I expected the Witch to appear soon, but this set of 4 classes still positively surprised me. I'm curious about how you'll make the Investigator under this new system.
I'm reading the core book, and I'm quite impressed with what I saw.
Even though I'm loving it, there's always something to dislike:
1° What happened to item quality?
2° I think they should have used the Uncommon and Rare traits more often, especially with magic items.
Even then, that's great work, Paizo.
As a last note, I've met many RPG players, personally and on the internet. A total of 0 has used fantasy races as justified examples for acts of racism and such. In fact, all players I know are well versed in separating fiction from reality :)
They unfortunately can be, if people aren’t paying attention and write in their biases.
Only if the author actually writes them to be. Sometimes, this stuff is just in your head. The tapestry being blue just means the tapestry is blue. Just because you see it, it doesn't mean it's there.
Why can't an entire species be psychologically different from humans, especially when they're from a weird, chaotic plane of existence? Personally, I'm not a fan of "everything is basically human, just looks a little different".
This.
Fantasy humanoid races and general monsters aren't human to begin with. They are not a metaphor for any human groups, etc. They shouldn't all behave as human.
That said, I don't know where the "we can kill them because they are evil" comes from. There is always a valid reason given by the plot, and these guys tend give many good reasons for that.
Also, it has been said multiple times that PC goblins are the exception, not the rule. We should not talk about LG goblins being the norm. They aren't.
I'm actually happy with the carrying capacity being relevant this time around. For too long have people dumped STR and gotten away with no repercussions because of how hard the old system was to track. Not to mention that example with carrying Full Plate + Entire warehouse worth of items is ridiculous when you really think about it.
Videogames have really changed the perception of this... I actually thought it was kinda cool how you'd figure out the logistics in old games. Had to have mules or henchmen carrying your stuff.
Thank you!
As an OSR player, logistics like that, such as weigh and resources, are part of a fun experience for me. Had a lot of discussions about this, with squires guarding most of the weight outside the dungeon and stuff like that ^^
Just commenting about the monk.
It may seem weird to people, but one of my favorite monk concepts is the monk that uses a weapon: a flamboyant sword or scimitar or something like that. I trained a short time under a traditional kung-fu school, and contrary to what video-games and D&D taught me, weapons were part of the training. Ok, I only got to a simple weapon (something like a sap), but many more were coming for it, if I had continued training...
I almost always GM, but when I actually have the book, money problems aside, I'll build one of these monks. Just for fun, perhaps ^^
That's what I was looking for!
As a GM, I've always used my own campaign settings, complete with its own deities, planes, kingdoms, technology, unique monsters, et cetera, along with a few fluff and rules changes (I try to keep those as small as possible). Is this product the go-to resource for me? It looks tasty...
Hey, I’m back! Did someone miss me? No?...
Ok then T_T
My comment about the bestiary: one of the things Pathfinder has/had unique to it was the fluff: darker and edgier than D&D. This was especially prominent in monster descriptions. I really hope they don’t hold down punches in this new bestiary, I love the darker depictions of evil monsters and such. Gives an aura of fear and caution.
Unfortunately, I wasn't able to keep up with the playtest, real-life issues, so I missed this opportunity. But I hope the feedback collected here helps you create a better version of the game you have put forward, because that's the purpose of a playtest. I like the direction the game is taking, although there is much room to improve - otherwise, there wouldn't be a playtest XD
I'll patiently wait for the final version to come. I know that many things will be different between the playtest last time I checked and the final product, and I hope the end result is a game system I can use for my planned campaign projects that still didn't make past paper ^^
I played an alchemist and I reported I had not run out of resonance. I technically hadn't. I had leftover doodads. I never got to use them. The few I had, mostly got wasted due to OTHER people being out of resonance. I never felt good throwing a bomb, because friends were there, waiting to be splashed on. I mostly hit things with my torch.
Resonance did not make my game more fun.
We spent 4 healing potions (elixirs of life) on someone and they gained 3 hit points total.
Resonance did not make my game more fun. It actively detracted from it.
I agree that resonance has some problems, specifically with connection to the alchemist and their abilities. I don't think a class can reasonably run on this resource without a large amount of extra for that resource.
But this person is cursed. Nothing can help them.
I'm trying to think how that is actually possible. A Minor Elixir of Life grants 1d6 HP. The worst case is 4 HP for 4 of these.
I believe in anything else, though, but I just got really curious about this case.
Drink 3, roll 1s. Drink the 4th, fail the overdraw roll. Not an easy thing to do, but certainly possible.
I played an alchemist and I reported I had not run out of resonance. I technically hadn't. I had leftover doodads. I never got to use them. The few I had, mostly got wasted due to OTHER people being out of resonance. I never felt good throwing a bomb, because friends were there, waiting to be splashed on. I mostly hit things with my torch.
Resonance did not make my game more fun.
We spent 4 healing potions (elixirs of life) on someone and they gained 3 hit points total.
Resonance did not make my game more fun. It actively detracted from it.
I agree that resonance has some problems, specifically with connection to the alchemist and their abilities. I don't think a class can reasonably run on this resource without a large amount of extra for that resource.
But this person is cursed. Nothing can help them.
I'm trying to think how that is actually possible. A Minor Elixir of Life grants 1d6 HP. The worst case is 4 HP for 4 of these.
I believe in anything else, though, but I just got really curious about this case.
I'm trying to gather friends here in order to play the playtest, but schedule problems kept me from playing it so far now. I really want to play.
So far now, there are no big surprises in the rulebook. The previews, articles and all were pretty informative, so most stuff is as I expected it. I think it's a good thing. I have criticism for the magic item system, but that could be left to the survey or another thread, and I still need to play it ^^
I'm so late...
I liked it, but the whole ancestry thing is something I'll check out carefully once the playtest is out. I don't know to feel about this whole subsystem.
Well, my opinion about the video-gamey talk.
This is a class-based system. Classes have abilities, unique abilities which other classes do not have. If anyone can have any ability, what one wants is a class-less system.
This *is* a game, after all.
I’m completely in agreement with spirit of your assertions, and am saying this joking, but, if I have to hear the word “elegant” or worse “inelegant” used to describe this or any other game system again, I’m going to have to let some additional air into my head. Let’s go out on a limb and try out similiar adjectives like sublime, graceful, efficient, tidy, streamlined, effective, or refined - just to see how it feels for a bit. :D
My most important adjectives for RPG systems are: cool and uncool.
I'm highly disappointed that from a playtest/marketing point of view, PF2 seems to be focusing on running pre-generated content for GMs. It's nice to tip the hat and say "this will appear in the final version", but if it's not being playtested or even made visible during the playtest, why should I assume that that content is good?
One of the great things about PF1 was the ability to import it into any world/use it in any campaign (fantasy obviously). PF2 seems to be ignoring this at best, or have it as a non-goal at worst.
I suspect that the reason they're not having a lot of custom campaign stuff in the playtest's rulebook is the same reason they really don't want people using things like houserules and homebrew in the playtest: They want solid, consistent data. Their pre-printed content is designed to test specific mechanics at specific times so they can get regulated, consistent data on how it does or does not work.
Pretty much. Playtest needs trustful data. This is not the kind of thing that goes on there.
Maveric28 wrote:
The Raven Black wrote:
I like GM-set DCs. Players beware
Having bought the collector edition of the playtest book, I am highly disappointed that it will be missing a significant part of the rules
Which is exactly why I DIDN'T purchase the "collectors edition." As a playtest, the book will be completely obsolete within a year. After all, how many of you are still using the Pathfinder Beta that came out back in 2008? So I just didn't/don't see any point to a "collector's edition" other than money-grubbing to finance other future projects.
I personally think all playtest print products are basically "collector's stuff". Just for bragging rights.
Not very exciting, but good articles nonetheless.
I just want to know the playtest's final boss, but I guess I'll have to wait :P
The downtime rules are going to get my attention. I've never thought much about using these kinds of rules in my games. I'll check that out.
Quadratic W wrote:
So it's the scaling DCs of 4e...but with a static DC table too. One based on a "how difficult is this?" back of the envelope question rather than a "let's add up all these modifiers and see what comes out" approach.
Honestly, that's so elegant I wonder why 4e never thought to use it.
WotC's 4e was worse than 4e :P
But enough talk about editions! Now we fight like men! And ladies, ladies who dress like men! For Gilgamesh, it's morphing time!
(I hope anyone gets it).
P.S.: Why this avatar image popped up here, it's a mystery.
I'm also alright with Muse, since while the source of inspiration is fairly open ended, the actual class feature describes what form the inspiration takes. A muse could be Sheylyn, but the bard is driven to become a Maestro. A muse could be devotion to the Pathfinder Society which drives a hunger for Lore. There could very well be a better term for it, or Muse and Passion could wind up separate things for a Bard to describe their self with.
Thought about that, too. It would be better to create demi-generic Muses than going with specific ones, and I think they just chose the easy way of naming the mechanics by what the bard is going to be, I guess.
Stone Dog wrote:
While Arcane is probably going to be the type of magic that is a clear and exact science, I think that Occult is going to be the sort of magic that is a more cobbled craft. Occult could well be piecemeal, eclectic. It could take up bits from multiple sources and build into something workable from disparate sources.
So you could just as likely get an Occult caster who has experimented with the music of the spheres and has learned from a wide breadth of lore how to work wonders as you could have somebody who has delved into cultish territory and learned things one was Not Meant to Know from aberrations and things from beyond the stars.
I thought Occult was just re-named Psychic Magic. However, I can see that…
Though, with bard as a full caster, I am concerned we might not get good support for a magus or a spellcasting warrior character.
I am holding out hope that one can build a reasonable spellcasting warrior from the multiclassing system in this edition.
PossibleCabbage wrote:
I sort of suspect one of the design goals for PF2 was to first ensure the "pure warrior" (of various types) classes are on par with the "pure spellcaster" (of various types) classes, before we start trying to mix the two together.
Make the Fighter good, make the Wizard good, make sure the Fighter is as good as the Wizard (and vice versa), then later on start mixing the two together to get the Magus.
When it comes to the classic Sword-and-Spell Gish, I think one should be doable by multiclass. We could have a new class just for that but...
Now, if we enter into Spell Blade territory, then we need a new class. Or a new prestige something...
I once had a player who wanted a Guitar-Axe for her Bard. I mean, electric guitar and rock-and-roll and that. No sane DM would ever allow such a thing!
I don't mind that the bard has gone psychic. I think it will help eat up the mesmerist whose flavour I liked but found the mechanics to be very much not what I like (on a conceptual level not on a balance level). Bards in PF1e were all about mental control and effects as well as hitting things with their sword with a minor amount of other utility spells like healing. Making that psychic just works too well together.
Well, the main cause of repetition in 4e was the always exclusive power-list. I don't think they will do that here, but perhaps include other classes with those same spell lists later, varying in features, feats and all of that. Or at least I hope so.
Like how clerics can present a deific symbol, bards can play an instrument as the Material Casting as well, if they want. Or just provide the materials as normal.
Oh. They can replace every component with an instrument? If we get any weapon that can be used as an instrument [or vice versa] that'll be pretty sweet. A mace maraca? A new version of a totem spear?
Ok, I admit, the theory is true: the Bard is an occult caster.
I'm still not familiar with that, although I should know the definition of each magical traditions...
Other than that (not bad, just different and a little weird), I loved everything about the Bard here. I like bards very much, thank you, and I think they should be right along all the other classes instead of being the underpowered spoony bard of so many editions and other games.
I think the Muse idea is great, and the three of them are just right for the game's beginning: one which focuses on magic music, other one that focuses on lore, and a third one that focuses on being a jack-of-all-trades - another favored character concept that so many people just can't pull it off!
As a note: in my table , it will be a house-rule: everyone's first bard must be named Edward.
Come on! This poor guy deserves some time in the spotlight!
A fairy died when Paizo shifted from "Grey Maiden prestige Feats have membership requirement" to "Grey Maiden prestige Feats are Rare with membership requirement".
Well, you just don't pick options from everywhere you can read and put into the game without talking to the GM. You just don't tell the players to create their characters without saying what goes and what doesn't.
I mean, communication and all of that.
Really? For me, saying "This spell is only available to this NPC" is pretty much like saying "No, you cannot play as a gelatinous cube".
I mean, there's no reason that all abilities must be available for PCs.
Of course, spells have quite an esoteric flavor on them, so this wouldn't happen with science.
Only as long as the goblin wizards don't steal your idea and start manufacturing them and selling them wholesale.
Damn goblins. You may not know, but I'm the wizard who invented firearms. I wanted to keep those for myself, but some meddling goblins arrived, and now my world doesn't use armor anymore...
It seems you are missing my point here. My point is that an adventuring party has very different needs from a fictional world. Things are balanced mostly with PCs in mind - the rarity system may be viewed at least as an attempt to create a rules set that doesn't implode the world if played even barely realistically.
Even if they cost the same, a +5 sword or a ring that lets you cast fireball 3/day are a lot tamer than Reality Warping.
Let me clarify. RAW, the settlement stat blocks place an incredibly severe limit on what you can buy. Literally a handful of different items depending on where you are. That's so intrusive that, in my experience, people don't use it, and just make it anything goes because approving every individual purpose is far too much work for the GM.
Well, the current system obviously fails at what it was supposed to do. Rarity can be a much easier-to-implement one if done correctly.
This seems a bit intrusive and a bit more unnecessary. Not as intrusive and unnecessary as forcing everybody to play in Golarion or spend hours separating it from the core rules like picking unwanted raisins from a chocolate chip cookie, but I digress.
It seems to me that rarity as relates to setting is something the GM can decide on his own, and for other uses, was perfectly serviced by a mention in a stat block.
Do we really need to service the pedantic and unsophisticated on such an intimate level? I remember when these games challenged you to be resourceful, creative, and to learn a little something along the way.
You know what doesn't challenge you to be resourceful? Being able to acquire every magic item at the Quick-e-Mart.
"What do you mean, I cannot just buy a Ring of Three Wishes here? This store sells all sorts of magic items! Even the strongest Bag of Holding or something..."
"Well, you will have to work more to get the ultimate Reality Warper power for 3 uses."
I agree with Elleth.
There is much stuff that isn't all that powerful, PC wise, but would completely change the setting if they're commonly available. Teleportation spells are a terrific example. Even spells which grant you a magic mount can transform your quasi-medieval setting with Magical Pony Express. And let's not even talking of resurrection spells or even Wish. That last one can mean great destruction more than any other 9/10-th level spell.
In my games, anything related to the planes is very rare - especially the Astral stuff. Reaching the realms of deities and afterlife should be quite difficult (and I won't even talking about the whole "leaving your material possessions behind").
Well, I actually liked it.
I'll have to wait and (re-)create my own world so I can see how much this is useful to world-building, but in the core setting's context, it's actually very useful to regulate stuff like spells, magic items and so on. So that a novice DM won't put a Vorpal Sword in sale at the magic items shop in a rural village. That happens to people more than it looks - it can happen with experienced DMs!
In any case, I can see why it's helpful: instead of climbing the wall, you have stairs. It gives a beginning for DMs ^^
I am definitely someone that leans towards spell casters. My favourite classes are sorcerer, paladin, druid, cleric, bard, oracle, rogue. In that order.
I absolutely welcome the caster nurf. It is entirely required at high levels.
I personally like the Wizard and the Paladin above all classes, but spellscasters sure come first in general - except perhaps the Tome of Battle (3.5) classes and the Warlord (4e).
After dealing wit 3.X/PF for some time, let's face it, casters need a good amount of non-violent correction ^^
I'm pretty sure they've said all the classes which will be in the playtest are the core classes from PF1 plus the alchemist- there will not be surprise classes.
So, people never lie or backtrack to create surprises, huh?
I just think we should wait until we have the bard preview before theorizing something like this ^^
I'm really unclear on what there is to be gained from clearly stating: "the classes in the playtest are: Alchemist, Barbarian, Bard, Cleric, Druid, Fighter, Monk, Paladin, Ranger, Rogue, Sorcerer, and Wizard" and then having 2-3 classes that aren't in that list show up come August.
Like it seems like there's more lost in terms of "breach of trust" than there is to gain from there being a surprise. No matter what, a good portion of every class is going to be a surprise come August, just not "what the classes are."
If I ever "lie" to my friend, saying there won't be a surprise party for his birthday, while I'm just concocting that, I wouldn't be seriously called a liar.
Anyway, that's not my main point. My point is: the bard being occult is a too big change to just "assume" it's going to happen because of a sorcerer's bloodline.
Also, the core rulebook may have more stuff than the playtest. They may very well introduce a full occult class later, while watching what sort of reaction this list causes.
Bard being occult may be right, may be wrong. I just want to wait until the preview so I can then think on those terms ^^
I'm pretty sure they've said all the classes which will be in the playtest are the core classes from PF1 plus the alchemist- there will not be surprise classes.
So, people never lie or backtrack to create surprises, huh?
I just think we should wait until we have the bard preview before theorizing something like this ^^
Ok, people, I just want to say it's best not to assume things about classes which didn't even show up.
We know barely nothing about the Bard, except it's perhaps a full caster. However, they didn't told us everything about the playtest, so they could be up to a surprise for Witch or Psychic. I remember the designers, when comparing why the Alchemist is in the playtest, that the "Witch is a close second".
You all may be right, and the bard may be a full occult caster, but I think it's better to not come up with such conclusions right now. People may get disappointed because of hype about stuff that was never said. The playtest is only next month.
Now, I love the fact that all spell lists are Sorcererable now, but it does worry me that if it's tied to bloodlines, we lose the ability to have stuff like Oracles of Flame or the like.
The designers have said in this thread that Oracle is not merged with Sorcerer ^^
Well, if you're an Angelic-bloodline Sorcerer who worships Gorum, you're getting your magic powers because one of your distant grandparents was an angel, whereas if you're a Cleric of Gorum you get your powers from being one of Gorum's chosen without any need for special blood. A Sorcerer who happens to worship one deity or another really isn't different than a fighter who does the same- gods don't generally say "Don't worship me."
And an angelic sorcerer could very well be a mistheist who thinks all gods are superpowered jerks and only prey on mortals, and be of a "Fallen Angel" heritage.
I'm curious about what this Imperial bloodline is and what it gives. I've thought some possibilities, all of them awesome. I guess I'll see at the playtest ^^
Ok, I actually loved it. It seems a great and fun class.
What most caught my attention, however, were the magical traditions: arcane, divine, primal and occult, and apparently spell lists are shared between each tradition. Interesting...
I always found it strange that my 'mountain man' survivalist ranger had to also be a spellslinger, which was confusing and impossible for me to work into my understanding of such characters.
That's what I'm saying about 3.X and PF1's ranger: it got his spells out of nowhere. There was not much (if any) explanation behind this.
Of course, the previous explanation was lost in the edition change, so we had spellscaters that got spells from the game's designer itself just so an old artifact, which made no sense now, could be maintained.
If people want Rangers with divine magic, at least give Rangers a pretty good reason to have so.
I liked pretty much everything here, nothing to complain ^^
Honestly, the Ranger's spellcasting was an old artifact, from a time which Rangers were vastly different from our "modern" conception, such as in OD&D and AD&D's Ranger. With that previous concept, it made sense for the Ranger to have spells. But once 3e was in, spells for Rangers became non-sense. Things make sense again, now ^^
Of course, there's nothing that stops us from including spellcasting Rangers later...
My two cents: went Resonance was first introduced, it felt weird, but also that there might be something in there. When I learned more about how you got it and what it was for, I started liking it more.
Now instead of having a shirt that gives you an extra move action 1/day and a cloak that turns you into a crow 3/day, you can wear both and decide with your 4 resonance points if you run 4 times, or turn into a crow 4 times, or any mix in between, and didn't have to track remaining uses for neither, just a global Resonance Pool.
When I learned potions costed resonance, I was also up for it. This encourages you to drink that one big level-apropiate powerful potion instead of drinking 20 crappy ones in a row after a fight, same for wands (wich I asumed would cost resonance to activate and would have no charges neither, so if you have 10 resonance points to use on wands, you want to make those 10 heals be better, so you buy better wands).
Making potions cost a valuable resource (Resonance) was also the perfect excuse to make them more powerful (since you are limited to how many you can use in any given day) so you would track your 3 AWESOME POTIONS instead of 20 crappy situational ones; and things like drinking a Healing Potion in Combat wouldn't be so much of a waste of actions (if it did for once heal more than what ANY enemy in the battle field could damage with half their attacks).
I was so into resonance, that I started homebrewing it in my current campaign, giving players wands and items that all have abilities that cost resonance, so they decide what/how they use them. And I do like having a resource similar to "How many spells do I have left? Do I want to burn one for this?" for all clases.
Then the last 2 Blog Posts happened... What a mess... 3 or 4 new kinds of actions that have never been explained to us and that seem that could be easily replaced with "Somatic, Verbal and Material". If you want to have a "Amazing Opperator" Feat later that removes the Opperation Action from items, you can...
Hello! If you're here, I'm assuming that you're either a player in one of my games or in a recruitment thread I'm running. Below you'll find resources and guides on how I do things, what my players can expect from me, and what I expect from my players. We're all here to have fun, so let's make sure we have the most fun we can.
Play Guide
If you haven't already, check out both Doomed Hero's and Painlord's guides on how to be a good player in a play-by-post (PBP) game. The long story short, pay attention, be engaged, always be pushing, leave hooks for other players and the GM, and keep track of your stuff.
If you're new to the PBP format, or it's been a while since you've played, then I highly recommend reading through those. It should take about 15 minutes or so, and it's time well spent.
What players can expect from me:
1. I am not perfect. I will make mistakes. That said I will do my best to correct them and take steps to prevent myself from making the same mistakes twice. I ask for patience and in return I'll try to be patient with all of y'all.
2. I love character interactions and banter. You can expect a lot of role-playing in my games. One of my favorite things is when characters do something that is in character yet totally unexpected. If you think your character would go out and do something reckless, then by all means do it.
3. I will do my best to involve everyone. If two characters are off to the side having an RP session, I will bring in an NPC to interact with other characters or ask what they are doing while this is going on or just find something that will engage the other players and help spread some of the spotlight. I don't do this to detract from the roleplaying, but to make sure that everyone feels like they are doing something other than waiting around for the scene to move on. It's also a good way for me to get less involved characters to come out of their shells.
4. I will do my best to make sure you're having fun. As a GM, this is my number one priority is to make this fun for everyone. If you're not having fun, then I as a GM have messed up.
5. I will do my best to communicate what's going on and what's planned. This is so that everyone is on the same page and to give everyone an opportunity to correct me if I'm mistaken about something.
What I expect from my players:
1. Honesty. Please be honest with yourself, your fellow players, and me. Don't try to lie to make yourself look better or to get your way. The truth has a way of coming out and lying is one of the ways that will get me to kick you from the game with no warnings. This game is built on trust, and trust requires honesty. If you can't be honest, then how can I expect you to be a good player?
2. Respect. I expect people to act like adults and respect each other. We can disagree and we can even not like each other, but I do ask for some modicum of maturity. I don't agree with everyone here on the boards. I don't expect everyone here to agree with me. I do expect a basic level of maturity and respect while handling those disagreements. Being disrespectful is also one of those things that will get me to kick you from a game with no warnings. In theory, we're all adults or close to it. Let's treat each other as such, please.
3. Communicate. Let others know if they are doing something that bothers you. Especially let me know if something I am doing is bothering you or if you have concerns. If you'll be absent for a while, let us know. If something came up, just pop on and post a quick message that you'll be away for a while. Details can wait. All I'm asking is that you let us know if you'll be unable to post. Trust me, I know the site's awful on mobile, but you can still post.
As another side of this, if something has wowwed you or a line has you laughing, post about it! That's why there's a discussion thread in our games (among other reasons.) Let us know if you enjoyed something in the game or if you think something is particularly clever. Don't forget that you can mark posts as favorites, and seeing that someone liked your post enough to do so is an amazing feeling. It never fails to bring a smile to my face when I see that.
4. Engage. I expect players to engage with each other and with the game. As I mentioned, my favorite thing about tabletop RPGs is the banter and character interactions. If I post something and tag your character in it, I'm expecting a response. Please, don't leave me wondering what I did to cause you to clam up. If nothing else, pop into the discussion thread and let me know you need some more time to respond because you need to think through how your character would react to the situation. And if something isn't engaging you in a way you find fun, let me know. It's my job as GM to make sure everyone has fun, and if something isn't working out, I want to know about it sooner rather than later so we can work out how to make this fun for you too. I'm actually a pretty easy man to entertain and please, so don't worry about ruining my fun. I can make my own if need be.
5. Have Fun. I expect my players to have fun. This is a game, after all. Don't be afraid to poke fun at something or to be a bit silly. I have thick skin and I am of the belief that if you can't laugh at yourself, when are you ever going to laugh? Don't be afraid to do something bold or write up a cool scene. If you're worried about it fitting, just ask about it.
General Rules and Guidelines
1. Post regularly. Once a day is awesome, but as long as we can keep things moving forward a regular clip, I'll be happy. I will insist a once-a-day posting rate for combat. It's slow enough as is.
2. Keep track of your stuff. I'm the worst about this when it comes to gold in games I play, but I still try to make an effort. When it comes to ammo, spells, or limited use abilities, please mark them off as you go. It takes only a few seconds more.
3. Present information in a clear format. If I need to GMPC your character for whatever reason, I'll need to have enough information to be able to run your character. The standard Pathfinder stat blocks are a good starting point, but don't forget to that they don't include everything. Please include spells in your spellbook, if you have one, and what spells you typically prepare for a day. It would also be a good idea to include a GMPC section that details how your character would act in combat.
Also, include things like saves, AC, HP, Perception, and Initiative in your tagline. There's a dozen different ways to do it, but here's the one that I've mostly settled on.
Race: Spells, wands, ammo, other consumables, and conditions
Classes/Levels: Additional information, such as stats for mounts and familiars
What is needed will naturally change based on the game system being used, but this generally works well for Pathfinder 1e and Dungeons and Dragons 5e.
4. Hook your GM. When writing your character's background or expanding on it, give me hooks that I can use to get your character involved. This could be something from their backstory or a character trait that they have that would compel them into joining this adventure. Hooks get me excited because they allow me to set up those opportunities for character moments, interactions, and banter that I love so much.
5. Involve other characters. All of the PCs are part of a team, supposedly. If you want to take a game to the next level, start having your character interact with your fellow PCs. This brings out some of the best play that I have ever seen in games and it doesn't require much from the GM beyond setting up opportunities for those interactions. Maybe your character has a rivalry with another PC. Maybe they are falling head over heels in love with the cleric. Maybe two of you always argue like an old, married couple.
Resources for making Characters and Character Backgrounds:
Below are links and questions that I think can help players stuck on coming up with something for their characters. While I will happily read and have typed out 20,000 word backstories, I don't ask that of my players. Most of the time, I just need a few paragraphs and that's enough to get the gears turning. However, if you feel your character's background is a bit lacking, feel free to use the resources below to help flesh out your character.
What is your character’s name?
How old is your character?
What would somebody see at first glance (i.e. height, weight, skin color, eye color, hair color, physique, race, and visible equipment)?
What additional attributes would be noticed upon meeting the character (i.e. Speech, mannerisms)?
Where was your character born?
Where were you raised?
By who?
Who are your parents?
Are they alive?
What do they do for a living?
Do you have any other family or friends?
What is your character’s marital status?
Kids?
What is your character’s alignment?
What is your character’s moral code?
Does your character have goals?
Is your character religious?
What are your character’s personal beliefs?
Does your character have any personality quirks (i.e. anti-social, arrogant, optimistic, paranoid)?
Why does your character adventure?
How does your character view his/her role as an adventurer?
Does your character have any distinguishing marks (birth-marks, scars, deformities)?
How does your character get along with others?
Is there anything that your character hates?
Is there anything that your character fears?
20 Questions for Deep Character Creation
Spoiler:
Sadly, the page I found this on has since been zapped from the internet. Thankfully I had copied the questions.
Concept
These are the fundamentals, the broadest strokes. Every character should have answers to these five, including NPCs. It’s the quickest way to give the sense of a full individual instead of a cardboard stereotype.
1. What emotion best describes your character? Find one primary emotion your character expresses. Try to use a colorful, specific word to describe it. For instance, instead of “angry” you might say “vengeful” or “raging,” or instead of happy you might say “cheerful” or “exalting.”
2. What emotion does your character evoke in others? How do others react to you? Do you impress, scare, calm, excite, or perhaps annoy? Again try to find the most specific term you can. Is this reaction different between friends and enemies?
3. What does your character need most? If your character had everything he or she needed, why go on an adventure? Most people’s needs are fairly universal, although they can change over time. Common needs are survival, security, companionship, esteem, romance, family, or wisdom. Consider what your character’s starting needs are, and where you want them to be by the end of the adventure or campaign. It helps to establish this need with the GM, to ensure it fits with the themes of the game.
4. What is your character’s goal in life? This should be the principle, underlying motivation for everything your character thinks, says, and does. If your character were lying on the brink of death, what makes him or her cling to life? What could your character lose that he or she would consider worse than death? This goal is often broad, and sometimes unachievable. Whatever the nature of the goal, it should be something your character can strive for his or her entire life. The best goals are ones that can be threatened, as they will help create more compelling adventures. Ideas include justice, revenge, protecting loved ones, redeeming one’s self, or gaining some kind of power. When you think of something, ask yourself “why?” to make sure it isn’t because of some larger, more important goal.
5. How does your character believe this goal can be accomplished? Because the goal can often be ideological, the method to achieving it is sometimes equally insubstantial. Your character’s methods should be strongly tied to beliefs (or lack of beliefs), and primarily be a decision of lifestyle. A character bent on revenge might consider perfecting a fighting discipline, while a character devoted to a cause might consider a religious or philosophical doctrine.
Background
For any campaign, a character should have come from somewhere. Spend any length of time with someone and their history is bound to come up. These questions give your character history, and therefore dramatic and emotional weight.
6. Where did your character come from? Consider your character’s initial roots, before he or she was a teenager. These times are what shape your character the most. Who were your parents? Where did you live? What was your family’s economic and social status? How were you educated? What were the three most important lessons you learned?
7. When did you grow up? Everyone begins taking responsability for their own lives at different times and in different ways. Describe the events related to when your character started taking care of him- or herself.
8. What values does your character hold? Name three things your character considers sacred, and three things he or she is idealogically opposed to. These things will usually stem from a combination of your goals and your personal history. Consider especially where the values came from. Was your character taught these values? Did they develop as a reaction to something your character considered noble or diabolical? Establish lines that your character will not cross in pursuit of his or her goal to add challenge to playing your character.
9. How does your character dress? Start generally with an overall statement of the quality of your character’s appearance, such as projected social status, trade, common activities, or how groomed or slovenly your character is. Begin to hone in on telling details, especially those things that most people take for granted. How exactly does your character style his or her hair? What decorative articles does your character wear, such as jewelry, decorated buttons or buckles, a belt, gloves, etc.?One especially telling detail is footwear. Describe in detail what your character wears on his or her feet, including cut, tightness or looseness, heel height, sole hardness or softness, lacing/buckling/tying or lack thereof, toe shape (square, round, pointed…?), color, material, shininess, cleanliness, repair or disrepair, and any other details you can think of.
10. What are your character’s means? Consider all the resources your character has. This should include material resources such as money and property, social resources such as friends and allies, and personal resources such as skill, courage, strength, wits, etc. It might help to make a list of all your character’s resources that he or she might use to overcome adversity. Consider challenges like fights, puzzles, traveling, persuading (and being persuaded), and any others.
Details
Now we’re picking nits. These five are all about texture and color. These answers take your character beyond an adventure serial persona and into reality. Answers to these make your characters memorable for years.
11. What are your character’s personal tastes? Name at least three things your character enjoys for no reason other than personal preference. A good place to start is with each of the five senses. Consider a sound, smell, taste, feeling, or sight that is uniquely pleasing to your character. Also consider activities such as hobbies or habits. Name three things your character dislikes, as well.
12. What are your character’s opinions? Decide upon at least three major aspects of local society and your character’s opinion on them. This could be generalizations such as rich or poor people, more specific areas like a particular political or religious group, or very specific things like a prominent individual or an aspect of the character’s job. Check with your GM for relevant things in the campaign to have opinions about.
13. What is your character’s comfort zone? What environment, activity, or mindset puts your character at ease? This can add a lot of color to your character during stressful moments, as he or she will have a place to go or a thing to do at these times. It helps to have a comfort zone broken up into the above parts so at least some of it is portable.
14. Who has had the biggest impact on your character’s life? Name and briefly describe at least one person who had a significant impact on how your character perceives the world today. You can name more than one, but they should each reflect different aspects of your character’s beliefs. Use this as a reference point when your character has to make difficult decisions (i.e., “What would so-and-so do?”).
15. What are some of your character’s unexpected quirks? Name three things that are unexpected about the way your character behaves, such as things that go against his or her normal social status, age, or trade. How about three unexpected talents or abilities like being able to sing, or knowing some trivial knowledge, or being good at math? Three things your character can’t do that most other people can such as whistling, swimming, or reading well? How about three things your character fears, such as heights, dogs, or insects?
Player
These five questions direct your play experience itself rather than your character. What do you want out of your game? If a group answers these together, they can expect dramatically rewarding game sessions, and the GM will know clearly what’s expected to give everyone a good time.
16. What kind of story does your character belong in? Who are the characters your character interacts with? What settings does he or she inhabit? What themes are important? What conflicts does your character face? These things are important to understand so your GM can create adventures that will engage your character, and so you will have a better chance at getting along with your fellow players’ characters.
17. What role does your character fill? Roleplaying is all about the ensemble cast. Make sure you fill a unique role in the party, and you aren’t stepping on anyone else’s toes. Consider your role in the interpersonal relations of the party, your role in combat, what skills your character is best at, and what thematic note your character hits.
18. What should the other players know about your character? These should be major thematic points, your character’s general emotion (if it isn’t secret), potential surprises or areas that might be difficult, and any other pertinent information. Also start sketching out potential interactions, such as another character you might go to for help (or who might go to you for help), or someone you’ll probably butt heads with. Getting these things out in the open is important to ensure there aren’t unpleasant surprises.
19. What is your play style? Do you like heavy character immersion, or attention to detail in the rules, or perhaps you’re especially goal-oriented? Maybe you’re a bit competitive. Do you prefer lots of colorful descriptions, or a quicker framework understanding of situations? Do you speak in your character’s voice? You may not even be aware of your own play style. Keep this in mind as you play so you can better communicate with your fellow players about the direction of the party as a whole, and the course of the adventure. This also helps your GM understand your personal needs at the gaming table.
20. How do you want your character to die? Your character won’t live forever, although you might not play him or her to the end. If you had your choice of deaths for your character, what would it be? Death of old age, having survived through all his or her trials? Perhaps a bloody, violent death? A noble sacrifice? Happenstance? It can also provide an unusual layer of texture to your roleplaying, as you have a better understanding of your character’s fate. It will also tell you if your character is a tragic or heroic one. Finally, it can help your GM in resolving conflicts in-game if he or she has an idea of your comfort zone with threats to your character’s life.
For the sake of everyone's sanity, be sure to put the original, english text in a spoiler and mark it as the language being used. In general, it's best to go in order and use a separate spoiler for each one. Especially if you're using the Zalgo generator.
For example wrote:
"میں بیوقوفوں سے گھرا ہوا ہوں۔," The Dread Lord of the Crypts sighed in Abyssal. He picked up his staff and settled into his throne. "Iltqajt sew! X’nista ’nagħmel għalik," he says in the goblin tongue, his voice cheery.
Abyssal
Spoiler:
"I am surrounded by idiots."
Goblin
Spoiler:
"Well met! What may I do for you?"
Tokens and Character Art
If you'd like to make life on your GM a little easier, here are some tools and resources that you can use to create tokens for the battlemap or pick out art for your character. While AI artbots are an option, I'd ask that you not use them due to ethical concerns about how they were/are developed. If you grab something online, please link back to the original artist in your character's profile.
Other Resources Party Loot Sheet - This is a blank sheet that you can copy to your Google Drive to use for games that you are in or running. There's some built-in functionality, such as automatically calculating total value, weight, and sell value as well as highlighting based on status and which character is carrying the items. There is a readme that explains more about how to start using the sheet.
Contact Information
If you need to contact me or would like to chat outside of the boards, here's my email and Discord username.
Email: salsa.the.geek@gmail.com
Discord: salsathegeek
A special thanks
I want to thank the following people. They may no longer be active on the boards, but they have inspired me to be a better player and a better GM.
