Ha, just found this thread. I had an article in this issue. Should get a 5 star rating :P
I had another 2 commissioned too, but 4E came along before they could be published :(
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Wow, I had just been contemplating a similar situation for ages (and we settled it/played last night). I had the city watch turn up at the mill with a sergeant that had been investigating Ironbriar for some time. My party were at least wondering how they were going to approach this sticky situation, and when they came clean the sgt was very pleased with them and was happy that his suspicions were confirmed. He then stated he would deal with the mayor and arrange for Ironbriar's residence to be searched. Of course, this sergeant was taking some of the PC's thunder, but at the same time they gained an ally in the city watch (who was hoping for promotions to the 'upper city') and eventually a meeting with the mayor. (Who later sent them off to Turtleback Ferry - and I was thinking very much like the post above. Great description of the Mayor's thoughts :)).
You may wish to have a look at our playtest report over at Enworld. Basically, I DID have town guards, militia, merchant guards and even townsfolk doing things. I increased the raid a lot and narrated 'off-scene' actions by others. I even came up with a very fast mechanic for the players to roll Towns Folk vs Goblins and some fun little charts to describe what happened. I am sorry - I cannot picture all townsfolk doing nothing, inc the mayor, sheriff, etc. I don't care what the 'goal' of the encounter was - how could there be any respect for these heroes and leaders if they do nothing. I had a goblin attack the night before on outlying farms, so guards were sent out of town to investigate and keep an eye on things. That left a smaller crew in town, but they still did something. I had Sheriff Hemlock take most guards to an attack on the North Gate when the goblins arrived in the market square (I used the open area in front of the cathedral). He ordered others to guard the cathedral, along with the mayor and Father Zantus. The PCs still finished the battle at the North Gate, helping the sheriff end the raid by clsing the gates. How could PCs have any respect for these NPCs if they do nothing )especially considering some of their backgrounds). Anyway - if you want to check it out, along with all attached docs, head over here:
Going OK so far. I found running the combats a breeze (and freely added extra goblins when required). Only real prob is we play 1/month (and missing this manth :(), so not getting enough play with one version of each PC. We have played once (double session), and have already updated the PCs for next session. (We did play several one-offs for 1st and 2nd packet though). BTW, there are files attached to the Player's Site too if interested for you players. Oh and I finally worked out (I think) how to hyperlink those sites, but now I can't edit those posts...???
My players have mentioned an interest in Chopper's Isle. I will have to look into these links :)
Ah Cynge...that was EXACTLY what I was searching for (only I found it too late). We have played out the festival and raid now. Thanks anyway. :)
We also have our own campaign website for Player Discussion in the forums and a Sandpoint page with info for the players on the main NPCs, etc. The website is player focussed. http://pathtogolarion.wikidot.com/ Cheers, Connors.
So we have decided to use Rise of the RUnelords as our DnDN playtest. (It was also going to be my 1st 4E campaign too, but that never eventuated). Rather than copy everything here, I will refer you all to out playtest thread on Enworld: http://www.enworld.org/forum/d-d-pathfinder/328907-campaign-playtest-rise-r unelords.html It has info on players, characters, short story reports, DM notes and adjustments, as well as discussion in the rules. Of more importance, the thread has many docs attached for DMs to use. (The reason the report is there and not here). Of these people may like the Realms Sheets I have developed. (This is my version of the 2E World Builder's Guide, but it can be used for everything from a tribe to and organisation, to a forest, to a kingdom. It is very useful for organising info - and finding it once you are used to them). I have realms sheets for Sandpoint and each of the Goblin Tribes. I have charts I used to spice up the Swallowtail Festival and goblin raid. Anyway, please check it out and feel free to post Q's/responses there OR here. Session 1+2 took us to just after the goblin raid.
I would get the goblin druid to try and ally with these guys to kill Nualia - someone he is not happy with. I think it says he wouldn't betray his tribe, but this might be a good 'rule' to break here. I always prefered the RP idea of him telling the PCs some info (but not accompanying them). He wants Nualia and Lamashtu gone so the tribe can return to worshipping the almighty spirits. A bunch of adventurers falling into his hands would be too much to resist :)
Thanks. That was a good read. I skipped some of the 'in party' dialogue, but was very interested in how you handled a lot of the NPCs and situations. It sounded like Sandpoint was 'real'/alive and it was good to see NPCs doing something. I changed the whole idea of the initial raid to show that the Sheriff, Guards, Clerics, etc were doing SOMETHING. I complied several docs you might find helpful too, inc: a Realms sheet for Sandpoint and each of the Goblin Tribes. The goblin tribes might be of most help since that is where you are going. I have a thread on Enworld for our campaing (both story and rules discussion, as we are doing it as a DnDN Playtest). Anyway, you may wish to check out several of my attachments if nothing else. Site: http://www.enworld.org/forum/d-d-pathfinder/328907-campaign-playtest-rise-r unelords.html Thanks. I copied your version of Bethana's explanation regarding the relationship of Ameiko and her half-bro. That was a neat summary. And, yes, our party was another that had exact similar feelings/encounter with Aldern Foxglove. Even better, the 'dandy/charlatan' of our group saved him single-handedly. We are currently at the day following the raid, so your handling of the events in town have been very helpful. :)
If interested, I have several docs for this campaign on the go. I have a Realms Doc for each of the Goblin Tribes and for Sandpoint itself. (I have a whole system of realms creation I use for everything from tribes to forests to organisations to kingdoms). The above docs don't really matter what edition/system you are playing. For those interested I am using Rise of the Runelords as a Playtest for 5E, so there are also some stat docs too. All docs are on my Playtest Thread at Enworld: http://www.enworld.org/forum/new-horizons-upcoming-edition-d-d/328907-campa ign-playtest-rise-runelords.html#post6009424 Cheers. C
So no one knows about the speeches for the Swallowtail Festival?
Thanks for these. I will definitely be using some of these, along with some other off-the-cuff competitions and gambling. I know I have asked this somewhere else (but can't find where), but when this first came out someone had written the speeches performed at the Festival. Does anyone know who that was and where to locate them? I was going to run it a long time ago, but didn't get around to it, but I remember the speeches (and goblin songs ;)).
I am going with a broken tower representing The Old Light. On a shield partitioned blue and brown. (Land and sea).
I was going to run this a few years ago and it never got underway :( Well, now I am back to give it another go and wow! I had the goblin songs, but oh how the contributions have flourished. Well done to those that have added some and thanks to those that have kept the lists up to date :) One thing I see missing, is I believe someone in the threads long ago wrote out the Mayor's speech for the Swallowtail Festival. It was very good from memory and I was wondering whether anyone knows who did this and where a copy of it can be found. (Likely somewhere in these forums)? Cheers, C
Have you considered adding a new setting to the Paizo catalogue?
Woah, this was going to be my 1st 4e campaign and I put it on hold b/c several iconic monsters weren't going to be initially released (esp stone ginats). Well now I am looking for our 4th 4e campaign and I have come back to Rise of the Runelords. I vaguely remembered someone doing a conversion here, so here I am, and it seems impressive Scott. I noticed this thread hasn't been used in a while. is this conversion still going? Are you still playing the AP? I will check out your blog and PDF. Thanks in advance. C
I have had this for some time, but am just about to embark upon running it. I was wondering - with most of my modules I received a free PDF of module, but not this one. Any reason for that? Cheers, C
Yes, it seems Vegemite is an acquired taste. One that starts from a very early age. Give it to babies and they will forever eat it. Apparently not if you start too late ;) No funnelwebs where I am, only red backs and white tails... Nothing too dangerous. So are any Aussies (or others) going to the OZ Gencon in July? Looks like a couple of us are making the trip...even though I am a long way from Brisbane. Anyone in Vic going to Arcanacon. Doesn't look like there is any RPG going on from what I could see :( C
Hello? C'mon Aussies.
Wow, you should be a lawyer Jim. Your posts only 'attack my credibility' (gee I hoped I spelt that right - as I spend so much time on boards checking spelling, etc) and still you haven't answered the thread. (Be very careful to check all your own spelling now so you "dont" miss anything). How can I leave when I keep getting responses like yours? Maybe we should start a new thread about 'credibility', but I guess it doesn't matter, this thread is dead...and hardly got answered. (Nothing unusual in threads where the OP asks for thoughts on 4e). Regarding the baby crying - well we could both be accused of that by other posters here (read your own threads too). So what other threads are you posting on? Sure we can stir up trouble there too (not real hard on these boards, especially where people 'care so much' (about a game - yet can be very rude to the people writing it). Man, it is only a game....only a game. What else gets your juices flowing? You do seem more interesting... ;)
Still very few specific answers on 4e, the game ??????
So many things still to use for 3.5? Well if you like them enough use them in 4E. IDEAS can still be used and I am betting the stats are a whole lot easier to do. MANY of my adventures for 3.5 were from 1E and 2E. It really is little effort to convert. And to answer someone else in the thread - I do not agree with you 'change for change sake' analogy. I see WotC finally actually coming up with reasons and niches for the races. It is starting to sound like a place where each race and creature truly has a place, rather than being a 'cool' set of stats. I am liking the back story. How many people used much of the creatures' backstories in 3.5 anyway?
Dithering Fool wrote: WotC is doing a lot of things that I disagree with and they are going about it all wrong. I feel alienated and disenfranchised. Then again, I am not their target demographic. So what exactly? Why are you not the target audience when Paizo products are? What exactly are WotC doing differently? What is it about 4E, THE GAME, that people are so peeved about? I too would like to see some specific answers.
I am going to jump in here before the many haters here do :) Surely you have enough 3.5 books and adventures to last MANY campaigns. So if you still like it still play it. Most new stuff will could be converted (or will have already appeared as 3.5). I certainly do not understand the hate either. Many threads ending with general snide and often abussive comments that have nothing to do with the post topic is very irritating. Many are unfounded. Hard to judge something until you see the final product. I wonder how much hate there would have been for Star Wars Saga if they had released as amny previews etc. From most accounts it appears to be a far superior game. I really cannot stand the cost thing. You get more bang from your buck from any RPG book than practically any other form of entertainment. People should not be complaining about that (especially those in the U.S). You do NOT need every book to play the game. 3.5 had many extra classes, races etc - you could play without them and same with 4e. Yes, some races and classes will not be in the PHB1, but not everything can be and I am glad they have chosen to branch out a little and not just repeat what has been done before. (Remember even some things people see as standard, weren't necessarily so in all editions). Just b/c it was in the game from a previous supplement does not mean it is the best thing for PHB1. However - back to you IP. I too would like to know the real reasons behind the HATE. I mean a lot of it here simply seems to be 'stickin it to the man', attack the 'faceless big guys' and show your support for Paizo by attacking the company that took their mags away :( All things to worry about - but why hate the game?
I have NEVER taken any notice of gp/level. I cannot stand the concep that everyone of a certain level MUST have such and such - inc enemies. Thankfully my players do not do the whole buff thing. I do not provide them with easy access to magic, except for potions and scrolls. Even the few wands that have been made rub me the wrong way...still my players are more interested in fun MIs, not buffs. I am really looking forward to 4e in this regard. I say what you have done is fine. Go for it. Seriously. I have been DMing for 20 odd years and players love a challenge. This whole 3e thing made MIs bland to me. (As much as I love the game). I remember having huge debates on ENWORLD where a couple of posters couldn;t believe I NEVER checked whether the PCs had the correct wealth. I have also never worried about having a balanced party...and already that has started with 4e and the 4 roles...OF COURSE you can play without one of the roles. We have had many (if not most) parties in my campaigns without a cleric. There is far too much looking into this. Do what you feel is right for the campaign and players. I understand there needing to be a baseline, but for every campaign to follow it??? How bland. C
Thanks for that...but I am sure from descriptions that bushes do go to the edge. I am still having trouble with the whole incident, starting with goblins lifting it onto the wagon? I still cannot see them carrying it across the bridge. I assume they 'herded' it over.
I am reading over the first episode again (not running until I convert to 4e). I too wondered about how Erylium could harm herself, but like you have done above I came up with ways around it. What I could NOT explain is how in the hells (all nine of them)did those ragged goblins of Thistletop get a heavy warhorse through their lair of 4ft briar tunnels and over a rickety bridge (that cannot accept more than the large creature that the horse is at one time). I had trouble believing the 'they tied its feet together and put it in the merchant's wagon' part (I am sure it would take a LOT of goblins to do this and still cannot picture the logistics of the whole movement), but then became totally lost with the idea of it being on the island... Where is the wagon now? (I assume burnt or pulle to bits for timber...that part was easier). My idea was immediately to change the merchants to halflings with minature ponies. ;) Only way I can see it unless the goblins used magic to get a hostile 'monster' into their midst...??? Ideas (real ones ;)) welcome. Mr James jacobs if you will :) Cheers, C
Been quiet for a while here. I was wondering what everyone has been up to. Turns out I LOVE the Star Wars Saga and have currently dropped all dnd (until 4E) and am running a Saga campaign. We are having a ball of fun. First ran an adventure posted on the Star Wars boards by 'Grubman' I think. I was VERY good for a freebie. Then played the 'Rebel Breakout' from the d6 Sourcebook and have now moved onto 'Tatooine Manhunt' - another d6 adventure, but amongst my favourite adventures ever written. I have converted everything from NPCs to mooks, to droids and vehicles for the d6 adventures. Nearing the end of 'Tatooine Manhunt' which is great b/c I have used it 3 times before and never finished it. On unfortunate player of mine has been involved each of those times...so he, more than I, is looking forward to see how it concludes ;) Absolutely love the Saga system and its fun and ease of use for creating and converting. If 4E goes this way I will be very happy. Developed a word template for vehicles and NPCs too. Added an extra idea. Put picture on top of page upside down. Then GM can fold this sheet over screen and picture faces players with stats facing GM. Works a treat and I have MANY of these. If interested in anything drop me an email. Address on our Kage website (mentioned above). So, everyone else?
Sorry, I am sorry I even bothered replying to "I leave it to the ladies Jim". Seriously - you need to adjust that prophile before slamming the door on people...though I am sure with the civility and charisma you have shown (sorry, but WELL below that 21 mate), I am sure you have whitnessed quite a bit of that sort of behaviour. I am laughing so hard I now give no credence to your witty cries on these boards. And, yeah, now we are so far off topic, but I don't care, as I am out the door anyway :) C
Sorry, I jammed my foot in the door... very nice Jim, very nice....I think you proved my point exactly about the sensitivity shown here at times. Good on ya mate. You so rock the boards. Oh and just for the records, I too have played since box sets. I have invested VERY heavily in this game for over 20yrs, and every new edition has been an improvement and I see no reason why this will change. It will be ineresting what these boards will be like once 4e is out (and has been for a while). Will check back on those eating their words then ;) C
Lambast the ideas = fine. (I am unsure of this, though as I said, this really doesn't effect me. Just see the gods as egs for what you can use.) Insult the writers. Well at least have the sand to do it directly. My whole point was a thread on gods should stay on gods without the snide general remarks at end. But, whatever, I moving on to other boards...yeah, wher people 'worship everything Wizards does'....as if, whatever. Out, C
BTW for those above that said they would be happy with new gods or 'show me a new god' it makes it look like people didn;t even read the post, just saw the word Bane and forgot the fact that there ARE new gods. As far as all that 'old cannon' etc. Here is a big deal...change the name. Look I can understand some people not liking this. Fine, each to their own. I find it very interesting that this time around the designers were brave enough to change fluff that was poor or non-existant. Finally we are seeing a real background for elves and the different types...who cares what they are called. I bet a fair amount of people lambasting Wizards for all this fluff were some of the same complaining around the release of 3E they didn;t have the sand to change fluff that had little story to back it up. For example what is your story for the existance of elves. Pretty ordinary in the 'cannon' of the game. I bet most DMs have their own story and subraces. Isn;t it good that Wizards is now creating stuff like this and setting up a core group of popular deities and new ones that CAN start with a lot of cool intereations? well I think it is and if it is not...As I said most create these themselves for their own CS as I do. What I most dislike is using something like this thread (oh and the use of Bane?) as a lead in to more Wizards bashing. Express your opinion. Drop the snide remarks following it. That is what is annoying and giving these boards (and therefore Paizo) a bad rep elsewhere. And more importantly it ruins almost every 4E thread where the same people say the same thing about Wizards. Speaking of repeating...I will too. Remember 3E. I have no doubt most people bagging 4E will play it. And I bet they enjoy it. ;)
Ah, it is threads just like this that is why I rarely read or post here anymore. C'mon guys. Does it REALLY matter? What DM doesn;t put their own pantheon together. For those that don't Wizards are simply arranging a selection of choices. I loved Heironeous, but I am fine with Bahumut too. No wonder this place is being labelled the anti-4E boards. I feel for the writers here as this tag is not helpful at all. I am absolutely dumbfounded at the wizards-bashing here. Ever thought that these guys have played and lived the game for years - just like the folks at Paizo? (Several of whom worked at Wizards yeah?) Get over your snide swipes and innuendo. You are keeping posters away from these boards and creating a very negative image. Paizo create new gods = everyone here goes "Yeah, great idea, blah, blah, blah". Wizards at new gods and it is WTF? Why do people feel the need to can these guys constantly? REALLY? I hope you people feel better for trying to bring others down. I say go for it Wizards! Obviously over many meeting and playtests with many people sharing many ideas surely most of what they have done will please the average gamer. And most of it is fluff, so CHANGE it. (I still am dumbfounded at all the posting throughout 3E about lack of fluff - now everytime Wizards reveal fluff they cop it for that. Man, this is odd and VERY unproductive). Out. C
Oh and if you want to worry about the price of a book, try buying one in Australia. It is disgusting. So much so I am considering ordering directly from the States and it will probably still be cheaper after shipping, $ conversions, etc....but then there will be the wait :( And I too have bought a LOT of dnd books. Again, adding all this up is pointless to me, if the game is better, I will buy it and adapt the old stuff I like.
Man, I have spent gazillions on all editions of the game, but that is no reason not to look forward to the new edition. If it is better (and it will be) what is the problem? I don't play computer games, etc, but don;t they cost a lost more than the average dnd book? An also date, get patches, updates, etc. Divide the time by the $ and I am sure you would all have gotten your $ worth out of 3.5...Compare to a movie ticket. Besides, All your books ARE NOT obselete. Only the stats are...and those stats still give a very good indication of what to do with a critter/NPC in another addition. Only the Core Books are really obsolete. All other books have may ideas, concepts, PRC etc that will be able to be adapted. (I actually like adapting, as we already have several things 4E will be introducing). Books on Undead, Environments, Places, Creatures, etc will not all be obsolete. Many cool encounters still to be used in Libris Mortis, Still MANY good ideas for my desert adventures in Sandstorm, etc No waste of 1,000;s of dollars at all. Stats aren' the only reason I buy the books. The ideas are. The last 3 adventures in our 3.5/Saga hybrid have all been 1ST EDITION adventures. The ideas, settings and creatures/NPCs all fit my campaign concept so I used the adventures. Yep, I had to adapt all stats, and wait for it, make up some, like DCs for the skill checks, etc. All part of the fun of DMing in my mind. Bring on 4E. Bring on a better game. I will see you all here in a year when we all realise it is gamers working on the games and they too want to improve it. Come on May. :) C
I am more than cautiously optimistic...I am very optimistic. I too have played all versions of the game and each was an improvement. I see no reason why that will not be the case again. I am amazed at the amount of WotC Bashing on some threads, and I suspect many of those posting such comments will buy and love 4E by the time it comes around. I can;t wait. I have already started selling off several 3e books (and I bought a lot of them).
Thank you :)
And where is this porducts page?
Awaiting ;)
Be patient, be patient, etc
Wow. The best reviews of adventures are these actual journals.
I take it you are not using the pre-generated characters, which leads me to believe the players created characters and then you meshed them with the AP. Are the generics meshed in this manner? Have you borrowed from their backgrounds? Either way I love the levels of intrigue and relationships to NPCs in Sandpoint.
Monte's runethane would do well as a Viking runecaster :) Though you may want to swap the spells available to Divine spells. (Well actually Monte's book only has one list. We have all dnd spells we have in books in 2 gigantic lists; 1 arcane and 1 divine. I let runethanes choose which list to take their spells from ;)). In any case I HIGHLY recommend getting a copy of Monte's classes. Whilst they were designed to cover all generic bases, they work fine alongside the standard classes. As I stated, making each variant of a theme really adds to campaign setting. eg: Fighters with archery feats are well-known in Kingdom 1; unarmored fighters are throughout Kingdom 2 (use Monte's unfettered); and in kingdom 3 fighters are heavily armored tanks (their leaders being warmains from Monte). The barbarians on the outskirts are associated with different totems and thus have totem warriors (mOnte) in their tribes, etc. Cheers, C
Definately. I have all classes from the books I own in a list with all possible. I am very open to new classes and races, but often they have a cultural place in our CS setting too. For example Monte Cooks runethanes are typical dwarven and giant spellcasters. I used to be a stickler, but now find it hard to deny a player something they really want to play. Why do that? I mean, when do all the other books get used if people stick to the core all the time. I suggest find a small niche for the class your player wishes and make them a small part of the setting. I am sure, even in Pathfinder, there can be small cults or groups that practice different magics.
Great to see some more Aussies on board...I wonder how may others are out there lurking?
I had all the dnd stuff, and that is all I play, though looking forward to the new Star Wars Saga ed. Esp the new and much easier skill system (can you tell I am a DM and want to save prep time?). It looks much more appropriate for the Realms as characters stuff I have written. Still awaiting to see what Paizo & WotC are doing in regards to this seeing the light of day...or may just have to release as a PDF ? Actually, if there are any of you Aussies that want to have a look at this for me (and yourselves ;)) drop and email and I will send you some. As I only have my players and fellow CS writers (but don't receive a lot of feedback from them). Before getting the stuff published it would be best for several people to see the stuff. Always open to suggestions and fb too. Another player of mine has just started to DM and he has found it very good. The system I have written (and writing) is about realm creation & development. Basically you create a realm much like a character. realms are ANY area, from wild forest near town, to the town itelf, to the kingdom in which the town is in. So far has worked well, but I need to playtest out some realms over time to see how sustainable the system is. But hey, if you want to check out what I have and help out drop and email on here ;) Too much about that, sorry. back to Mil Sims: I was thinking of purchasing d20 Modern for a change, but I don;t play dnd enough and love the game. has anyone else got Modern and do you like it?
I guess that answers my query ;) To lilith's it is then ;) C
Oh Yeah! I have another thread all about DM tools ;) I get what you are saying ;) I should just plug these straight into there shouldn't I? :) Hmmm, and I thought I struck upon a good thread idea ;) However on the DM Tools thread I started, not a lot of people indicated they use the site (though I am sure many do, I think it is awesome). Is there a need for statblock threads, or would you prefer the stats to go into Lilith's DM tools? (They use the 'new' statblock over there don't they? I will have to check it out again).
Oh BTW, before people ask 'why would a pirate take that?'...I use a LOT of random rolls to create my NPCs. I don't believe every fighter should have all their stats where they suit. I love characters with unusual stats, skills even feats. If it is usable I put it in. Not every pirate was a pirate their whole life. And I take little head of the wealth rules too. But if you are a stickler for that go ahead and kee it within the right areas. However I will not be checking it. I have DMed long enough to look over and see if the equipment is cool ;) and within reason. Join in, have fun, create a pirate.
Typical pirate/marine CR 1
AC 15, touch 12, ff 13; Parry (+1 v 1 opp), Class (dodge w lt armor)+1
Speed 35ft (7sq)
Abilities Str 15, Dex 12, Con 14, Int 10, Wis 10, Cha 12
Nonhuman Pirates
Refs
OK, hoping to get many of these threads completed (depending of course upon their popularity and people's willingness to contribute). The main aim of these is to get some stats for basic roles in the dnd game. The aim is to gather a choice of seven statblocks for each thread. The first few threads will start out simple and may delve into more obscure themes latter on. Anything 3.5 goes (inc classes, races, feats, PrCs, etc) and feel to be adventurous, but remember the aim is to make 'generic' stat blocks. In this first '7 UP' I am looking for low level pirates. Please feel free to contribute (using the new statblock). I will provide one to get the thread going.
Hey, welcome Phil.
Years ago we're playing in Greyhawk and the party is hired to foil an assassination attempt on a visiting ambassador. He's put up in a mansion on the edge of town, guards put in place, and we're told we keep him safe or else. We do all the information gathering and such and can't get a clue to when or who or how. So, in a flash of brilliance, we decide to lure the assassin out by hiring him to kill the "ambassador" ourselves. As someone points out, "Who would pass up the chance to get paid twice for the same job? It's fool proof." We spread the word we're hiring someone to kill a "visitor" to the city, must be very skilled at his trade. Through our drop message system we get a bite, and pass on we want the ambassador killed and when and where he can be found. "We'll leave the door to his room unlocked." Then we prepare the "ambassador's" room. We board up the window on the inside, move a cabinet in front of the window for good measure, station the guards away from that part of the mansion to guard the ambassador in his real room, and settle in to wait. Kind of smirking, too. At midnight the door opens, someone slips in, and we spring the trap. We light up the room, slam the bar down on the door and turn to face the poor doomed assassin. Imagine our joy to see a mind flayer standing there. And us all of level 5. Oh, and for some reason he has an imp, too. Well, the battle was mostly a lot of screaming in panic, trying to tear the boards off the windows, trying to get past the mind flayer to the door, and shouting for the guards. And the mind flayer and his imp having the time of their lives. Now whenever the group is stumped on how to deal with a problem, someone will often suggest, "We could hire an assassin to kill us."
I created a 3D map of the ruined cyclops city in the "Island of Empty Eyes" module, part 4 of the Skull and Shackles adventure path. I made the cyclops city map so my players would have a better visualization of how the ruins looked in relation to where they were. As GM you might not want players to see all the city map from the beginning, but this was no problem with my group. The map doesn't show building interiors or underground areas. I did this by pasting the GM's map into Sketchup, then drawing the buildings atop it to exactly match the scale and locations. If you'd like to view it, it's on Youtube: Go to 3D Cyclops City Ruins. I have several Pathfinder setting slide shows there, including 3D Kaer Maga, 3D The Black Keep from Shattered Star adventure path, and a History of Golarion slide.
I am currently running a campaign set in Kaer Maga, taking over from another GM who was running an excellent game set there before he moved away. As players, we were always trying to get a handle on just what the city looked like. The maps available from Paizo are great, but it's hard to appreciate the unique nature of the city presented in 2D. As often as not, I didn't picture the multi-layered sections within the walls. When I took over as GM I used Sketchup 8 and drew the city. For my players I load up Sketchup and can rotate around the city with the mouse to give them any angle I want. I decided to post it on Youtube but the conversion to .avi possible with Sketchup isn't very good, so I made a slide show from shots I took of the 3D model I drew. I posted the slide show on Youtube if anyone is interested:
(Or go to Youtube and do a search for Pathfinder Kaer Maga) Let me know if this is helpful to your players.
Having played D&D almost since the beginning (and our group calls PF D&D still) I've had many enjoyable characters. But most recently, and among my all time favorite, was my gnome druid, Krundalbar Glimberek. I was able to totally immerse myself in the eccentric nature of gnomes, which borders on insanity by the standards of other races. He rode a giant toad (and had a miniature to match) which he named Hoppiton Webfoot III (since it was the third animal companion he tried to get. The first two were giant frogs and as he explained, one tried to eat him and one tried to drown him... and then eat him.) The gnome would never walk in front of the toad, unless out of reach of his tongue, explaining, "When you're only three feet tall, you can't be too trusting." The party quickly renamed the toad "Hoppy" and he became a popular member of the party. When Krundalbar would do something really weird, a player would say, "I bet Hoppy is rolling his eyes and shaking his head." When the adventure path took us on a long overland journey and I suggested leaving Hoppy behind, the party all chipped in and bought a wagon and insisted Hoppy come along. He always introduced himself with,"I'm Krundalbar Glimberek, of the Sanos Forest Glimbereks." He wore boots with the toes cut out, "Have you ever been walking along and started to wonder if you still had all your toes? Then you have to sit down, pull off your boots, and count them, or else the doubt will drive you crazy. This way, I can just glance down and save time." He explained how his father encouraged him to become an adventurer, "My father said, 'Krunbalbar, you should get out and see the world. And you should get out now.'" He was taught the secrets of druidism by Arkman Elmspirit, a kind and gentle fellow who’s only real drawback was that he was a werewolf. ("It were best to be high in a tree when the moon was full, if you catch my drift. Otherwise, old Arkman was a cheerful old fellow.") He encountered his first brothel, which he mistook for a tapestry shop, "Everything was only 5 gold, the lady told me. So I said, 'I'll take that tapestry'. The ladies all thought that was funny, for some reason. Anyway, I didn't get my tapestry but I'm going back tomorrow." Afterwards, he would divide his share of all loot into stacks of 5 gold. Eventually he convinced the party (even the priest) to invest in an upscale "Tapestry Shop", and would hang posters throughout Varisia "Visit Krundalbar's Tapestry Shop, in beautiful Magnimar!" (When the Magnimar book came out, Greg, owner of Comics Emporium, said the first thing the players asked was, "Does it have Krundalbar's Tapestry Shop?") He also had a caparison made for Hoppy that advertised his shop. For a time he wore a hollowed out watermelon for a helmet. He collected buttons and had a vest with four rows of buttons, no two alike. A typical party looting after a battle would go: Wizard: I cast detect magic on the bodies. Barbarian: I search them for gold. Krundalbar: Do they have any buttons? He bought and took along on adventures anything with moving parts: folding chair, hinged box, astrolabe. He would assemble the astrolabe, take a reading, and then, with all seriousness, declare the party should continue to follow the trail. His advice on fighting undead was, "First you stake them to the ground, then you fill their mouth with waffles. I read it in a book." He only learned one phrase in dwarven, "Did you kill those people?" and used it as his opening introduction to every dwarf the party encountered. Even now in another campaign when the GM says something is written or said in dwarven, the players respond, "Did you kill those people?" The party soon learned not to have him change to an animal and go for help or deliver a message. (He spent three days "hanging out" with the bats in Magnimar when he was supposed to be taking an important message to an npc) When the party encountered giant tracks, he explained how to tell giants by type, "If they live in the hills, they're hill giants. If they live in the forest they're forest giants. And if they're on fire, they're fire giants. I've never seen a cloud giant, but one time I saw a cloud shaped like a dog. It was probably an omen but I couldn't figure it out." He was my character though the Rise of the Rune Lords adventure path and I was able to play him so over-the-top that I might never be able to play another gnome just because I'd find myself cloning Krundalbar.
Not the same, but this reminds me of something that happened when I was playing WOW. I had a female night elf character and fell in with another player doing some quests one night. After awhile he made some comment about my character being "hot" and I said that's why I like to play female night elves. Then it went like this: Him: You're not really a girl?
I had a player who managed to get killed three times in four sessions by reckless play in what was not a character killing campaign. After the third death I wrote this up and presented it to him at the next session, printed out in fantasy font. Mutual of Greyhawk
Dear Sir:
Three untimely deaths in such a short period of time, four adventure "sessions", would have been excessive during the Greyhawk War, much less while doing low to mid-level adventuring. We paid off your fist claim, which I believe was "Death by Hill Giant Bashing", even though entering an obviously occupied hill giant cave to "do a little looting" is the reason your third level rogue never made fourth level. We questioned "Death by Falling in Lava" because you do not technically carry lava insurance and at least two other party members warned your new rogue not to try to flank the owlbear by getting on the cliff edge overlooking the lava.
We only agreed not to drop you after the second instance because you elected to try a druid rather than another rogue. (As the druid survived two sessions, there was a glimmer of hope you might actually take part in a "treasure split" and therefore keep your policy up-to-date.) However, if you will look over your policy again, which is only a Mid-Level Adventurer Term Policy, you will see that "Death by Being Eaten by Giant Sea Snake While in Seal Form" is neither covered nor implied. When the real seals are bolting onto the shore, the water is churning and red with blood, and the rest of your party is shouting "Don’t go in the water!" in common, elven, dwarven and pig-Latin, we can’t understand how you thought it was a good idea. We considered continuing your coverage when you wanted to start a fourth character who begins as a stable hand in a very peaceful small village but as soon as someone at the meeting said "pitchfork" that option was rejecting unanimously. We hope you will find suitable coverage elsewhere, and suggest you take out a low coast liability policy just in case you get someone else killed next time. Sincerely,
Many years back I'm DM'ing a game and the party is on a ship far out in uncharted oceans seeking a fabled island. As an encounter, a massive whale attacks the ship and starts ramming into it. (Think Moby Dick). The always overconfident fighter announces he's drinking a potion of water breathing and jumping overboard while the rest of the party is discussing what to do about the situation. The whale swallows him and starts diving to the bottom of the ocean. Fighter: I'll cut my way out. Shouldn't take more than a minute.
After some fun, the party finds itself, along with the surviving crew members, sitting on a small reef with nothing but ocean in every direction, trying to gather enough from the debris of the ship to make a raft. Wizard (Looking at fighter): I really, really wish I had a wish ring. I know what I'd wish for...
You could have the prison divided into sections, each built to contain and neutralize a specific type.
The Wet Wing: a section where it's always damp, to contain fire based creatures, with guards immune to fire The Silent Corridor: permanent silence spells to contain creatures with sonic attacks, with guards who are deaf. The Dark Cells: section always in darkness to contain creatures with gaze attacks, like the medusa, with blind guards who have blindsight.
The Silver Cells: Built to hold lycanthropes and devils, guards armed with silver weapons. For more normal prisoners such as humans, special security sections: The Wheel: A circular section with a slowly revolving inner wall containing a single opening that only lines up with each cell once per 24 hours, for maybe an hour each time. This gives time to feed the prisoner, or remove them, but could force the players to wait a long time for the cell they want to come into play. The Aquatics: A section completely under water, with gillmen guards and/or sharks. The cells are elevated and contain air but only reachable through the water filled passages. The Furnace: Corridor with permanent walls of fire on each side, heat side inward, with the door-less cells on the cool side. Guards are salamanders. Prisoners are brought in or out by means of energy resistance rings, fire.
I began playing D&D in 1976. My group and I changed to every new addition, upgrading our characters to the new rules and moving right along. We loved the game. And we were loyal to the game, and felt it was loyal to us. Then came a total change in D&D. Not only was 4th not the same game, but there was a feeling of being just the next guy in line to give money to an unappreciative sales clerk who wouldn't even make eye contact. Along came Pathfinder and again there was that feel of community, of a game made and sold by people who loved the game themselves. The people of Paizo have treated players with the respect we once had from D&D. When I stand in that imaginary line to buy my Pathfinder product, the sales clerk says, "Hey, did you see the cool artwork on page 33? What do you think of the new feats in chapter five?" Paizo makes eye contact, the way D&D once did. Why would I consider abandoning that just because the rude sales clerk now wants my input? Sorry, WOTC, you got my input when I got out of the D&D line and moved to the Pathfinder line.
He's cheating the rest of the party members as well as the other players; he's stealing resources from the party and some of the enjoyment from the players. Pathfinder and D&D are not competitive games, they are cooperative games. If the rogue player wants to role play his character as a pick pocket or shop lifter, let him do it against the NPCs, who after all didn't invest time and money to playing the game and won't resent him for it outside the game. As a DM, I've always been against anything that causes people to leave the table with hard feeling towards a fellow gamer. A player in my game stole a ring from treasure and more than a decade later other players in the group still remember it. They aren't resentful of his rogue, they're resentful of the player himself because they trusted him. This game requires trust around the table. You can't see everyone's dice rolls, so you trust them to have actually rolled a "hit" when they say they did, to erase the gold off their sheet when the party all chips in to buy potions, and to see that everyone gets an equal share of the rewards for the risks they took as a party.
Put another way, I can talk to non-gamers who are nonetheless pop-culture savvy, point to Sir Lancelot, and say, "That there is a Paladin. He's real good and rides a horse and swings a sword and stuff." Nods. Actually, Lancelot wasn't a paladin. His son, Sir Galahad, was the paladin. And for a great read on the Arthurian stories with some real grit to it read "Parsival or a Knight's Tale" by Richard Monaco. Parsival and Galahad are two differing versions of a paladin to use as examples for RPG play; Galahad is pure by choice and Parsival by naivete.
An additional point, as all these real world figures are given for ancient times on Earth; people of those times didn't know those figures. The Roman Empire did a Census, and perhaps the Chinese, but most nations probably never had anywhere near the information on their populations that we have. That lack of hard numbers allowed for the belief in many mythical lands and lost continents. It encouraged a belief that elves lived in the deeper forests or trolls underground or dragons in the mountains. In Golarion, they do! Of course, taxes are collected and borders more or less defined, so there is at least an estimate of populations within the civilized regions. But how accurate are those tax figures and how recognizable those borders? I personally like a fantasy world where there are vast areas of dangerous and unexplored regions even within great nations, where nobody can say with certainty how many people there are in the world, much less elves and dwarves, and where far off lands are just "that way, somewhere." Or as Lord Dunsany once said, the most intriguing phrase in the English language is "Over the hills and far away".
We take max at first level and top half of die on following levels. If you roll a 1-4 on a d8, re-roll till you get 5-8. It makes for higher HP totals as well as leveling out the HP between classes, so that a wizard, for example, is percentage-wise where he should be compared to the fighter.
The other gods took him snipe hunting. He's not dead at all; but somewhere, on another plane, he's sitting alone in a dark woods with a burlap sack, waiting on Sarenrae, Desna, Gorum, Erastil and all the rest to stir up a snipe and run it his way.
Behind the screen. You take away some of the mystery when everything is right out on the table. Also, experienced players can learn a lot of information they shouldn't know if you roll everything in the open. We had a GM/DM who didn't use the screen. His combats went like this: GM: (Open roll a 16 on D20) What's your AC?
Everyone loses any feeling that this encounter is a challenge. Fighter power attacks rest of fight. Rogue doesn't bother to try to tumble to get a flank. Wizard doesn't cast anything because it's a pushover fight.
Wizard: I cast "flaming sphere" where the guard captain is. Reflex DC 15.
Finally the players asked the GM to start using the screen because the fights were boring when it was easy to figure out just how much or how little a challenge the encounters were. The screen also allows fudging, which should be in every GM's arsenal. The GM is rolling more dice per encounter than any single player, and by the odds going to roll criticals more often. And usually against the same 2-3 front line characters. On a hot dice night, the GM could kill a character who wasn't played badly.
In either example you have a player who sits out of the game at least the rest of the evening. Lastly, it takes a lot away from the game to roll in the open, IMHO. I'd rather hear, "The battle axe swishes by your head, barely missing you." instead of see the GM roll a "5" and say, "He missed."
I was at Coastcon, in Biloxi, back in the '90s and Elmore had a table in the dealer's room. He used to be a regular at the con and I always made a point to spend some time talking with him. At this con I was sitting at his table with him and his wife. She decided to go to the mall for a little while. Larry had art portfolios of his work he was autographing to sell, and also the D&D cards with his work on them. His wife reminded him the items were to sell for more than retail because they were autographed. I think they had a sign on the table with the prices. During the time she was gone he sold a few of the art packs, but at the regular retail price. He didn't charge anything for the cards when he autographed them. One kid even brought a Jeff Easley card for an autograph and Elmore pointed out that it wasn't his art work and signed one of his cards and gave it to him. We spent a couple hours discussing art, D&D, Snarfquest, TSR, etc. He was really cool with everyone, especially the kids. He probably signed over 100 autographs on everything from the art packs to D&D books to cards to Dragon magazines. All free. When his wife returned, she looked in the money box and said something like, "I knew I should have stayed at the table. This is about what was in there when I left." Larry said, "It's been a slow day, hon." Great guy.
I owned a hobby store at the time (I actually opened it because of my interest in D&D). I recall a few church ladies stopping in to complain about it. My most vivid memory, though, was a preacher who came by (possibly from the same church) to inquire on what the game was really about. I told him there was a group playing that evening and invited him to come watch. The D&D groups played in the back of the store but it wasn't closed off to other customers and the players were used to people hanging around watching. About an hour into the session the preacher arrived and asked if it was alright for him to watch. Naturally I told him to go on back there. He spent about an hour sitting to the side watching the game, then came back up to the counter. I asked him what he thought, did it look like kids involved in Satanism?
I never got another visit from church members to complain about the game, and suspect the preacher might have had a rational talk with the members who believed the Chick Track trash. |