Jack Assery's page

I was playing a neat video game called Don't Starve and was wondering how pathfinder could capture the fun of that kind of game. Everything you encounter is a means of survival if properly handled, and there's as many ways to thrive as there is to perish. Is there some means to build that sort of game in Pathfinder? Many elements exist to try but it would take a lot of creating to make a world robust enough to turn the game into a survival one about the heroes and the wilderness. I'm hoping someone knows something I haven't seen or know about to make this kind of game. Are there any supplements on crafting from scratch and world building with those elements at the core?

I want to run a dark souls type game, but really don't want to run in a new system, but rather remove classes from the system itself and award class-based Perks at each level, and trying to grade them.
Ok, so I've noticed the relative power of class powers are tied to BaB, it seems like 3/4 really get the cream of the abilities (opinion). Do you guys think a tree based system would be possible where you could buy class abilities or would it just hopelessly break the game? Any help would be greatly appreciated and if I could somehow make it a classless system I would make it a free pdf for anyone interested in trying it.

When I play or run, I try not to get too graphic, especially about sex; a simple cut away after a kiss or something classy; I'm very conscious of the fact that we have a diverse table with lots of players with different comfort levels, so PG13 seems a good description so as not to alienate anyone. I have a few friends in particular though that seem very into the more graphic stuff, a couple girls and a few guys in particular for clarity sake (so you guys don't think it's only the guys or girls). They seem to want a more debauched game, and often want me to include brothels, me to let them shack up with the NPC's, etcetera. One even runs a game more along those lines, where all the NPC's it seems are trying to shack up with my character. It's not really a problem per se, except that I don't really run or play like that; my GF plays with us (and is one of the worst offenders) so I definitely try to keep it classy; yet it seems like I'm always being subtly pushed to play like that. I honestly don't know what to say anymore, and definitely don't want to bring it up to make the people feel self-conscious about it. Does this happen a lot and I'm just the stick in the mud? I'm definitely the minority in my group, but it seems a little weird to me. So what do you guys think? What is your table's comfort level in this regard?

I love making villains, they're a highlight of my games (IMHO) and I've made a few that I'm very proud of; but what about you? What was the best villain you've made? What was his evil plans? I'd love any submissions whether stories or full stat blocks. Did your players love to hate him? Did they fear his villainous might? How did his plans crumble around him? Or did they?

Btw sorry for all the questions; feel free to add or omit at your leisure. I'll post mine in the actual forum and would love to know your take on my favorites so be sure to check them.

So is it cool for a GM to mess with a player's concept of what they want to play? Is it ok for a GM to start undermining the player's agency about how they interact with the world?
Let's give an example: random background generators (I hate them btw); the player makes a character, a LG Rogue (for some reason), he never wanted to be part of some thieves guild but maybe a scout for the king's army or something. He rolls a criminal history, and guess what that crime is? Treason.
Might as well make a new character.
The game IMO was made with the character being able to create and play what he wishes to, but the GM has final ruling on what a player can choose; so who should budge? Is the player wrong for having a concept of what he wished to play before discussing with the GM? Or did the GM make a mistake by making a system everyone wasn't comfortable playing?
On the flip side, is it ok for players to feel put out when a GM says he doesn't wish for X to be in his game? The GM did all the work making a world and then the PC comes in with something that he doesn't like. Did the GM make a mistake by not playing a more inclusive game? Especially considering the investment people make by playing this game, shouldn't they be able to do "legal" things in the game? If you guys in your group decide Pathfinder is the game, is it reasonable to assume that Pathfinder stuff is what you will be playing? Is the only option as a player to sit down at the GM's table? Let me know what your take is?

What was your favorite character you played? Tell us about him, what was his/her/its best moment? What was your favorite villain? What nefarious plots did you guys ruin? What was your favorite campaign? what happened? It is totally cool if you guys wish to show your builds or want to just describe it; go wild, get as in-depth as you want.

So, I thought about this first when APG first came out with Archetypes and I bet many others have to, but I haven't encountered anyone asking the devs for it so I figured I'd give it a shot; hopefully this is the right place to for this topic. The idea is basically this: instead of a full Archetype that effectively trades out class features for new ones, a list abilities that you could trade out for each class feature. Essentially the Quiggong monk already has a similar feature where you can simply replace any ability for one on the appropriate list, if you wanted to add an archetype simply take the features you would need to replace to qualify for that archetype and still it leaves you free to play with the other class features and take exactly what you wish without the worry of missing out on something key (like a rogues trapfinding).
The reason for this new feature and not simply adding an archetype is this: sometimes an archetype can miss short of the mark of what a character wants, replace useful abilities with unwanted ones, or even if the character likes 90% of an archetype something might ruin it for them, such as missing out on a wanted vanilla feature.
The mechanics kind of sort of already exist, when an ability says "this replaces X" then in theory, a character could just choose to replace the existing ability with the one stated; kind of like "paying for it" with their subbed out feature. Now some abilities from certain archetypes might indeed be too powerful to just swap out for their replacements, needing to take an actual archetype for access to them (Zen Archer's Perfect strike come to mind), but many are just harmless tradeouts.
What I would really like to see is a book with replacement abilities that characters could just swap out vanilla features for something new. Think of the new concepts we could come up with! The optimization builds, the flavor builds, new flair, I think most people would love a chance at further customization for characters. I know I've had several examples of character stuff I liked but couldn't do because of some sort of hidden fault of certain builds; in example I'm making a necromancer cleric; I saw a bunch of amazing little things like the undead lord, but didn't think the trade of a domain for for two feats and a corpse companion was worth it. I saw Agent of the Grave's ability to mind affect undead (being able to give morale bonuses with buffs) but couldn't sacrifice my spellcasting AND channeling while taking a three level dip (sidebar, why isn't there hardly anything for necromancer clerics? There's like at least three MAJOR gods all about necromancy, not to mention various other who give spells like Orcus). The point is that if the builds were a little more flexible, everybody wins, 9/10 times I just wind up playing a vanilla version of the concept I had in mind because the archetype system is too hit or miss and too heavy of an investment to pay; but mix and match? That would work.
Please anyone who feels like adding to this please do. I welcome any criticisms or comments; and if you agree, help me make sure a dev sees this.

SPOILER! SPOILER! SPOILER!!
My best friend (and one of my players) just got me the anniversary edition of the RotRL hardback for my birthday to run for my group, and I wanted to make this campaign the best I've ever run for them. I have been GMing for almost fifteen years and know that the best ideas come from everywhere, so I was wondering if anyone had good ideas to expand upon the adventure as written; not huge sidequests or other non-related stuff, I plan on sticking to the script and theme of the game, more interesting ideas you may have or stuff that happened in your game that was cool that I could try. I have noticed a general lack of difficulty with the encounters as written, and have so far spiced up/ tuned up the encounters as we have progressed, such as adding a Skeletal Champ to the fray in the desecrated tomb of Tobyn's.
But in example I found a thread: http://paizo.com/threads/rzs2hvni?Glassworks-Legacy where the people talked of making great ideas off of what comes of the Glassworks after Tsuto; the ideas were amazing, Titus Scarnetti trying to jockey for ownership, Magnimar business people getting involved, all great ideas for any GM running RotRL.
If anyone has any great ideas/stories I would like to hear them, I have the PC's on medium I can add traps/monsters/RP encounters as I like to a limited extent. I tend to like to add little things to encounters to swing action economy or traps for control.
Another example I have of what I'd like to hear is something I thought up, making possible chase scenes for villains such as Nualia trying to escape thisletop using the chase rules in the Gamemastery Guide. You guys get the gist, let's make this epic for my friends who gave me such a great birthday gift!

Hi, long time GM, first post on the forum so I hope this is agood place/topic. I'm currently running a game that takes place in Kaer Maga and am looking for advice or help in constructing the overall meta plot. I'll give a brief overview on my party and what's occurred so far, then I'll give my plans on my buildup to a finale which honestly isn't planned yet. I'm hoping for any feedback, tips, advice or anything else you would care to provide, and thanks in advance for your help.
My party consists of a Drow/ rogue (CN)suffering fron amnesia when he encounters the party; he has scars and incisions all across his body and remembers only his escapefrom a bluepit of hell. His goal is to find out what happened (derro).
My second PC is an Orc/fighter (CN) who was drawn to the city of strangers over a legend of the weapon of General Greaves, one of Karzoug's top generals; he wants his legendary axe.
My third PC is a Goblin/alchemist (LE) who's really a pragmatist, he wants power in a general sense. He uses zombie meat-shields and bombs to get around.
Last PC is an Elf/ranger (CG) who has dedicated herself to the Duskwardens, whatever her reasons for coming, her focus nowis the protection of the city from what lurks below.
As a group, they've established themselves a bar/heroes guild in the bottoms district, and have become a major player in the political intrigues therein. Upon arriving at the halflight path, they befriended the collgardy family(I ran the city of strangers, pfs) and they made their way up, the ambush killed the father of the family, leaving the daughter in their care.
-They completed the city of strangers pfs both one and two, making friends/allies with Dakar and the Ardocs.
-They helped the church of Pharasma problem below the Godsmouth Ossuary,much to my alchemists chagrin because he wanted to help poor Svillenius Tripe.
-They've found clues of a slaving ring that is working with evil derros to wipe slaves minds bfore their sale (the derro have also been implanting their subjects with something I've so far left vague).
-They've also been sort of patroned by a teifling money lender named Angston who is far more than what he seems, recently a trip to the temple of Asmodeus found him as their high priest.
-My fighter obtained an axe that is said to be the key to Greaves vault.

Ok, that sort of leaves us at present, I currently have an epic finale with the derro planned that will give my Drow/rogue PC his old drow gear and some info as to why he was coming to the surface in the first place. I also have a vague plan to involve the PC's in the Brothers of The Seal, where either they'll team up with the scions to launch an assault on the faithful in an attempt to gain access to the seal, or join the faithful to stop the scions once and for all. I want whatever is behind the seal to be vital information to the coming confrontation. Other than that though, it'll be a side adventure.
My main focus of adventure I have in the works is as follows:
The PC's find someone (either Angston or even some creature behind the seal) to seek out the Godpool, an ancient creation of Karzoug's, to find out about an impending disaster. The only known way to find the godpool is hidden within the Therrassic Spire, (which is closed due to me and another GM running in the same continuity, her adventure is shattered star) with no means of reaching inside they're told about the ancient machine within the forever bore that could allow them to infiltrate the library by possessing those within.
The forever bore I want to run as kind of like an Ocean's eleven hiest type adventure except with possession magic. Infiltrating as people within the spire to get to restricted areas that have the needed info about the Godpool.
After obtaining the needed info, they find out that the Godpool is hidden under the city's lake in a place called the sunken levels. I'm having this as a water level dungeon reminiscent of Zelda, with the water levels opening access to different layers of the dungeon and water themed with submerged rooms/halls and populated by Lacedons and oozes and tons of killer rooms.
After raising the water levels to the opening of the Godpool (and almost fully draing the lake), they can move into the Godpool itself. The godpool dungeon proper will be short and more roleplay oriented due to the long nature of the Drowned levels, but I really want to put an old Aboleth in there to explain the ancient history of the vault keepers from an aboleths pespective. The vaults of Orv is where I want it to go, I do know that much, so the Aboleth gives good foreshadowing.
I'm kind of vague on what the nature of the prophesy will be because I don't know the major boss of the campaign yet, and am hoping for ideas.

I know that I want the campaign to enter the Darklands after the prophesy, something in a vault below a drow city has been whispering to them, offering them power and preeminence in the new order. The leadership has been overthrown by this old cult and they've launched an offensive on their neighbors to reach Xavorax, subsequently pushing older Darkland dwellers into lower Kaer Maga as refugees to the onslaught. I want the PC's to reach Xavorax as the drow are seiging it.
I'm pretty open-ended after that, they could reach an agreement with neighboring Deurgar or others to launch a counter offensive, or reach the Drow city to kill the cults leadership, or be in a race to end this evil before it's released. I do want to give the PC's alot of options on what to do before my finale, they're on the slow level track so I can do alot of extra stuff.
My real big questions are what the big baddie is going to be for the final encounter; the nature of the danger to the world/whatever for the prophesy and for foreshadowing; ideas to help flesh this all out; and and any good ideas for what you've just read. So thank you for listening and tell me what you think of my ideas thus far and any help you could provide for my campaign. Any/all responses are welcomed and really appreciated.