Nestled in the bustling Merchant Quarter of Absalom, the Hookscratch Inn is a large establishment that caters to the adventuring crowd. Boasting a large cellar full of exotic ales and live entertainment, most non-council members of the Grand Lodge have attended at least one night of merriment here.
It is a primarily oaken building that boasts a sturdy construction and pleasant aroma. There are enough tables present to comfortably accommodate up to 70 patrons at any given time. Most nights, however, it isn't that busy.
A sizeable stage takes up the corner of the dining area, and two log staircases are located on either side of the wide bar.
Steins hang on hooks above the serving area, and the kitchen is isolated behind sturdy metal doors, connected to the main room mainly by a large window created for delivering orders.
There are 14 rooms on the second floor, and one large sleeping area on the third.
The live-in staff have their own quarters off of the common area.
The cellar has a sub-basement, but only the inn's jovial owner and bartender, Miss Crimson, has the key.
I find this behavior usually stems from a personal grudge. In my case, this happens when the gm's girlfriend bickers with him... To any character but his girlfriend's..
I made a dungeon out of a dead outsider and put fleshy deformities and decay all over the chambers. Then, to make matters worse, I put a key item in what looked like a floor sphincter. Said hole had trap oozes in it.
F Human Witch 13 Init+4 Hp: 104/91--- AC:20 t:15 ff:16---F8//R9//W13--Perception +16
You are still nervous, my little friend. I can only conclude this after the use of such a sloppy past perfect usage. I can only speculate as to your cause to use a contraction at a time like this.
I like playing everyone's friend. This is best accomplished with a divine caster being the buffer or healer, or with a bard and some specialized wizards.
This is useful because I die often, no matter how optimized I am or carefully I play.
Being the berserk button in a party of otherwise "neutral, not-my-problem" kinda characters means that I get to be important despite my "crit-me" sign.
It's also led to hilarity and Kuririn/Krillin references... and Kenny, of course.
Oh, being the group berserk button is one of the greatest feelings in the world for me in PF. It's so cinematic when the group's got their back to the wall, and I drop a few buffs to turn the tides and let my parties righteous justice crash over whatever we're facing.
Seriously, I want to know. What is the point in all of our collective experiences if we don't get to share? PF is such a great place to have our creative vulcan mind-melds, yes?
Haka's rushing to Rohini's side makes a tangible difference. Her hitched breathing resumes. Perhaps, if it had eyes, the daemons would widen them in surprise. There are some things that will never be known.
Talon begins to rip into the Daemon that downed Rohini whilst Drovya and Hanethes remain engaged with the one that had exhaled the insects.
Kanthuun, thinking as quickly as ever, caused Hanethes to fade from view, though he did have to move to do it.
Actually, I need you to make a DC 21 reflex save to avoid taking 4d6 ⇒ (5, 4, 1, 4) = 14 damage at the end of your turn, Kanth. Sorry about that.
Assuming that's okay, we restart with Drovya, Han, Monsters, Haka, Rohini (down), Talon
F Human Witch 13 Init+4 Hp: 104/91--- AC:20 t:15 ff:16---F8//R9//W13--Perception +16
Euphemia moved into the next room, frown deeply etched on her face.
"Gerard, your intelligence and wisdom are UNPROPORTIONAL!" she calls out in fear, the edge replacing that of anger.
Euphemia begins chanting the invocation for summoning a water elemental.
Summon Monster 4 expended. The elemental will be charged with saving him.
My best wishes for this person. The laws of probability dictate, however, that things can only get better from here. :) Hug him for me if he's the kind to take to that sort of thing, will you?
My halfling once, under domination, killed a guard with a popsicle-stick puppet made from lunch. I always take improvised weapon feats so I can kill a man or woman with his/her own underwear when he or she foolishly takes my weapons away.
My beggars are just that. Beggars. Sometimes fodder for the bad guy to start his plans, too.
I did have a time when I got in a fight with a player for literally seducing everything he came across with insane diplomacy. There's a point where it disrupts the flow of the game.
Not to mention that he single-handedly destroyed three convents.
I think my writing style is so full of frivolous details that I lose my players. I make a sandbox with a main quest and then give them all the reign in the world (making sidequests detailed to any character that gives me enough to go on and then... just seeing what happens). It doesn't always work because sidequests for the not fully-integrated character aren't blatantly obvious in their starting points, and I don't want to start it unnaturally.
Then there's the question of free will. I can never, ever be prepared for that.
I doubt any gm can be. Though I could be wrong, I've only been at this for a couple of years, and only a couple of times by choice. I've had players with the gall to tell me my idea for a monster, for example, or plot twists were... well, stupid, after they begged me to dm and rushed my work.
If I railroad, it's only because I'm rushed. Period. I suppose that goes back to the gm burnout note.
Tales of the Abyss. If you can stick it through the deplorable behavior of the main character through the first third of the game, it's worth it to see him grow. Also, saved game plus and lots of miniperks.
Customizable growth? Yes.
F Human Witch 13 Init+4 Hp: 104/91--- AC:20 t:15 ff:16---F8//R9//W13--Perception +16
"Hello, Andrea." the witch responds, relatively certain she should know the name... but Andrea is a common name... isn't it? Arg, why didn't she pay attention to this sort of thing? "I assumed as much. What did they offer you, anyway? Plunder, blood...? Or are you after some stupid boon?! It isn't worth it, you know, and-!"
She looks to Gerard, visage changing.
"By Kurgess's rippling biceps, how do I know you're not going to kill me when I'm of no use?! I know who led you here! Damned if there isn't at least one pleasantry exchanged so I know who to haunt!"
Ah, see, now I find that quite believable in comparison with a few similar situations I've encountered in real life table-top sessions... but it's also a bit refreshing. I'd like to think that we, as gamers, are hams at times. What's the use in gaming if one can't have a little ham?
Not to mention that the barbarian class has to thrive on emotion. I think a ridiculously stoic barbarian (who isn't of the urban pursuasion) would be the greatest breaker of my suspension of disbelief.
Also, HELLO RINGTAIL! I was worried about 'chu. Good to know you're still alive. :)
So your best friend just got eviscerated in front of you. Your party blew up. Your captain/lord/leader exiled you for reasons that weren't your fault.
So your character just stands there and....?
From what I've seen, even in pbps, there are lots of situations like this where characters just don't... cry? Emote? Do anything more than sigh, let a single tear fall, or say nothing. Okay, I get this, sometimes. What I don't get is a the fact that a majority of characters I've seen both in live action and pbp games... they just don't let tears fall? Ever?
Why do you think this is? And do you find it as much as a disconnect with the suspension of disbelief that there are so many characters who barely seem to care about the world around them like this? I mean, I know they're fictional, but even fiction has to parallel reality if it's to be believed.
I'm not just talking about hardened soldier characters, either. I'm talking about the first level just-above-commoners and farmhands, too. Sometimes there doesn't seem to be anything in the backstory to justify this detachment.
Thoughts?
And for those of you who prompted this post, don't take it personally, I've just always found the 'single tear' concept has been taken too far.
In just the first book, I lost two characters, and if you saw their ability scores, you would be in awe that they could die like chumps.
#1:
Saar Ann the druid got to level 4 in the first adventure path (our gm levelled us up EARLY) and managed to get pinned under a trap. I think you guys know the one... A doozy, even at low tide.
#2:
A ridiculously powerful hungerseed tiefling barbarian, Madriki, ended up with the misfortune of catching ghoul fever and being brought down to 9 con right before a random battle with the headcrab zombie things. The fighter, whose stats were only slightly touched in comparison and had a higher AC than her without armor on was wasting time by being ridiculously cautious and refusing to engage the enemy. They targetted the party's halfling(and active healer, did I mention the druid died?), so the barbarian literally made a charge attack at the transgressor, leaping into the air, and crashing into the railing. That would have been fine, if not for the two perfect crits that followed.
Now, I'm no stranger to character death, but this trend means that my characters die with more frequency than Daniel on Stargate SG1.
It gets worse, though. Perhaps the rules don't specifically state this, but the dm ruled that dying while sick with ghoul fever means Romero's continuuity is involved.
The party had to contend with the large greatsword-wielding barbarian with 20 strength while raging in ghoul form, not three days later in game, with my new cleric having cast shield other on the aforementioned fighter.
Dm rescue,and book 2, but g+!@*$it!:
Aasimar cleric joins the party just in time to save the other members with ghoul fever and volunteers to help retrieve the barbarian's body when the captain(that poor, cowardly fighter) remembered he'd left the stiff bound and tied up in the bilge of the ship(this might not have been too bad, but they hadn't locked the thing, and her equipment was left unattended in the captain's cabin).
New aasimar cleric, sweet thing that she is, and having already been warned about the ghoul fever, casts shield other on the fighter.
First round of combat(surprise round in the bilges) literally killed her, too, because of the bite attack additive. It sucks to be killed by your own character, and that would be two character deaths in one session(the aasimar was a spare I had around), so the dm ruled that retroactively the spell was removed before Mabel joined the dead club. I accept that this one was my own doing, but... the fighter would have died from massive damage otherwise.
I suppose it's a badge of honor that every character death here was reasonably dignified. In the past, I've counted being tossed down the stairs and landed on by a fat bard, turned into a tree and being set on fire, being crushed by a tree token at epic levels, drowned in three inches of water, electrocuted by a mandolin, being killed during player-into-character feuds just because I was standing next to the paladin and the rogue/alchemist missed, being put in a bag of holding by a warforged who failed anatomy class, being jumped on by a changeling suitor while featherfalling from an incredible height, being mauled by a ochre jelly whilst a druid watched with fascination from the ceiling, and being shot like a cannon from an exploding grain silo as causes of character death.
Now that she's pointed out, she can be noticed by anyone in your groups with a DC 5, though it's a DC 10 to recognize her.
The high priestess hastily looks around to ensure that no one else has noticed her presence outside the group at the bar. Content (though this term is relative, as she seems quite stressed), she nods.
"Welcome back, Arasmes. I have something of dire importance to speak about, but we must wait until the city sleeps."
Keeping her voice as low as possible, the woman signals Wistli, who startles upon seeing part of her face. He retrieves Mouse to serve her food almost too eagerly, but thanks to Petrova, again the common customers fail to notice the woman in their midst.
63. When your first instinct is to channel positive energy when the preschoolers in your Sunday School classroom take a massive group spill.
(and almost state the action outloud.)
