JoeCav's page

I have thought through this some, and actually used the concept of having a similar "master" type item be the central point around a campaign world I made up. While the central idea was admittedly unoriginal, the flavor was different than middle earth and the setting worked really well for the group. The bad news was that we broke up before the campaign got really epic and the game play/balance of the artifacts never became an issue.

For my setting, the basic design was to have a number of tiers of special magical items, designed so that higher tiers (up to the master item) would give the ability to monitor and control users of the lesser magical items. The abilities could be anything from being able to easily scry on users wearing the lesser items, to being able to use compulsion like effects. The key here is to use existing spell effects and not creating a game breaking effect with no save.

Of course, just like the rings of old, there has to be a valid reason to use the lessor items, the "hook" if you will, so these items would have moderate to fairly powerful beneficial effects, along with a curse effect that would make it very difficult for a character to take off or stop using. Once more though, these effects should have a save/DC and while likely stronger than many normal curses, there should be a way to get out of the curse.

The central thing to considers is just how the players and the major NPC's are expected to interact with these artifacts. Having strong compulsion effects in the game can really upset some things, so considers every possibility and have a plan for when your players use these artifacts in ways you never dreamed of. Good luck.

Sollir, that explains alot. I also think the 3.5E Kensai PrC may be the best way to allow this character to grow into an item. Its probably what I would consider.

Also, you may want to see if this player might not want to simply build another character. Myself, I have somehow got into playing a character that failed to excite me in a few games. It wasn't the GM's fault, wasn't the rule system, the whole thing just didn't gel. Sometimes its better to retire a character if it comes to that. Maybe this guy just needs a new start, especially now that the group dynamics are well understood. Good luck, either way. Thanks for sharing your ideas, its given me a lot to think about. Regards - Joe

I have a few questions. Has the player actually complained? The reason I ask is that "under-powered" might just be the way the player wants to play.

What I equate this to (which may be a bad assumption), is that this character might not seem relevant to your campaign. If that is truly the case, I would suggest tweaking future challenges to give this character a better chance of standing out. IMO, players want to be challenged, not to just be given stuff. Finding challenges for this player that help his character concept come alive is probably the key. Find a way to occasionally let him be center stage. To do that, focus on both the game mechanics of his character and the back-story that make him unique.

Another issue might also be party dynamics. Is there a reason that this character's fair share of the treasure is not helping his character stand out? Is he getting coerced into not taking items by other players? I would think if the party had a equitable way to divide treasure, then this fellow would be able to hold his own, and would not require a personalized item. If that is the case, you may need to have a discussion with the group and help them develop a more fair manner to conduct what can be a very divisive issue for many groups.

As you can tell, in general, I avoid trying to place customized items for PC's (and NPC's). There is a good chance that it can backfire, and potentially diminish the realism of your setting.

As far as the mechanics, I am not fan of how you adjusted the concept of Use Magic Device skill. IMO, the skill is designed to help characters who want to cheat the laws of spell casting (by allowing them to cast spells). It was never designed to be used to power items "by design." I think approach would have a lot of unintended consequences.

Sorry I couldn't be more positive. I think the solution was very creative, and shows you take your role as GM seriously. Hopefully you can figure out the challenges you can present to let this player become a star. Good luck - Joe

OK, but I don't think any of this is fair to players that are looking to have a serious shot at making a difference with characters employing blow guns, or even more importantly atlatls. Throw me a bone people :)

BTW, most of Cortez's guys traded in their mail and breatsplates for cotton plated Aztec style armor early in the campaign. The padded armor worked better in tropical climate, and since the Aztec tactics revolved around ritual capture by stunning foes, they had very low firepower next to the forces of San Iago. The crossbow was probably the deadliest weapon employed by the Spanish in the campaign, as they had only a relative handful of arquebests (and limited powder until they found bat guano deposits later in the campaign). Later - Joe

One point. I have a tomahawk that I've taken on some government paid vacations. I would think a trained warrior could make a pretty nasty trip attack by hooking somebody's leg with the inner edge of the bottom blade. Just an idea, although I get annoyed with all the sea lawyer BS about game balance (like every weapon ever created was equal). Anyway, just an idea about how a tomahawk could actually get used.

BTW the "hammer" part is awesome for busting padlocks ;)

I like the inquisitor idea. If you have a theme that involves fighting a certain creature, a half elf inquisitor/ranger could be pretty nasty. Of course healing and dealing lots of damage can be a tough combination to build.

Also, an Oracle with Battle Mystery could have some cool possibilities. Dip into barbarian or fighter for a little added mayhem.

My party has started and is three sessions (plus a few solo side quests) into Kingmaker. This is a relatively young group of kids, including my daughters, that I am teaching to play, and they are really loving it. It really brings back the wonder I remember when I first played. Here is the cast:

Sophia Petrov (LG human female Bard 2): My youngest wanted to be a "princess" so Sophia fled from her evil stepmother to eventually find her way to Oleg's. When creating this character, I didn't realize how bloodthirsty my youngest daughter would be, and Sophia may need to become a duelist. She has ties to the Rostlandic nobility.

Ellena (NG gnome female Druid 2): My middle daughter fell in love with the Lini iconic character, and basically recreated her, complete with a snow leopard companion. To add a touch of individuality, she acquired a pony named Ambrose and is teaching him dressage so she can become a mini mounted terror. Her Leopard is Ranger, who she worries about getting hurt. Ellena is an orphan from Gronzy forest.

Katniss (CG human female Ranger 2): My oldest, not to be under done in originality, picked her favorite character from the story "Hunger Games" to model her character after. Katniss is a hunter and archer extraordinaire, with giants for her favored enemy. Katniss comes from a poor family and learned to poach in order to support her family.

Kushnak (CG half orc male Fighter-1: Kushnak is a professional soldier who fights with a long sword and shield. He is a shield specialist with a vicious power attack.

Other supporting characters (2-3 play at once and we rotate characters and usually have 4 PC's on each expedition):

Lucietia (CG elven female rogue-1): This is mom's character. Mom hates Pathfinder, D&D, etc, and is actually scowling at me as a write this. Lucietia is brutal with her weapon finesse, and may chose to join an Aldori school.

Garlon (LG human male Sorcerer-2): Garlon is a former mercenary that had a vision (celestial bloodline) at which time he began wandering, trying to find the meaning of his strange gifts. Despite being a sorcerer, he is a stone cold killer with his crossbow (precise and point blank shot).

I recomend creating a Blog, and posting the game mechanics stuff there. You can also put updates on the game sessions on the BLOG, so concerned parents can get an update on what's going on. My wife uses blogs in her teaching, and it really helps her keep things going. I think it could possibly create a level of transparency that might comfort parents on the edge.

Then again, there are quite a few of us parents that grew up with RPG's. That might lead to some interesting commentary. "I cannot in good concsience allow my daughter to play in any Ebberon based camapign." or even better "It has come to my attention that your current gaming club is sanctioning Fortgotten Realms play that completely violates canon. I have contacted Wizards of the Coast about this dire matter." :)

For me, I have 3 daughters, 11, 8 and 4. The oldest 2 started playing with me (mom loves making fun of this to no end), but a few folks here gave me some ideas about playing with the smallest. The story from the guy role playing his little daughter putting the orc to sleep to steal back the villagers food sounds like something my little one would do.

For my other two, that orc would be toast. Ironically, my middle daughter is most enthusiastic, as she now spends time looking through my maps and game books, trying to develop her character's back story.

Another interesting development is a new PNP RPG build around the Warriors series of books. The system is free and involves a dice free system that uses chips. The setting is based on a series of books about clans of feral cats. They are kid books, but oddly have about as much violence as the average Godfather movie. I guess its OK when its just about animals. My oldest, at 11, has downloaded the rules and is running her own games. You can find more information here:

http://www.warriorcats.com/adventure.html

To anybody interested, I would like to start a gaming group in the northern MD area. I live in Carroll County and would be interested in meeting up at the following locations: Baltimore (west to nothwest preferred), Frdedrick, Westminster as well as Gettysburg to York, PA.

I can GM (but don't mind playing either), would be interested in running or participating in Pathfinder Society sanctioned events, and have secured at least one place to play in Westminster, MD if folks are interested in travelling here.

I prefer playing on Fridays or Saturdays in the evenings and meeting 1-2 times a month. I have a limited set of miniatures and a mat, so all I really need are some like minded folks to meet up with. I enjoy teaching new folks to game as well, so please encourage any friends that may be interested to come along. Later - Joe

Allen, thanks for the offer, but I think VA is a little far for me. I'll keep you guys in mind, and appreciate the offer. Good luck with your group. Regards - Joe

I guess this teaches me to sleep. Checked boards before bed, then checked them when I got up and finished my cleaning and the game is already full. Hope you all have fun, I need to learn not to sleep.

Barator

Early worm gets the bird :)

Well, I am new to Pathfinder, but an old hand at D&D, so hopefully once I get the rules under my belt and a little more material developed, a can GM a game.

I decided to tweak my addiional plan, so here is my character concept for all the the other players

Sordello, Half-Elf Ranger (Favored Classes Ranger and Bard). Traits: Sordello's mother was a courtesan involved in the intrigues within Westcrown. As an adolecent, his mother was killed by a Devil for reasons unknown to Sordello. Having fled with a mysterious elf (a friend of his mother and potentiall part of his father's family), Sordello is returning to Westcrown to get answers about who his mother really worked for and why she was killed. Hopefully, this will help Sordello figure out who he is. He still doesn't know who his father was (the elf side of the mix)

Thanks Aluvian, I am headed to work and will send on a finished character later tonight if that's all right. Later - Joe

Good morning, I am looking for a PBP right now and would love to join on if possible. I am pretty open to playing anything to suit the party. A few characters I have brewing that I could send in would be:
1) A Gnome Wizard (Evocation specialist)
2) An elven Bard
3) Dwarven Rogue (technical type, which will probably also MC Fighter)

I can send on some additional background if needed. Thanks for consideration - Joe

Lord Silky, I would be interested in finding out more about how your efforts at establishing a group are going. I have been overseas and am now trying to find a group after getting back. I live in Carroll County, MD, so Germantown is a little far, but possible for me 1-2 times a month. I also have DM experience, and am willing to help out in that regards (or just enjoy playing). You can contact me at nerfdragoon1994 at yahoo dot com if you are still looking for some folks. I'll be happy to send on a little of my RPG background if you are interested. Later - Joe