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Oooooh. Very cool. This is also keeping with the Gallowspire puzzle: Tar-Baphon>Gods>Undead>Mortals He fancies himself above the gods, so why would he aspire to become one? Seeking divinity would make his arrogance all bluster when in fact he covets their position. I sort of like him as utterly confident and bought into his self-importance. He actually thinks gods are beneath him. Y'all have any details on how the Starstone might be weaponized?
Hey folks, My game world has been running for about 25 years. It's been shaped by previous characters successes and failures (so it doesnt perfectly resemble the AP Golarion). We're nearing the end of Tyrant's Grasp and there are major world shaping implications. I'm wondering what folks think would happen if Tar-Baphon reaches the Starstone. Does he achieve apotheosis? If so, what's his portfolio as a new god? What kind of conflicts does this create in the pantheon? Does he count Urgathoa as an ally or as enemy competition? What's the in-world impact of him ascending to divinity?
Can I ask where you set the final battle?
Hey folks- I havnt found any solid places detailing the final battle with Tar Baphon. I'm debating whether to run it in the Sun Scarab as written or move it elsewhere. If I run it as written, does anyone have any advice on the map? It seems like a strange "camera angle." Normally, if the players are in a room, the point of perspective is an interior. In this case, the heroes are inside the building, an outer wall gets blown up, but rather than detailing the interior you can see a bit of the inside, but the camera is mostly focused on the exterior of the pyramid. A cool set piece to be sure, but what if the heroes just fall back deeper into the pyramid? Am I missing something about this map's mechanics?
I have the re-release of CotCT. I assumed it took place during 4708 as the original print of the book was 2008. That's Paizo's typical method of dating a game. I came across section on page 88 where it suggests that characters could research the Direption and learn that it was owned by a man who frequented Korvosa from 4703-4711 and later died in 4713. Unless this research uncovers and almanac from the future, the math doesnt add up. Can anyone help me out here? Thanks.
Hey Fumoffu, I just finished running CC for a group. It was a great time. Harrowstone and the Trial were the two favored books. They have some great mechanics, flavor, and pacing. Here are my answers to your questions: 1) This is really up to you as a GM. I like to prepare a lot. I bought a big pad of 1 inch grid paper. You can get them at an office supply store. They are about the size of a DM mat, but you can draw on them and trash them when you're done. I drew out all of Harrowstone. 1 floor per paper. I used pieces of square felt to cover the rooms in a fog-of-war style. As they explored, I uncovered the room. You could also try theater of the mind style and describe as they explore and just have encounter rooms drawn. I avoid this because it can get meta-gamey. They know its an encounter when you have it drawn. This is all assuming you're using minis, of course. 2) I trashed the planchette. I didnt care for the mechanic. Instead, people learned about haunts through knowledge tests. They didnt commune with the haunt spirits, though. 3) Let them die. I tell all my players that the world is lived in, meaning that there are areas that may be too dangerous. Its on them to realize this and retreat. In the case of Harrowstone, you're rewarded XP for research-- it could be framed as gaining more knowledge to be better prepared for the dangers that await (this translates into levels). I roll most saves, damage, and attacks in the open so players know I'm not fudging. 4) Knowledge religion can glean that they area appears to be haunted. Then, channeling disperses positive energy into the air. I also allowed targeted positive energy (holy water, cure spells) and for these it was either touching the haunted object, or discharging it in the area. Melee touch attack needing to hit a 10 AC. Otherwise, they lose the charge if touching an object or hold the charge if they were trying to discharge it into the environment. 5) I didnt adhere rigidly to the trust system. Instead, I got a general sense of how the town viewed them based on their behavior. I used some of the trust suggestions for guidance, but my group was mostly well-meaning and invested in helping, which meant I didnt have to worry about trust fluctuating too much. As for individuating trust... I would say that unless someone sets him/herself apart from the group, the town probably isnt that discerning.
Prefer to GM-- have since I was in middle school. I enjoy the creativity both in and out of game. More than that, though, I prefer to be on the whole time I'm playing. It keeps my mind busy. As a player there are lulls where you're off camera or waiting for someone to work through their combat turn (sometimes at an excruciating pace). As DM, I feel like I have to stay engaged and keep things moving the whole time, which I enjoy. I generally don't run into player problems as I'm pretty selective about who sits at the table. Close friends or people who we "test out" in one-off games. I'm sure if it was a random draw I'd find DMing less enjoyable. I have several guidelines that I expect people to adhere to-- stuff like no pvp, no chaotic neutral (as an excuse to do whatever people want), the camera follows the good guys, its on the player to find a reason to stick with the group-- the camera doesnt follow random tangents unless they add to the story. At the end of the day, I love crafting a story with people and I want to do it with people who are vested in telling a good story rather than enacting their id all over the place.
Hey folks--
Thanks for this explanation, Erik. Having some of the ambiguity removed makes this wait a little less frustrating.
Shipping delays on pre-orders is why I stopped buying mini's from Paizo. Pre-orders used to come before the stores got them and it was cool bring the sets down and everyone commenting on the new sculpts. But the Pre-orders with RoW came almost 3 weeks after the stores got them. So Now i just but from the stores the day they come in. Yeah, this delay is pretty bad. Tomorrow will be a full week from launch day and I've heard nothing about my order. I used to just buy a case from miniaturemarket.com and get a fat discount plus points toward future purchases. I decided I'd rather my money go straight to paizo. Not only do we not get early access for being subscribers, but we don't even get them at launch. Its a pretty huge miss in my opinion. Unless there is some kind of system put in place to avoid this with future cases, I don't think I'll remain subscribed-- too big of a price point for the hassle.
Ugh. I'm having a reaction to this. It seems like your DM wants to play your character for you. In my mind, this is a game about coming together to tell a story. You should get to contribute in a way that feels fun to you. Now I will admit-- I almost always tell my PCs that "the camera only follows the good guys." Now, a good guy can be good or neutral. I do this mostly because I want to avoid party discord created by evil-aligned folks. I also generally disallow chaotic neutral unless there is a VERY compelling reason for the alignment. I find folks often use it as an excuse to play an evil character with no repercussions. I want the game to maximize player fun through collaborative story telling... but, its a story of a group and its on the players to find a narrative that creates cohesion. I digress. I think you called it at the end of your post. If I were you, I would talk with the DM. I don't think negotiating about what "good means" is the way to go. I think he has a rigid and narrow view in which he wants to place you. I would share with him that it feels as if he is taking control of your character or punishing you for playing what feels fun to you. If your character is not ruining the other players' fun, what's the problem? I know if a player came to me and suggested that some of my expectations felt controlling and they were not enjoying the campaign as designed, I'd listen. At the end of the day, the game is just not fun if my players aren't having fun. I'd hope your DM feels the same. If not, then he is playing the wrong game... there are plenty of RPG video games out there where you get to control the whole party.
Jeremy, thanks for the good words. I do see a therapist, and have done so for several years now. I'm not sure how good we click, but the pickings are pretty slim where I live. I'll muddle onward... lol That's really tough. All towns are not created equal when it comes to mental health resources. Just to give you some jargon words to look into: There is a substantial amount of research evidence supporting an approach called Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). The short of it is that ACT is a behavioral approach to working with a range of presenting concerns and has been found effective with a range of issues including anxiety, depression, chronic pain, interpersonal difficulties, and PTSD to name only a few. There are a few good ACT-based self-help books out there for those who are motivated to try it on by their lonesome. I wish you the best moving forward, Cal.
Hey Cal, It sounds like a really difficult space to be in. To find that you're approaching retirement age and feeling as though one of your favorite past-times is going to be hard to come by. Mostly, I just want to say I appreciate the complexity of your dilemma. There's certainly not an easy answer. Now, nowhere in your post did you specify that you were looking for advice. If mostly you just wanted to vent, and sometimes that's all we need, I get it. That said, if you're open to advice, read my next paragraphs. If not, please just skip it and take my response strictly as a point of empathy and appreciation for your sharing. Anxiety is miserable. It's crippling. It turns one of our greatest and most wonderful strengths, the ability to think, create, imagine, and language, against us. We come up with lots of creative ways of minimizing the impact anxiety (or any unwanted feeling for that matter)has on us. Most of the time, these ways of coping somehow entail avoidance. As far as I'm concerned, there is absolutely nothing wrong with avoidance... until it starts to cut you off from the things that matter to you. It sounds like gaming matters to you. If you can find the willingness, I would encourage you to consider (if you have not already) finding a therapist with which you really click. Know that therapy is only beneficial if you have a good, trusting relationship with the therapist and you are open to and invested in exploring how you might start to show up in your life in more satisfying ways. It's some of the hardest work that someone can do, but so long as its in the service of what matters to you, I would argue it is totally worth the discomfort. Best of luck sorting this all out. I hope you (and I!) get to keep on gaming well into your twilight years.
Revising the list to account for the blind-fight feat would mean: • -2 penalty to AC • additionally, loses Dex bonus to AC (which also leaves them open to sneak attacks) This penalty does not apply in melee, nor do attackers benefit from attacking you in melee (+2 for being invisible to the target). These still apply with a ranged attack, though. • -4 on most STR and Dex based skill checks, and on opposed Perception checks • fails checks and activities that rely in site • all opponents have total concealment (50% miss chance, blinded character cannot make Attacks of Opportunity) The miss chance may be re-rolled. • make a DC 10 acrobatics check (with the -4 penalty above) to move greater then 1/2 speed, fail check and fall prone. No longer applicable. Look about right?
I think I botched my question. I'm hearing you say that team badguy wouldn't hold a grudge for one of their own being an unwitting ally and just standing there. I'm with you. I'm asking: If you have a room with a bard and a badguy. The bard hits badguy with unwitting ally and then stands adjacent. There is nothing in the spell that makes it such that the badguy wouldn't smack the bard, right? It only has mechanical implications for flanking consideration. Edit: Ninja'd by the source.
Thanks for your thoughts on this. I think the second sentence was being interpreted in a way that led to us misplaying it. So, before I email out to the group clarifying this, help me think through this: The spell is considered a charm:
Reading about how charms work states:
Thus, if the spell is considered a charm, and the rules suggest that when affected by a charm (versus a compulsion) a creature gives great weight to suggestions and directions of the charmer... what stops the bard from suggesting that the unwitting ally should hold off on hurting his friends? Thanks,
Hey folks, Started up a game last night with a bard in the party. I'd not seen the spell, "Unwitting Ally." Per my understanding, its a pretty handy cantrip. During the came it was used essentially as a way to deny enemies a hostile action for a turn. The bard would situate himself so that he was right before the enemy in the initiative order, hit him with Unwitting Ally, the enemy would miss his turn because he views the party as friendly, and then the party would unload on him. Repeat. Now, I have no problems with this spell as is... but as cantrips go it feels pretty powerful. Thus, I've read and re-read the rules, checked out forums posts on it, and as far as I can tell we played it right. I'm surprised to find some folks commenting that the spell is not very useful-- it sure felt useful. So, my questions are: 1) did we play it right based on the above description?
Hey folks, I'm pretty confident that I've got this down, but I want to make absolutely sure: A creature who is blind takes a -4 on various strength and dex skills, but does not take a penalty to their attack bonus, correct? The only detriment to attacking is 1) finding the creature; 2) 50% miss chance (which can be re-rolled with blind-fight. Correct? Any other detriments in combat I should know of?
Hey folks, How does energy resistance or immunity interact with a damage source that is comprised of 2 different energy sources? Very minor spoiler below: Unfortunately, I don't have the source in front of me, but later in the Carrion Crown AP there are some creatures that deal dual fire and negative energy. If you have fire resistance how does that work out? I recall the wording specifies that damage is "half fire and half negative." If no one has the book handy or knows off-hand, I can clarify when I get home from work. Mostly, I'm just trying to find out if one takes none, all, or half damage when they have resistance or immunity to part of an attack. Thanks,
Hey folks, Looking for some help here. My wife and I are very infrequent PFS players. We only really play at GenCon. In essence, we have to refresh ourselves on the rules of organized play each year (or 2). Anyway, we were getting ready for this GenCon when we realized 2 years ago we had an unfortunate session that resulted in a TPK. I'm not going to go into details of the session, but it puts us in a crappy situation now. Our characters were, in fact, reported dead. The thing I am only realizing now, upon refreshing myself for organized play this year, is that both she and I had the prestige and cash available to pay for raise dead spells and restoration to shake off the negative levels. I see in the organized play document that this was supposed to happen during the session where they were reported dead. In all honesty, at the time, we were not too familiar with the rules for character death in PFS. Upon getting wiped, we packed up with the rest of the table and went to find something else to do with our newly opened-up hour of convention time. The GM never made any reference to options for our characters to be raised. My question is, now that I look over all the character chronicles and see that we have the resources to have not died-- is there anyway to retroactively fix this despite the session being over? We signed up for the convention exclusive this year and are now realizing we can't play unless we are able to use our resources to bring back our characters. Any direction here is much appreciated. Best,
I've read that... several times. That's why I finally decided to come here. I would just like to know in your experience, when using the GMG to generate treasure, what does your process look like? How do you decide which columns to roll on? Minor, Medium, Major? Also, what's the point of the small table in the Building Treasure Hoard section that specifies a gp amount next to minor, medium, major?
Hey folks, I'm looking for some clarification. I'm generally a proponent of random item generation. I'm reviewing the core rulebook, the gamemaster's guide, and ultimate equipment for random treasure generation. Ultimate Equipment makes sense to me. I dislike that there is no inclusion of mundane gear on the tables, though. The CRB and GMG are a little less clear about how you generate treasure. I see a table indicating "minor item, medium item, major item, with associated average values... but I'm not really sure when or how I would use this table. The GMG has a column indicating the same 3 types; however, it gives the potential to roll mundane items. My question is, how would I go about generating treasure for encounters using the GMG's tables? Do I just roll randomly until I hit the encounter budget? If so, how do I choose between minor, medium, major? Thanks,
In the past 6 years I've had two different gaming groups. One was composed of 3 couples (male and female couples) and the other was composed of two straight couples and one man and one woman. I've been the DM in every game. I attribute the equality in our groups to having players who are thoughtful, mature, and appreciate the diversity that folks from different backgrounds bring to play experience. Members are intentional about making the experience a group endeavor that is enjoyed by all. When putting together a group I think actively seeking out diverse folks goes a long way. For instance, including a disclaimer on a LFG ad that specifies the qualities you want in a gamer (including an appreciation of diversity). You can even include a notation that you strive to create an environment that is open and friendly regardless of one's gender identity (or other diversity variables to increase access to all gamers). This stance has led to equal numbers of men and women in my games. I recognize I've also just hit the jackpot in terms of meeting fantastic people with which to game. The women in my group have since come to GenCon with my partner and I and participated in gaming across a myriad of settings. I think having the experience of being valued as a player, being treated in a mature and considerate way, and having a positive entry into the hobby will all lead to increased equality in our hobby. These women are now able to serve as heralds to other women that playing a nerdy game with nerdy people can be really fulfilling and fun.
Wow. It's really amazing to see this type of discourse. I feel a bit intimidated to chime in because my guess is anything I might add may have already been covered in the 18 preceding pages. Nevertheless, I feel compelled. It is really exciting for me to see so many individuals who are willing to speak up, shine a light on male privilege, and step off of the paths of least resistance in the service of social justice and equality. Fretgod99, you made the comment that what you're saying is not going anywhere, but I disagree. Sure, for the past handful of posts it may seem like you've got an audience of one, Samurai, but in reality your words have the potential to reach so many more people. You are articulating considerations of privilege very well. I suppose the tricky thing about privilege is the fact that if you are the bearer of privilege you have no compelling reason to self-reflect on the privilege. It requires a willingness to sit with uncomfortable thoughts, feelings, and realizations in the service of something bigger than yourself. In the case of this discussion, it is equal treatment of women in the oppressive gaming culture. Irontruth labeled this phenomenon as a system (and experienced some push back). He/she/they has the right of it. The issues we are discussing here are indicative of broader issues of white, male, hetero-normative, middle-class privilege. Oppression is perpetuated by a system that demands homeostasis. Making waves feels threatening to the system and those that benefit from it. It is so uncomfortable for folks to sit with the idea that they may be participating in system that benefits one group to the detriment of many other groups. It is this discomfort that leads to people saying nothing, going with the flow, or even lashing out against those who shine a light on the system. People self-identify as good, caring, empathetic, individuals who want the best for their fellow-man. This is mostly true! I see this in Samurai's posts. That said, I think one can still be a good person and be willing to reflect and recognize the systemic nature of oppression and their position therein. For example, I recognize that as a white, middle-class, well-educated, heterosexual, married, man I am in about as privileged of a position as one can be in. When interacting in most contexts I can be pretty certain I will be able to find others who are similar to me, I can be confident that I will be seen as trustworthy and competent, and I can be confident that others will be unlikely to project undesirable characteristics on me. This is a comfortable place to be! However, I am willing to see that there are so many people who are not freely afforded these perks because of their race, gender identity, religion, sexual orientation, SES, culture, ethnicity, and/or physical/mental limitations. I recognize that I've taken a focused discussion on gaming culture and expanded it a bit into American/Western/Capitalist culture as a whole... That is in part because I cannot help but connect the two. In my profession as a Counseling Psychologist at a university I constantly engage with these issues in the service of the underrepresented/disenfranchised students I care for. It is something that I hold dear both professionally and personally, which takes my back to my original comment. I am so thankful and excited to see the culture in which I spend my free time is engaging in serious discourse about these issues rather than allowing them persist in the background unacknowledged. If folks wish to learn more about these issues, and I hope you do, check out this site: http://www.agjohnson.us/ There are some really good essays on these issues. If you're willing to splurge on a non-rpg book, check out Privilege, Power, and Difference by Alan Johnson. I wish to was assigned reading in public schools.
Let me preface everything I am about to say with this: Do not regard my post as professional advice. I do not feel that I am in a position to give specific clinical suggestions outsides of an established therapeutic relationship. All of that said, I'm a psychologist by day and a gamer by night. I wanted to make a few general comments here. Jim DiGriz has the right of it. There are approaches available that can help with a myriad of undesired behaviors. The part I appreciate the most in his comment is this: "...if the hoarding is becoming an impediment to living the life you want." I tell everyone I work with that their behavior, whether it be social anxiety, picking behaviors, difficulty with interpersonal relationships, or any of the other range of things that people struggle with, only needs to be changed if it is getting in the way of them having the kind of life they want. Otherwise, its just an idiosyncratic behavior that makes us unique. If you're not wanting to seek treatment, but still want to push the boundaries of the behavior, consider experimenting with it. Especially in-game. Try letting go of something small. See what comes up for you. See if you can accept the anxiety and still enjoy the game. Then again, if you've got no concerns with the behavior, collect all you want! You did mention the word kleptomania. This has a very specific meaning: recurrent failure to resist the impulse to steal unneeded objects accompanied by a sense of tension immediately before the theft that is subsequently relieved. If you are experiencing this, it may be worth seeking some help as it can have serious legal ramifications.
Hey there, 1: http://rpg.stackexchange.com/questions/3843/how-far-does-one-travel-when-fa lling-for-one-round In short, he would not have time to act during the fall given that it is only 300 ft. 2: Yes-- It is in the rules. http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/grease.htm 3: Nowhere in the rules does it say that the orb removes grease. I would rule that there is no affect between the spells. 4: I would not recall the ruling. I don't recall my mistakes as DM when doing so would be in my favor. That said, if it would not be too disruptive to the game, and depending on context, I might be swayed. 5: http://www.d20pfsrd.com/gamemastering/conditions#TOC-Grappled
...I agree that the absence of drawing every map can be more immersive. However, in this situation, it felt as though it was witholding information. This absence of information led to a bottle-necked encounter in a space that was not actually a part of the temple in which the encounter occured. If you're going to avoid drawing maps, you have to be highly descriptive, and accurate, in my opinion.The GM played fast and loose with the rules, avoided drawing encounter maps, and structured battles to disadvantage our group of players. As much as I think everyone in my group, myself included, likes to think that our frustration with the scenario was unrelated to the way it ended (a TPK), I think its undeniable. For my part, after realizing my erroneous assumptions, I feel a lot better about the entire thing. I think my irritation with the outcome caused me to look for something to blame. Given that you were behind the DM screen, you were the first to be targeted. I really did belive that the 5ft hallway was something you added (and this is one way in which not having a persistant map caused a bit of confusion). Now that I realize that my assumption was off here... I don't feel so bad. The stinking cloud was a goof, but again, as a group, we could have handled that diffrently. While I can't speak for my group, I can say for my part, I harbor now ill feelings about the game. Especially after realizing that the thing that had me up in arms was a misunderstanding on my part. For what its worth, I'd absolutely game with you again (if I have a wand of cure light wounds :P).
You know, Nani, I've been pondering the same thing. I initially jumped on with the comment that we need an accountability system; however, after thinking about it, I'm not entirely sure how it could be used. I imagine there could be some mechanism in place to track complaints and if a GM has enough complaints from enough people he/she could be asked to stop GMing at public events. I'm really not sure. In Indy they've started a GMing 101 class which was also run at GenCon. It'd be cool to see that spread a bit. I really don't know. On an unrealted note, I just finished my PhD and got hired on as a staff psychologist at Georgia Southern University. Moved to GA from Indiana. I'll be running a PFS game this Saturday at a local game store. There doesnt seem to be much pathfinder demand in this area of the state. Hopefully that will change in time. Good to know theres such a thoughtful Venture Captain in the state, though.
I agree that the absence of drawing every map can be more immersive. However, in this situation, it felt as though it was witholding information. This absence of information led to a bottle-necked encounter in a space that was not actually a part of the temple in which the encounter occured. If you're going to avoid drawing maps, you have to be highly descriptive, and accurate, in my opinion.The GM played fast and loose with the rules, avoided drawing encounter maps, and structured battles to disadvantage our group of players. Rogue, I'm really glad you stumbled across this thread. I don't want to hijack this thread and make it about my personal experience, but while I have your ear I do want to clarify a few things. First, I really appreciated your use of the minimap. As we were exploring the temple I think it made perfect sense. My initial frustration was that when it came time to face the aforementioned encounter. However, as I began drafting this response, I caught a major error in my own understanding of the scenario. My understanding was that NO 5ft hallways existed in the scenario and that you had manufactured one as an impromptu encounter. However, after doing a little digging I found exactly where the encounter occured on the map. I sincerely apologize for this mistake on my part. The one critique I have of the encounter was that I think the stinking cloud effect was used mistakenly. Stinking cloud lasts 1 round per level. A dretch is a caster level 2. That stinking cloud lasted an eternity causing our entire level one party to be unable to attack. At best we could stand in the hallway and soak damage without retaliating (or in the case of my Magus, stand in the corner and vomit. Overall, the scenario did not make much sense to me. Why we fought the final encounter when I had virtually no idea who the guy was or why he was angry left us all a little baffled. My biggest frustrtation turns out to be an invalid one. I thought you had misrepresented the map and I now see that I was the one that was mistaken. Plus, as you pointed out, there were things that we could have done to more effectively navigate the encounter. Thanks again for your willingness and openness here on the forums. Best,
I do think a comment box may have helped. If someone feels like their concerns are being afforded legitimate attention, it can make a difference. For those folks like the new players at my table, it also demonstrates that the organization is interested in quality control. Ideally, this would help show that our time and money investment in the hobby is taken seriously.
The GM played fast and loose with the rules, avoided drawing encounter maps, and structured battles to disadvantage our group of players. I agree that the absence of drawing every map can be more immersive. However, in this situation, it felt as though it was witholding information. This absence of information led to a bottle-necked encounter in a space that was not actually a part of the temple in which the encounter occured. If you're going to avoid drawing maps, you have to be highly descriptive, and accurate, in my opinion.
Hmm... I don't know. I feel like a lot of what you are describing are qualities that make up a poor GM. Now, I would agree that being a poor GM does not make you a bad person... but, having poor GMing qualities does, kind of, make you a poor GM. That's why I feel like they should hear that feedback so they can work to self-correct. I frequently elicit feedback from my players to improve. It requires a thick skin, but I feel like that, too, is indicative of a good GM.
I have a tremendous amount of empathy for Ill_Made_Knight. I feel like events like GenCon provide a major opportunity for PFS and Pathfinder in general to grow. I just finished reading a post that noted that something like 500 new PFS numbers were issued at the Con. When a player has a really bad experience during their first expereince with PFS/Pathfidner, why would they give it another shot? I've had some fantastic DMs including Mark Garringer, Doug Miles, and James Engle to name only a few. At the same time I've had some DMs who were underprepared or took tremendous liberties with encounters. I had a particularly negative experience when I was introducing 2 friends to the PFS at GenCon. We all created brand new level one characters. The GM played fast and loose with the rules, avoided drawing encounter maps, and structured battles to disadvantage our group of players. This included having us fight a creature in a five-foot wide hallway (that does not actually exist in the PFS scenario we were playing) that was filled with a stinking cloud that lasted longer than it should have. This encounter left us without resources and terribly injured (remember, no 2 prestige CLW wands for first-time characters). We were easily dispatched by the scenario's final encounter. A seven-person table comprised of brand-new characters and people new to society TPKd due to DM behavior. One of my friends said that if I had not been there to convince her that sometimes the game is fun, she would never play another game in the society. All of that said, the DM was a really nice guy... he just lacked some valuable DMing qualities. This is a long-winded way of saying that I am inclined to agree with the OP. Some system for tracking solid DMs and weak DMs would be great. Sure, some folks may get their feelings hurt, but maybe corrective feedback would encourage them to adopt alternative DMing styles that create a more enjoyable experience. The star system is nice, but I don't think the star system is indicative of good DMing until you reach the fifth star. After all, the aforementioned DM earned his 3rd star on our TPK.
Hey folks, My partner and I just moved from the Midwest (gaming mecca) to Statesboro, Georgia. We are both in a our mid/late 20's and looking for a good group of mature gamers to play in Pathfinder Adventure Paths and/or my home brew campaign world. I've been DMing for about 14 years and love it. I play from time to time, but my real passion comes from creating a story with friends. A few things to consider before replying: 1) We don't game to break the system. I tend to pay attention to mechanics closely, but not with the intention of power gaming. If you enjoy hack and slash with a focus on optimization and metagaming, please do not reply. We like a nice balance of roleplay and strategy. 2) We prefer folks 21+. This is not hard & fast... if you're younger, but are mature for your age, do sign up. We originally gamed with 2 other couples... this was a blast. Not only did we have a solid gaming group, but those folks are now our friends for life. 3) The camera follows the good guys. The story is about fun and feeling heroic-- not about satiating your dark, socially unacceptable impulses. Just reply here or (preferably) email me at jeremykinser (at) gmail (dot) com if you are interested. Our hope is to find a weekly game night. I find weekly games hold story continuity in a way that less regular meetings cannot. I look forward to hearing from you. Best,
Hey folks, Just got a job at Georgia Southern University. My partner and I will be moving there late July/early August. We've been deprived of D&D for the past year and we would really like to find a group since we will be in GA for a while. We generally prefer more mature groups. For instance, while I was in grad school we played with two other couples who all worked at the university (professors & staff). We tend to be pretty story driven and are put off by power gaming. Ultimately, we're in it to co-create a cool narrative. I have a homebrew campaign that has been going on since high school... the world has been fundamentally shaped by each iteration of players to participate in it and I'd love to pick it back up. Let me know if you're at all interested and feel like you'd fit the bill in terms of your gaming interests/style. Best,
You can attempt to sunder an item held or worn by your opponent as part of an attack action in place of a melee attack. The part that leaves me unsure about sunder is the wording: "as part of an attack action." My understanding is that an attack action is using a standard action per the wording on pg 182 of the core rules. If one is using a spring attack, they are using a full-round action to do a spring attack action, not an attack action. Am I off base here?
Hmmm. This gets tricky. Sunder appears to use similar wording as vital strike. They both call for the use of an attack action. I would assume then, both are illegal on a spring attack. Trip however uses different wording, noting that it replaces a melee attack. I'm still a little fuzzy. Also, I see your point about Over Hand chop being permitted on a Charge or when you take an attack action... however, because it is given the exception of being used on a charge, does this necessarily mean it is usable with spring attack as well?
I'm a little confused by the wording of some combat feats. Am I correct in saying the following: Spring attack can NOT be used with: Vital Strike, Sunder, Overhand Chop, or any other feat/ability that calls for an ATTACK ACTION. Spring attack may be used with: Trip, or other feats/abilities that state it is being done in place of a melee attack. The defining factor here is if an attack action (a standard action) is required, it cannot be combined with a full-round spring attack action. Is this a correct interpretation of the rules? Thanks forum. J
You should be careful what you wish for ;)This is starting to make a lot of sense... Aw shucks, I can't stay cautious around you. Now as for the hook hammer... Seriously though, my wife, friends, and I are super stoked for Saturday. We're looking forward to Doug's game in the afternoon and finishing with the special event at your table Thea. If only I could take a nap until Saturday morning! Two more days...
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