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![]() I've had a few character concepts I really liked. -A half-orc Gunslinger based off the original Django film (Was flipping through Ultimate Equipment finding gear for a different character, saw the coffin, made my decision, heh)
I like optimizing. But I don't powergame--I simply want to make my concept workable. And sometimes my concepts are based off of game mechanics (like seeing the Qinggong Monk's cool ki spell-like abilities). Or sometimes I plan my character a couple levels ahead in mechanics. Both of which are things seen as heresy by the 'roleplayers' in my group. A lot of the viewpoints on this matter, on both sides, are based on perspective. Some people come onto these boards and see what they think is people powergaming and min-maxing. It's often people saying 'how do I make this concept work,' but not always, and it doesn't always seem like it. And that makes some people think everybody here is a powergamer, even when it's often that people come to these boards with the parts that are often easily assisted, i.e. the mechanics. Some people here have had problems with what they see as 'powergamers' (sometimes they are, sometimes it's just an 'average' optimization in a very unoptimized party, sometimes it's other issues). Other people, like me, have had plenty of problems with 'roleplayers.' Both sides have the same issue--the extremes can make the game unfun--but it's important to note that not everybody is part of the extreme. Powergamers can know the ins and outs of the system by heart and know the most optimal feats and know how to break the game, while not doing so (in fact, plenty of times where I see people truly, intentionally breaking the game, it's for the fun of finding humourous loopholes, like Pun Pun, or the Sohei Monk/Gunslinger/Weapon Master Fighter who can flurry with a firearm at range and add full strength and dexterity to the attacks). And roleplayers can come up with fun characters without caring about optimization, and focus on noncombat roleplay encounters, and have fun with interesting characters, without being snob jerks who yell at you for wanting to play a Duskblade in 3.5 because only powergamers play the class, and it's impossible to roleplay. Or call you a powergamer for selling a +1 longsword, rather than keeping and using it, because you used it in an encounter as an emergency and you don't have proficiency. Or call you a powergamer for not putting your one skill point for the level in swim, when you swam across a river once during that level. ![]()
![]() I remember somebody doing an extremely similar thing on here, they even had a blog for it. Might want to search for their thread, see if he can give any help for how to run it. I remember it being a really good success for him, though! Edit: paizo.com/threads/rzs2o4g4?Starting-a-middleschool-Pathfinder-club found it ![]()
![]() Rynjin wrote:
WRONG, RYNJIN! You forgot about them OP Commoners. :) ![]()
![]() pika626 wrote:
No, according to the way RAW is stated, it would apply to Muskets. Not double-barreled muskets, not axe muskets, just muskets. ![]()
![]() Being a DM doesn't automatically make you deserving of respect. If you run a game I enjoy, I respect you, if you put a lot of work into the game, I respect you. But simply taking on the job doesn't earn respect from me. Also, the players do, in fact, contribute to the game before the session starts, quite often--like with the rolling of characters. That's something they do that can take five minutes, or five hours, that contributes to the game, their enjoyment of it, their co-players' enjoyment of it, and the DM's enjoyment of it. ![]()
![]() joeyfixit wrote:
Okay...it sounds like your group, or at least the GM, is a jerk. Maybe it's time to find a new group. ![]()
![]() I have my laptop at the game table, as a player...but I only use it to look stuff up. When not in use, I keep it closed and sitting on another table or extra chair or something. I agree with other players saying you should get the player a printed-out character sheet, plus an extra page/some cards or something with saving throws, attack/damage rolls and bonuses, spell information, and such, for quick reference. ![]()
![]() less_than_vince wrote:
How do you determine if somebody dumps a stat to powergame, or to have a fun character? Why can't an optimized character be fun? Why would you be PROUD to make somebody's gaming experience suffer greatly because you don't like their playing style? WOuldn't it be more constructive to say 'I think we want different things from this game--you seem to want to optimize your character, while the rest of us want to play as more realistic characters who aren't min-maxed, could we meet each other halfway somehow?' ![]()
![]() MadScientistWorking wrote:
Binary black and white? Since when, D&D and Pathfinder have nine alignments, and they're generally guidelines, not strict rules. ![]()
![]() Darkwolf117 wrote:
I've heard plenty of stupid 'paladin traps' like that. In reverse of the 'wizard god confirmation bias' thing that happens sometimes, some GMs want to make the Paladin fall ASAP, apparently to 'prove' they suck, or take the fun out of the game, or something. ![]()
![]() northbrb wrote: I feel it is appropriate in some circumstances. In my group we often find ourselves with just 4 people (3 players and 1 GM) and we all want to be able to play. A GM character is best played as a "Faceman" someone who has the charisma to gather information or to be the party's Diplomat or even the knowledge guy. He should be someone who buffs the party and helps out when need be but never outshines in combat. A GM character can help round out a party without forcing players to have to fill a niche for the group to survive. I see where you come from, but I disagree on the 'face' part--I feel that the party's face(s) should be the players, unless the party is looking for hack-and-slash gameplay. If the GMPC is the 'face' of the party and does knowledge and diplomacy, then the GMPC is the focus of the out-of-combat diplomacy parts of the game; in the games I'm in, at least, those are fairly plentiful, and I personally would feel rather annoyed if the GM's character handled ALL the knowledge and diplomacy stuff. ![]()
![]() I'm working on rolling a new character, but I'm having trouble narrowing down my character selection. My rolls are:
The two ideas I'm looking at most are alchemist--either a kobold vivisectionist/preservationist, focusing on the sneak attack damage to make up for low strength, or an undecided race beastmorph, going into master chymist as early as possible. I'm not trying for a perfectly-optimized character, but I want the character to be at least decent in combat. ![]()
![]() It really all comes down to personal preference--some players like being the big good hero, other players prefer more neutral characters. I personally like both, though I prefer to be somewhere more neutral; I just like playing conflicted characters. That said, the OP's story wasn't about people being non-heroic--it was about characters being a~*~$%#s. Players being a!~#*@!s, too, if they'd agreed to be heroes. As was stated earlier, one cause of that COULD be they felt overshadowed by the Middle Earth setting, but still, sounds like they were trying to derail the campaign, not be merely not-heroes. |