The players watched me roll in the GM's dice tower the last time, giving me an advantage of about 20 points, on average, on the rest of the table. The power level difference is hard on CR balance, 'player spotlighting', resentment, GM intimidation and other in-game issues. If I can in a roll up game, I try and get the party average in points. While I agree on the optimization point, even a 10 point advantage is massive. As much as I like having a high stat toon, I also know the frustration of playing the 'runt'.
Our game keys Lichdom to the individual, each having a different 'path'. Our BBEG of a few cycles ago was trying to 'lich' and the party's task was to keep certain bits over knowledge from him. We ultimately failed at that, but knocked his skill roll down by -4, resulting in his becoming a demi-lich. A demi-lich was well in out ability to fight.
My Granny frowns on RPGs, she's strictly into SPI monster games and rugby.
I wish more dms would take that to heart! We had one that decided that no one else could reach the BBEG's lair because it was his personal micro dimension.
The dungeon in the middle of my world has a Lich who's made his phylactery the lynch pin of a gate that spews demons into the world. Its not even tough to destroy: just a wooden door that starts leaking demons with the first point of damage. The party actually repaired it to keep the gate sealed. Another Lich made a titanic column that effectively holds up the Dungeon roof and all the floors between. Damage starts all manner of cave ins and such, with slabs of ceiling falling on characters. Players do stupid things, and they kept at it to a TPK and still failed to do enough damage. Sigh... I would love to see a 3pp produce a piece on phylacteries and Liches, beyond what little is already done. Hint Hint.
Reviewing and keying published Traits to my campaign world. I have to tweak a number to races and places in my game. Players have suggested some of the rework and given me 3 new ones that fit so well I childishly resent them. The Traits, not the players. OK, the players too!
The way I broke the anti-3pp at our table was showing up with non-CORE books by the writers of the CORE books we were using (3.0). Kind of took the wind out of some sails. Pick a book that can really move your game to a higher level to introduce the others. There are several nice Monster books that are easy to add. Others introduce feats missing from CORE. Your biggest problem will be finding early material, as the Golem is trying to sell everything in the warehouse. Some are already long gone, but might be found on ebay.
Simple: 'ya'll'! I polled some of our group's women, getting several snarky answers (I prefer Empress, You may address me as Mistress of all I survey, and Milady de Winter were the better ones.) before all agreed that they had no problem with the list which included 'gals' and 'girls'. All nixed any disrespectful ones, but use them in-game frequently (every letter of the alphabet up to 'u' so far). I also point out that I didn't poll our one twenty-something and 3 of the other four are grandmothers, youngest in her late 40s. Survey consisted of 4 women with over a century combined play and about 30 years of GMing, taken during a meal at a Chinese buffet with husbands and siblings present for odd comments.
...are there other books that Paizo has worked on ... A number of writers in their boiler room publish 3pp and have interesting angles on things. Many are quite good and fill in low points in the rules where the Golem had too many irons in the fire. Misfit Studios has the Bite Me! series for gaming as Lycanthropes, Rise of the Drow from AAW IS a friend's campaign and Raging Swan has a number of premade village and tables for what is found in places. None are official, but the Golem has incorporated a few over the years.
A few years back, I bought a 'make your own Paladin Code' 3pp that based the 'code' on the deity's Domains. This led to group discussions on how LG actual works. Look at those presented for the Paladins of the Inner Sea gods, there are interesting differences worthy of thought. LG's biggest drawback is a heavy prejudice as to how they MUST act. The game I play in has several orders with restrictions that offended a new player as not-LG. She was arguing from a 2010 point of morality, not one reflective of what the GM was using in the game. Orders had limits by sex, race, nationality, etc. The one she most objected to was based loosely on the Janissary/Mameluke model with all members being slaves of X, in this case, their deity. Being a recognized religious elite meant high social standing at least partially due to the rigid code, one I wouldn't necessarily call LG (heavy prejudice to any not of the Faith and anti-Elf 'racism' were the big two). They followed the LG model (I reluctantly agree) but not the 'LG prejudice' of the 'stick-in-the-mud' players at the table, but she was trying to break us out of the set piece RP the group had fallen into and how better than making barbecue out of a sacred cow. The GM needs to sit down and figure out each deity's Paladin Code in his/her own words as a guide for players. Our GM did and I might have played LG, but I'm a Eberron Changeling and in her world, they are never lawful. I deceive people too much to rate as lawful.
I am just glad that in Pathfinder you don't need to go on quests just to get class features. Not RAW, but some campaigns have such for Prestige Classes, etc. In ours, I have to hit the Magic Market or one of the Guildes to get my 'free' spells and Wizard feats. You can't just take a level in some Classes without a RP event/reason (for Sorcerer, it requires intimate contact with that Bloodline. Intimate includes bleeding all over each other). Racial advances are innate and there is overlap. You can't just declare you're a noble at level 7; in campaign, that's a feat with serious benefits and hassles. Ancestral weapons seem a great thing until you have to temper it with Dragonfire before it becomes 'flaming'. It may seem unfair, etc., but the group all RP more than H&S, so this kinda nonsense is par for the course. Not for every group, but...
Legal charters and permits are a few I have used or had to use on multiple occasions. Permission to cross borders, carry arms, raise a company of X, a sanction for an action or deed (dragon hunting permit), ledgers of accounts, military orders (we dodged a company of Hobgoblins by passing them orders to camp elsewhere), get out of jail documents, certification as a 'X', and letters of introduction are all I can remember using or inflicting on players. Alchemy recipes, poems, minutes, judicial verdicts, announcements, posted laws, wanted posters and inventory pages have been in game of late.
Rust Monster.
Two of your players PM? Play in their games. Especially if they run different styles.
Bogus as it may seem, its RAW. House rule time.
Not all races need be matched up as homogeneous nations, My Hobgoblin empire has human foot and cavalry to supplement their shock troops. The Elvish kings count humans and halflings as vassals. Several dwarven cities muster humans as archers and cavalry. The lurking evil forces have split a number of races into for and against, even the Undead! No Necromancer want to be given orders!
I broke a campaign by handing the rules interpretation to a player and let the players rag him for mistakes. This is now a feature of how I run, but players know this coming in. No grief from the rules lawyers as they get pegged next game.
Our group uses Latin for magic, and German for orc. I'm the outlier, using Thai for magic (looks awesome on scrolls!). Odd tip: Run the piece through the translator a few times, back and forth until it starts to differ to create an 'old' version or dialect the players might not be up on.
Okay.... We pick a non-CORE race and everyone adds to the foundation. The Golem likely will get in a huff if we use the published material, so... Both Aasimar and Tieflings have their own books, so (rolls a D20) 17 possible Undine traits:
Unholy taint: Your line has been tainted by an aquatic abomination, granting a unwholesomeness that disturbs others. + 2 on intimidate, etc., -2 on Diplomacy, etc., and one shift negative on reactions
Just for the ignert me, what is a 'living grimoire'?
Nice for role play! Look in to the Raltus mentioned Blight Druid for bits. Also find 'Dark Druids' for more ideas. I have multiple warring Druids fighting over the hows and whys of their goals (Rawest nature, life cycle, disease, uplift, blight, null, Mana sterilization, etc. Odd how they don't get along...
One game around here only has them as the Specialists, which they clam make Universal a wise choice. The game I play most in doesn't even have Specialists.
The Cautious Yes works, but you need to keep things 'real'. If the campaign is thin on magic, Town watch wearing +3 full Plate are not going to be the rule. An area where Elves and Dwarves are warring is not likely to look favorable on a so mixed party. Conversely, a cosmopolitan city will look down on a Dwarf frenzying on a passing orc. Letting your players into the creation of the setting will ease your work, particularly when something odd crawls across the table. Why do trolls hide under bridges? To limit and control the encounter ranges. A well worn riverbed is clear terrain to him, but difficult to the players. Actually had penalties for the water affecting them, but the trolls were too heavy to notice. The dirty trick was the players created the extras. All I did was say two trolls were flanking an overgrown bridge.
Copied into my tome of things I really should know after 4 decades. You wouldn't have done calculations on any of the other rolling conventions out there, would you? I run with 20 pts now, but you pay for unusual or more powerful races and get 1 point each level to buy stats rather than a +1 every 4 levels. I really doesn't phase Single Attribute builds, but helps the Multiple Attribute builds bring up scores they need later. My players did the rending and ashes bit at first, but all 3 games spawned by mine since have cloned the system. The GMs all B&M, but players seem happy.
As a repeated beneficiary of the dice, I prefer the point buy. I have been the target of snide remarks even with people watching my rolls like a hawk.
Legacy Eberron Shapechanger Wizard with shapechanging familiar. Currently chasing the campaign's 'chain spells' and magic feats that really benefit shape changers.
Now that's scary. I'd either have a Eberron Changeling Wizard with delusions of discovering ancient magics of a (non-existent) passed Changeling empire or an insane Wizard who hunts dragons!
I'm imagining a community of Elven wizards maintaining a group spellbook on the trunk of a tree in a secret grove. They have more typical spellbooks in case one of them needs to travel but they all add any spells they learn in their travels to the tree. Dwarf wizards in my game have a library inscribed into the walls of a series of rooms. Each new wizard learns his or her spells by rote from the markings left by others. A new room means new spells. Unfortunately, they must learn every spell in a room before advancing. Very stilted and dwarf-like.
I had to change the racial ability adjustments of the Eberron changeling...to be in line with Pathfinder, but they worked out well. currently playing a legacy Eberron Changeling, and very interested in the changes you made. Might we get a peek?
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