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Players in my Horror Campaign read no further.

Please help with suggestions! I'm gaming pretty soon and I need ideas for a climactic encounter!

Here's the situation: My PC's are storming a Frost Giant fortress in pursuit of the Troll King's ring of teleportation that was stolen by the Frost Giant shaman Ashaya. I had designed a whole complex series of scaling encounters to get them to level up (APL is 13) before facing Ashaya on the other side of the fortress.

However, instead they have bypassed the entire thing by using flight, some lucky skill checks in the high mountain winds, and some EXTREMELY lucky escapes from the ancient white dragon guarding the fortress' airspace.

Anyway, they reached Ashaya's tower by the skin of their teeth, and are about to enter her lair/workshop below the tower. Only problem is, I have no encounter planned! I thought I would have several sessions before I needed to nail down the specifics! Normally I would just wing it and it would be fine, but events have been building up to this fight for a while and it really needs to be special (I gotta top the airborne escape from the ancient white dragon)!

Ashaya is statted out as a female frost giant boreal bloodline sorcerer 11 (CR 20!) with ice spells of course (though the party will ignore those, considering all the anti-cold buffs they've got going). There definitely needs to be some sort of twist to make it a little easier on the party if they can be clever.

I'm thinking some sort of enormous cave with icy ledges and chasms lined with shelves for her giant-sized books, with maybe icicles dangerously perched on the roof? But why would she go around with dangerous icicles in her library? Maybe this encounter can be more memorable with something completely different?

I need some new inspiration, please help!

-Moox

Penny Arcade finally acknowledged the Pathfinder system in a comic. Would you call Pathfinder biblical in proportion? Do you think we play a game that strikes fear in the hearts of mortals?

Give me your thoughts.

Moox

A SERIOUS ARGUMENT FOR THE MONK

Introduction

It has been said by many that monks are underpowered in Pathfinder for various reasons, including a less-than-full base attack bonus, a less-than-maximum damage output, and a multiple-ability-dependency. While I do not seek to disprove any of these points, I would argue that once you leave the world of theorycrafting and enter actual gameplay, monks begin to shine and their role becomes quite clear. We will go through several points one at a time, responding to the potential pitfalls as we proceed.

A Mobile Warrior

While one should look elsewhere for gaining the maximum in certain combat statistics, the monk becomes the star when movement is required. When well designed and played, a monk is unmatched by any in terms of mobility on the battlefield. With no need for armor, the monk avoids both speed loss and the armor check penalty that would otherwise apply to Acrobatics and the like.
In addition, the monk gains speed increases with level, quickly becoming the fastest creature on the field. With the addition of ki points to increase speed, even a mid-level monk can outrun almost anything in the game.
Now, movement on the battlefield is vital for several reasons. Firstly, controlling the battle is all about positioning. Where you are in relation to the enemy, how you predict their movements, set up tactical advantages, and innumerable other factors all rely on speed. Second, getting to the fight in time is almost as important for a warrior as being effective when he or she arrives. While the slower and armor-wearing warriors are stumping along, struggling to get in front of the softer caster targets, the monk may arrive suddenly and unexpected, like lightning out of a clear sky. Third, countering slowing effects and sticky situations can often be impossible without a great speed. In an encounter with difficult terrain, with enemies casting darkness and entangle effects, slower warriors can be mired for hours and worn down to death. The monk can run or leap out of these areas and bring the offense to the enemy instead of lying down in despair.
As soon as you stop having all your encounters in a small stone hallway and enter the world of adventure on real and complex terrain, a mobile warrior becomes a key component of any group.

The Power of Flurry

Monks have a powerful ability called Flurry of Blows, which allows them to make a dangerous full attack with a bonus as if they had a full base attack bonus. They gain this ability at first level, and it scales as they increase in power. This ability alone makes a Monk dangerous and effective in combat. It is true that their numbers fall slightly below a fighter or similar who takes all the two-weapon fighting feats that monks are assumed to have in Flurry. However, this doesn’t matter. Such a fighter would lack all the abilities and options that a monk possesses, while specializing heavily in one aspect of combat. A monk can be a master of the same thing without being the best, most damaging example that could possibly exist. They can have less than the best possible average damage in return for a deluge of powerful abilities in other areas.
One of the most common complaints regarding the monk has to do with their three-fourths base attack bonus. It is true that monks are a melee warrior class, and that they need to hit their targets just like everyone else. However, I would argue that the three-fourths base attack bonus is the only thing keeping monks back from sweeping all competition out of the water. Imagine a monk that could speed in and out of the battle every turn, hitting with the maximum bonus available in the game, and zipping away at will. It is appropriate to have a monk required to stand still and use a Flurry of Blows to get such a powerful attack in. Keep in mind that a monk is not a fighter without armor. A monk fulfills a powerful and unique role.

The Master of Defense

While they don’t always have the absolute highest number that one could possibly build for in a defense, monks are the hardest to kill of any base class. James Jacobs once stated that the monk is a defensive class, and he was correct; however, his phrasing has been misinterpreted by many.
A defensive class doesn’t mean that you only play responsively to the enemy, struggling to catch up in damage while reducing the amount taken. Nor does playing a “tank” literally mean wearing metal and advancing slowly and ponderously over the field while carrying the heaviest weapons. It means having the best defense available in all areas, and taking the enemy’s blows when others can’t.
The monk has the most well-rounded defense in the game. They are the one and only class with all good saves. I am tempted to put that in all caps: ALL GOOD SAVES. They can be built with a very high armor class (if not the highest possible in the game), and can pump that higher with a ki point. Nobody else can say that they don’t have an Achilles heel in any area. No matter what attack the game throws at a monk, whether it be axe-wielding cyclopes or fireball-hurling demons, the monk has a strong defense. This well-rounded defense makes the monk arguably the best tank in the game; where the fighters and paladins stumble in the face of a lightning bolt, the monk leaps away and has evasion to escape the entirety of the damage. A monk can direct attention to him/herself and then escape the consequences no matter what kind they might be.

Adaptability and Threat

While the monk may not be the most adaptable nor necessarily the most dangerous in the party, the class is very well designed to do both of these. With ki points, the monk can gain an incredible boost to AC, speed, or an additional attack in the round. As three things the Monk is already good at, the ability to become truly great at one of them in a round is crucial. Whether attack or defense is paramount at that moment, the monk can shine if necessary.
Finally, the monk does indeed pose an enormous threat to the enemy right at level one. This threat comes via Stunning Fist. With the ability to simply slip a stun into a flurry of attacks, the monk has the potential to deal damage and inflict one of the worst effects in the game, all in one turn. Here the monk synergizes extremely well with other warriors in the party, allowing them to move into position without provoking an AoO, set up a flank, and attack a flat-footed enemy with impunity. Avoiding a situation where the monk gets off a Flurry of Blows plus a ki point bonus attack plus a Stunning Fist plus a number of other effects from bonus feats could be absolutely critical in a fight. However, with the monk’s speed and array of movement abilities, avoiding that deadly situation may be impossible.

Conclusion

In the end, we find that monks have a number of places they excel, and an impressive array of unique abilities or combinations that few can match. The monk has a place in almost any party, and can shine almost no matter what kind of encounter they face. Playing a monk can be an enjoyable, fun, and even optimized experience for them and their thankful party members.

Enjoy,
-Moox

P.S. Monks: Why they so frickin’ rad?
P.P.S: I'll be posting this on gamingmage.com tomorrow, if you're interested.

Hello awesome community,

I'm looking for some advice on how to freshen my game and get my roleplaying fun again. I have been the main GM for my gaming group for quite a while now. We actually have three games going, and I run two of them. Now before you point the finger and say, "there's your problem," allow me to add that I haven't had a problem before now.

It's been lots of fun, and these games have been running for over a year. I enjoy a certain modest respect as a GM in my local community, as I run very deep, "writerly" sort of games, with great epic storylines. I also do a gaming blog at gamingmage.com, with options and rules I allow for my players. However, the focus here is on my campaigns. Here's a bit about them:

One game is a 3.5 game, set in an asian-themed campaign world entitled Idaro and making heavy use of the Tome of Battle: the book of Nine Swords as a starting place. This campaign got off to a rocky start, but due to the determination of one player (the same guy who's running the third of our games--a Kingmaker game), the game got back on its feet and started running smoothly again. It's a dramatic tale of high adventure with a crazy twist ending where the PC's discover cracks in reality and discover that they are merely sheets of paper and dice on a table in my living room.

Idaro is fun to run, yet I have struggled since the beginning with motivating the characters. It all began when their martial arts temple and masters were annihilated in a surprise attack, and they left to seek revenge. But no matter how I twist it around, or what clues I drop in their path, somehow they just aren't...motivated. They don't know where to go, or what to do. Sometimes they will skip over obvious plot hooks (I recently fell to the level of using the Old Man NPC, who got ignored and bypassed)! Other times things just don't...get going. It's like they're not fully inhabiting their characters, or at least I'm not fully understanding how they inhabit those characters. There's been LOTS of discusssion out-of-game about this problem, so that's no solution.

The second game is The Great Escape, or TGE for short. This is a pathfinder game with a snakey theme. The players have been dropped into a deeply religious world, and were required to start as a divine-themed class. They are inside a gigantic city called Nakash, known as "The Slithering City," which is an unimaginably huge mechanical snake crawling over the country and eating everything. They need to fight and negotiate their way from the tail to the head, dealing with snakes, monsters, and "the eaten," or the local people of Nakash.

As you might be able to tell, I did a lot of planning for this campaign and insured a literally linear storyline would occur. There are great heresies to uncover and terrible adventures to be had. However, in a way I'm finding a similar problem occurring. My inspiration is drying up, as is player motivation. I just don't know how to sell the next plot point or adventure...I just dropped something in the game that requires the players to backtrack and save somebody in the tail of Nakash, and then make it back to the belly of the beast. As soon as I put it in the game I knew it was a bad idea. I had just worked out all the monsters and adventures available in the belly. What do I do?

Finally, to conclude this medley of strange requests: I'm just tired. I just don't have that spark of imagination or excitement about the game that I used to. I need something to get me going again. I can't really take a break from GMing, because nobody will step into my shoes. If I step down, the good times end for sure. Yet I find myself being extremely irritable, overly annoyed about people taking too long, making decisions based on pique, and a host of other bad moves I never used to make.

Any thoughts will be deeply appreciated and I promise to respond to them.

-Moox

Hey,
So I'm playing a sorcerer (because I'm a masochist perhaps), and I finally got through the HORRIBLY dead 2nd level ugh ugh gross and hit 3rd.
3rd level is awesome! I'm trying to choose my new 1st level spell known!

I'm playing a solo campaign with the gf, and we're using a modified Abyssal sorcerer bloodline. Basically, I get the Summon Monsters as spell-like abilities once per day at the Wizard progression, and add them as spells known when I reach a sufficient level to cast those spells normally.
It works great, and maybe I'll create another thread where you can tear the homebrew idea apart despite the fact that I'm still underpowered compared to a Wizard. However, this thread is a plea for advice on what the best combinations of spells known would be for me.

Anyway, the 1st-level spells I already know are:
Mage Armor
Color Spray
Summon Monster 1

To me, these are clearly among the best 1st-level spells in the game, and I've been highly effective using them.

So, what do I add? I'm leaning towards Magic Missile because there have been so many situations where my crossbow just ain't up to par...and I'd get two missiles at the starting gate, here. But it's far from my ideal spell, and is depressingly weak compared to my other choices.
My other thought is Silent Image...BUT I've already got one Will save on my list, and doubling that up with the sorcerer's limited choices is a lousy idea.

Help! What do I pick?

Moox

Did my players just break the game again?
They have a wand of searing light.
One player blasted with it, then held it up as a free action.
Next player's turn, he moves adjacent to 1st, takes rod and blasts with it. Holds it out.
3rd player's turn, he moves next to 2nd player and grabs rod, blasts with it.

Everyone is 4th level, so they can't actually prepare the spell, but they DO have access to such magic items. They all have Searing light on their spell lists. Cleric, cleric and Oracle.

They almost killed an advanced hydra outright using this nonsense.
Is this legal? I can't think why not.
Moox

Hey everyone,
I'm GMing tomorrow and I'm trying to pick up with some cool Aboleth-slave monsters. I'm introducing a big turn of events where the party will discover a major secret attached to the main storyline--but I don't want to use one Boggard after another. The big secret is that the Aboleths are working with the snake-people (okay, they're Yuan-Ti, I started this game before Bestiary 2 came out).

--The party is made up of 5 people of levels 4-5
--The campaign is heavily snake-themed
--Otherworldly creatures are good
--This game is taking place in a foul marsh near a black lake
--I'd like monsters who DO NOT target Fort or AC. I need to teach the melee characters a stern lesson. Will saves, touch attacks, all of that are going to be preferred.
--Party is expecting will-o-wisps
--Big bad boss of this area is an advanced Hydra

Thanks for any and all help!

-Moox