GM Dak's page

About GM Dak

The profile for my GM account. Main profile here: Dakcenturi

=General Campaign Info=

=Style guidelines for posting=
Out of Character [ooc ] [/ooc ]
"Spoken out-loud" [b ] [/b ]
"Telepathically communicated" [b ][i ][/i ][/b ]
Thoughts [i ] [/i ]
[dice ] [/dice ]
[spoiler ] [/spoiler ]
Other information [no tag]

=Dice Rolls=
Any rolls that are automatic, or pseudo automatic, such as Initiative, I make the rolls, so we don't have to wait. Likewise, I may make save rolls. I may also roll Perception as appropriate. Sense Motive is the one exception, you need to roll this when you want to get a better understanding of something or have a hunch about something being off.

I roll in either: (1) Alphabetic Order or (2) Initiative Order, as appropriate for the situation. Anything with a DC, such as a Knowledge checks I will try to remember to put in a spoiler so that anyone that wants to roll knows what DC they need to hit to view the spoiler. Please only look at spoilers that apply to your character. Specifically, rolls that are in a spoiler for GM are meant for me alone. If they are spoilered with anything else like Initiative or Perception feel free to take a peek.

Any save whose result may result in very bad things for your character, I try to leave to you whenever possible. If you face a Save or Suck for instance, I don't like to roll the save for you. Your character, your karma, your luck . . . However, if everyone else has posted and we are just waiting on you to make a save I may go ahead and roll it for you.

If you plan to do something go ahead and throw out a roll to keep things moving. I would rather you over-role than have us slow things down while we wait for you to make another post with the rolls. I can look at your character and adjust as necessary. For example, if you want to try and convince someone to do something roll a diplomacy check when you post what you are saying. If I feel what you said is really a bluff I will adjust the roll as necessary keeping your stats in mind.

In combat, please account for everything relevant to your attack. For example, if you are an alchemist throwing a bomb, roll the attack, the direct damage, the splash damage and the misdirection if it misses. This is especially important as we get into higher levels to keep combat from bogging down. A good example of an attack roll would be something like this:

[dice=Weapon Name, Any Bonuses, Any minus]1d20+1-1[/dice]

=Game Flow=

One post per day minimum, excluding weekends. If you can post more often that is great and preferred. I encourage you to RP with each other and not just wait for me to make a post. I will always do my best to get in one post each weekday and one on the weekend. I generally check for posts around 7am Eastern and 2pm Eastern. However, I can often check multiple times between 7am eastern and 2pm Eastern, especially if people are posting frequently. During roleplay/story points I will advance the game as long as I have at least one person posting, unless there is a response needed from a specific character. For combat, I will wait 1 day before advancing the combat, unless you tell me ahead of time that you will be away. If you know you will be away and want me to bot you, leave instructions. In the event I skip your character, he/she will simply delay while considering their next action.

I completely understand that RL events happen and can pull you away. The same will likely occur with me. In these cases, if you know in advance you will be away please let us know ahead of time so that we can set our expectations accordingly. If you do not post in over a week without prior notice I will PM you. If I do not receive a response to the PM in a weeks’ time I will consider you to have left the game and we may find a replacement for you. If you do reply to the PM, but it occurs frequently we may still find a replacement for you.

=Combat=

I will provide maps for most combat situations via Roll20. Occasionally, we will do theater of the mind combat, but I will note that in advance. There will be a link at the top of the page to the appropriate Roll20 campaign. You will need to login so I can create a token for you and give you access to move it around the board. I also, generally track HP on Roll20. All rolls however, are done here on the boards using the [ dice ] mechanics. When combat starts I will provide a listing of Init order. All players can go in any order within their grouping and I resolve them in the order of initiative. IMPORTANT: If you are wanting to wait for a buff or flank please note that you are delaying until such time. A good example if there is a bard that is later than you in initiative and you want to benefit from their bardic performance; post your action but put a note that you are delaying until after said bards turn.

For example the Init order might look like this:
Round 1
>Player 1/Player5, Enemy 1/Enemy3, Player 4/Player 2/Player 3, Enemy 2

Player 1 & 5 can post their actions in any order and I will resolve them as appropriate. Then after Enemy 1 & 3 go Players 2-4 can post their actions in any order. If you post and someone’s earlier action effects your action I will follow initiative order but may take creative liberties with the intent of your action. For example, if you magic missile a baddie that the Rogue just eviscerated, I’ll redirect your spell to a still-living target. This isn’t how I run things in a live game, but in a PbP, block initiative saves time and speeds up combat significantly. If the group is split in initiative between the enemies I will group rounds together like this:

Round 1
Players 2 & 4, Enemies, > Players 1, 3 & 5
Round 2
Players 2 & 4, Enemies, Players 1, 3 & 5

This means Players 2 & 4 and the Enemies already went in round 1. All players can go ahead and post their actions 1,3,5 are part of Round 1 and 2,4 are part of Round 2.

=Player Discussion=

For any questions and concerns - please address these in the Discussion thread rather than PMing me. That way everyone has the advantage of learning the answer to a specific question or ruling and we keep the gameplay thread less cluttered. Plus I don't always notice PMs, but I pretty much always see when there are new posts. When I post a ruling or what have you, I try to post a link to an appropriate reference document.

Note: I can be wrong, I'm not a perfect GM. When I am wrong, tell me and provide references. It is how we all learn.

=House Rules=

Actions: I'm a GM that does not punish the character for trying something new or cool, or even strange. Visually appealing actions are encouraged, the dc will of course depend on what are you trying, but you can try! I still try and follow the rules as appropriate, but I enjoy creative solutions.

Level up: I don’t level up based on XP. I level up based on your progression in the overarching story.

Afflictions: I'm a fan of the expanded Afflictions rules from Unchained so that is what I use in my games.

Sandbox vs Rail Road: Most APs are not a very heavy Sandbox style type of game. As such, there is obviously heavy pre-defined story elements. However, I like players to help me drive the game, so I’m not opposed to throwing some Sandbox in there if it makes sense. As long as it does not completely derail the story I am open to creative avenues. If you do go someplace or attempt to do something beyond your skill I will attempt to warn you of the dangers, but I will not outright stop you.

External Communication: I run a Discord server specifically for Pathfinder PbP. While it is not a requirement that you join, it is a preference. It is a great way to ask quick questions or get clarification or discuss things amongst the group. I've noticed much better cohesion from those who do use it.