For Great Justice's page

His name is Larry. Larry the Antipaladin.

Background: Larry always thought evil was cool. So one day this demon shows up and says "Hey, wanna be an antipaladin?" And Larry said "Sure." So Larry became an antipaladin, and was all evil and stuff.

Admittedly, the background needs some work.

Granted. It was Fruit Brute.

I wish I wasn't so terrified of the monster cereal mascots.

Revenge of the Gnomes II: The Wrathening

The next poster happens to be an ordained cleric of the Almighty Snow Demons.

Yes. Unfortunately, I built their temple in Florida during the middle of summer and the snow demons all... umm... melted. So now I'm looking for a new religion to be an ordained cleric of.

The next poster spends twenty-one hours a day watching Japanese game shows.

Glad you liked them.

It sounds like you and I have pretty close ideas of how Alignment works. The idea that Alignment is more of a loose net than a straightjacket is a hard concept for some people to grasp.

I agree. I prefer to think of a character's personality and motivations, and then decide what alignment best fits.

Usually I play good guys (my last character was a pure LG aasimar paladin), but I've been having a blast playing my first CN character in decades, a pyromaniac gnome fire sorcerer who was born as a Chelaxian slave. She's not philosophical... she doesn't give much thought to ideals and principles, she simply resents being told what to do after an entire life spent in slavery. She's not cruel (despite basically being a fire elemental in the making) and doesn't burn down orphanages for kicks or burn people who don't deserve it. She's not particularly nice either, except to her friends, who she's risked her life to save. In the last session the group captured some kobolds that were working for the BBEG. After we obtained the information the group needed, she casually incinerated the lot of the helpless prisoners.

I had already created a background and personality for the character (something the GM strongly encourages). The character's real motivation has always been to live in freedom, see the world, and to stop being afraid. After the background was done, it was clear that CN was the only alignment that fit.

Sounds like it could get hairy.

Don't sell the idea short.

The kangaroo apocalypse has begun. I warned you! I warned you all, but nobody listened to me! Fortunately I'm prepared for this. I have a hidden bunker filled with canned goods. See you all in 20 years, when we can begin fighting back against our kangaroo oppressors.

Check out Air Bubble. 1st level spell, and does almost what you want.

/cevah

Cool, thanks!

Sounds fun... I would start with water breathing actually, which is 3rd level. It is also communal (before communal spells existed) and those tend to be 1 level higher. Water Breathing is 3rd, so that would jump it down to 2nd level, and probably 1hr/level. So, I think you are right on target with a 2nd level spell.

However, water breathing is considerably more useful than being able to breathe in smoke considering that you are not avoiding any specific magical effects like cloud spells.

So, I would propose this as a spell:

Smokewalker's Boon
School transmutation; Level alchemist 2, sorcerer/wizard 2, summoner 2

CASTING
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Components: V, S, M (a pinch of ash)

EFFECT
Range: personal
Target: you
Duration: 1 hour/level
Saving Throw: Will negates (harmless); Spell Resistance yes (harmless)

DESCRIPTION
While this spell is in effect, your eyes glow like smoldering embers. You do not suffer any ill effects for breathing in smoke. In addition, you can see through fire and smoke without penalty, ignoring any cover or concealment bonuses from fire and smoke. This does not allow you to see anything you could not otherwise see (for example, invisible creatures are still invisible).

Now that's good! In fact, that's exactly what I'm looking for. Thanks for the help!

I could use a bit of advice. I'm planning on having my little gnome pyromaniac research a new spell. Since I like setting things on fire... really, really like setting things on fire, I'm thinking I need a spell to protect from unpleasantness like smoke inhalation. There's not really much out there that does this aside from higher-level spells like "Life Bubble" which does far more than I want to do. I don't need to survive underwater or in a vacuum, don't want protection from cloudkills or stinking clouds, I just want to be just be able to walk through a burning building without keeling over from smoke inhalation.

I'm planning to base this off of "Life Bubble," but far weaker.

http://www.d20pfsrd.com/magic/all-spells/l/life-bubble

So what level should this spell be? I'm thinking 2nd. I'm also thinking the duration should be shorter than Life Bubble, maybe 10 minutes per level. Maybe, to keep the level down to something reasonable, reduce (or eliminate) the number of others who can be protected.

What do y'all think?

I'm pretty random. I try combining a couple of interesting concepts and take a little inspiration from books, TV, or movies without creating clones. Since I tend to get focused on an interest for a while, I'll often create a character based on it. I also get inspired when I see a cool piece of art or a miniature I'd like to paint and play. Campaign settings can give me ideas as well.

For example, in the last campaign I started with a NG "assassin against evil" ninja with a Warhammer 40K assassin vibe to him, then switched to an angelic aasimar paladin as I was reading a lot of Christian angelic folklore and "heaven vs. hell" fiction at the time. Both were fun to play, but were sticks-in-the mud for the rest of the group ("No, don't do that!"). I didn't want to keep playing characters who were always trying to keep the other characters from doing anything rash and stupid. For the current campaign I created a slightly crazy CN gnome pyromancer with a background a bit like Carrie and Firestarter.

After I come up with a concept, I write a short story background. I throw in a few plot hooks for the GM, some angst (not too much), and simmer for a half hour, adding some garlic and fresh-ground pepper. After all that, I create the character's stats.

My gf wants to play a sorceror who blows things up with fire. What are some good feats/traits and spells and such to take? I am unsure what race she will play but we are in the Council of Thieves adventure so it would need to a race that would make sense for being there. I know Ifrit are good with fire but I bet she wouldnt want to be that. She is partial to elf casters.

Can't speak towards the balance of the class (I just drew one up and haven't played it yet), but Fat Goblin Games makes a Pyromancer class that's very sorcerer-like (spontaneous spellcaster) and looks exceedingly good at nuking. I'd also recommend the feat list that Taason posted.

I'm 45, and have just gotten back into RPGs after having not played them since the late 90s.

You're never too old. Err, unless you're 140 and just a withered corpse. That might be too old.

Little Skylark likes big butts and he cannot lie.

I have found a witch may I burn her!

How do you know she is a witch?

OK, now that I've gotten that out of my system, I've been wondering the same thing as Vod... do some GMs have it in for paladins? No win scenarios where the character falls no matter what they do, expecting absolute morality ("You lied to the orc chieftain about how well the village was defended in order to stop an attack. You fall!"), and generally making the paladin one step away from becoming a second-rate fighter at all times.

Personally, I haven't seen that in the games I've played, but I've heard the horror stories often enough.

Of course, I *have* seen what Heaggles mentions, occasionally. Lawful stupid, people who play their paladins like they were Warhammer 40K inquisitors, and various wannabe Judge Dredd types.

Have I been missing something? How common are the jerk DMs or the clueless smite-happy kill-'em-all-and-let-Iomedae-sort-'em-out players?

His name is Larry. Just Larry. No last name.

I teach blind and visually impaired kids for a living, so maybe I can help. None of my students are gamers, though, so keep all this in mind and take this with a decent-sized grain of salt.

Without knowing much else about the specifics, the first thing I'd suggest is go digital as much as possible, as HerosBackpack suggested. Pathfinder's availability in PDF format is awesome, and it can be handled by any decent screenreader program (if your friend's brother uses one and is computer-savvy). I'm not sure if digital dice programs/apps can be read by screen readers, since I've never tried.

For HPs, Zarzulan's idea isn't bad, but you can also use chits or even coins to represent HPs. Give him some dimes and pennies (just to keep things simple), and have him add or subtract from his change pile as he gains or loses points. If his character has 36 HPs, then have him use three dimes and six pennies, or any other combination.

I'd also suggest describing things verbally as much as possible... don't say "she's a gnome druid with green hair," say "she's a gnome druid with spiky green hair, maybe a touch over three feet tall, with gray and silver leather armor, lots of beads and baubles in her hair, and a quiver full of sticks." The trick is not to go overboard, of course, so make sure to ask the new player how much description he wants. Describe combat environments, positions of monsters and PCs, and encourage questions.

Is your brother's friend new to RPGs, or just new to Pathfinder? If he's new to RPGs, also keep in mind that you've got the (occasionally overwhelming) job of introducing game concepts and rules too. If he's played other games, get his advice on what worked for him.

Hope this helps, and feel free to ask. I've been teaching for a while, but never tried adapting a RPG for a blind person, so it's fun to come up with new ideas.

I am not sure if I am talking right, but, blind people usually have better other senses, including touch so he should have no problem with rolling his dice and "feeling" the number on dice rolled if dices have slightly internally placed numbers, like casino dices.

I'm afraid that's an urban myth, Malag. Blind people don't have other senses that are sharper. Some (especially those who have been blind since birth or for a long time) must rely on their other senses more and so pay more attention to them and use them better than the sighted. Not all, though.

Granted! Mold is a fungus, and as such falls under my holy crusade. I will purge the vile mold from your bathroom tiles with fire. Lots of fire.

I wish I didn't love fire so much.

Dirk Manlypecs

Granted. Now she's free to walk the streets, killing because the voices tell her so.

I wish for a slice of pizza.

Yes, but you keep ignoring the restraining orders!

The next poster wants to consume all organic matter on the planet.

Granted! Now he has an over-powered REAL chicken. Which pecks you to death.

I am content, and I wish for nothing.

Granted. The orcs and hobgoblins unite and drown the world in a tide of savagery and blood.

I wish the orcs and hobgoblins would stop loving each other as people.

Now my plan can be revealed. Step one involves violence. Step two is more violence.

The next poster has been arrested for public indecency. Twelve times.

Only one of you can be the lord of the dance. Fight to the death for my amusement. And, err, also to be lord of the dance, I guess.

As for you, Duck, how come I haven't gotten paid yet? I cleared out that dungeon like you asked, and lost my soul to that lich. I'm beginning to not trust you.

The next poster is the one who really broke up the Beatles.

I have discovered how to cure cancer, but have withheld the information because of my incredible evilness and general D-baggery.

The next poster is the true lord of the dance.

Granted! You wake up in a pool of blood wearing a shirt made of human skin... but you are well rested.

I wish I hadn't written that.

7. Paladins get all the girls.
8. Paladins don't know what to do with the girls when they get them.
9. After getting the girls, they feel the need to atone.
10. Feeling the need to atone pisses off the girls.

Sir Lancelot: We were in the nick of time. You were in great peril.

As a player currently running a paladin, I have a real problem with killing a creature that is not fighting back and is asking the party to leave. If there's no evidence he's up to anything nefarious the mere detection of evil is not a license to slaughter. There are exceptions, of course... evil outsiders, undead, OK. But a wererat? No. Slow down, take time to get all the information you can, and then make a decision. It may be that in the end the dirty rat has to die, but if he's not fighting back the fact that he's evil isn't enough.

Doesn't mean the party has to leave, either. Tell the rat to drop any weapons he has, maybe even tell him to change to human form. "Stand there. Don't move. We're going to look around. If you threaten us we WILL kill you." Use diplomacy, intimidate, whatever you like. Y'know, role play.

I tend to throw a bit of Mal Reynolds' code of honor in when I'm running a pally... "You don't know me, son, so let me explain this to you once: If I ever kill you, you'll be awake, you'll be facing me, and you'll be armed."

"Locked Within the Crystal Ball" by Blackmore's Night.