Ms. Mary Lime's page

So I'm thinking of doing something special for an upcoming homebrew Starfinder campaign.

Has anyone had any experience with using dollhouses or model railroad buildings as terrain?

Page 102, Were you guys really gonna give us two kinds of Terminator Robots and not tell us? How was this not in the blurb?

I would like to know if there is any more news regarding this issue.

So AA4 is probably past finished, so new thread for new monsters.

And go:

Are there any further updates on this order?

It has not arrived.

I've been building a Kingmaker in space and I'm wondering how it should look. What are some ideas you've been kicking around for how Colonizing would function as a game mechanic?

So did anyone else read about the "Absalom Cup" in Starship Ops and get kind of a tingle? Like there's a good AP about Starship racing in there?

Like a Borg or a Necrons, a Cybermen if you will.

Hi, I would like to confirm the address in question for this order and lift its suspension.

So I can't believe I just realized this but the Bond Movies are legitimately the best possible instruction manual for how new Gamemasters should learn to run a game:

There's a Prologue and it establishes either the plot (ex: Agent dies on a mission, terrorist attack) or the main character (James Bond is on an entirely different mission, saves the day and gets a girl).

They have a quest giver NPC who always establishes stakes (M debriefs 007)

The PC always gets a chance to get the equipment he needs and he always learns what's special about his items (Q: "Pay attention 007!)

There is always at least one social encounter

There is always at least one stealth encounter

The locations for the plot are always well described and interesting.

Combat occurs only when the plot requires it.

Combat encounters are always progressively harder than the previous one.

Sometimes the PC has the chance to escape without fighting.

Sometimes the PC has the chance to call in back up from friendly NPCs.

The NPCs always help the plot move forward, even if they are killed or betray the PC.

There is always at least one mini-boss (Jaws, Odd Job, Red)

There is always a chance to defeat the villain.

If the villain escapes, you have a chance to find a clue to hunt him down.

The final encounter with the boss is always climatic.

There is always a wrap-up.

Over in the "Races you wished were in Starfinder" Thread, we just came to an overall consensus that the players aren't the real heroes of the Starfinder universe, it's probably the Flumphs who are doing all the really heroic stuff.

...And I await the moment when Paizo realizes this is the most exciting, goofy thing since Otterfolk and Platyparians and just gives into the pressure.

A planetary system orbiting around a White Dwarf that has consumed inner planets of the system and now in a few thousand years, the highly populated planets on the outer rim of the system are also in danger of being consumed. The knowledge that their culture and homeworlds are going to die gives the inhabitants a need for instant gratification and a rush for experience and danger.

So hey, my real name is Daniel and I have a story to tell:

Over the course of about three or four years, I've had a lot of strange brushes fate that sort of gave me a weird reputation as a minor Starfinder Super Fan. I used to do a Facebook info blast and I had some stuff published in Wayfinder.

A while back I got the chance to actually interview for a job with Paizo, sadly I didn't get the gig but it was a thrill to have a video conference with some of the people who put their names in the books on my shelf.

And today, something really funny happened: I found out that an idea that I pitched to Owen KC Stephens on Facebook, just a one-off crazy thing, actually made it into one of Owen's books: Uplifted Owl Bears are a real third party race.

That warms my damn heart. It warms me up that a simple fan can have even a tiny interaction with the people who make the thing he's a fan of and learn that The creators of Starfinder and Pathfinder are themselves fans of you, even in a small way. That's kind of awesome and something to remember as you're isolated, at home and maybe separated from loved ones or friends. You are still part of at least one community, this one. And they're happy to have you.

So I rediscovered an old Stuart Gordon movie, Space Truckers, and it got me thinking: how do you imagine blue-collar workers in the Starfinder Universe? I mean we know they exist, Starfinder Scenarios showed us a giant battery factory in solar orbit, working-class slums on Absalom Station and fluff mentions exploitative mining practices on Akiton.

So what's a working Joe look like to you in Starfinder?

Annnd Go:

For me, it's Gnolls and Merfolk.

So every year, they do another 'realistic' illustration of the infamous Paizo Golem and ever since Starfinder was released, I have enjoyed the science-fantasy vibe I get from that big purple goofball's pictures.

Lately, I am warming up to the idea of a new kind of magically created construct race, like a bunch of golem servants that never got turned off and now have figured out how to reproduce and think for themselves. I was wondering what that might look like to other people or if there's something I missed in the archives that already covers this.

Hero Forge, the customizable miniature company, is running a new kickstarter to update it's UI and add new features. It's raised nearly a million dollars in a single day and on top of that Kasathans and Uplifted Bears are being previewed on the kickstarter page.

Kickstarter Page

So there's probably a lot of other stuff on everybody's dinner plate, but consider this: More options for Evil PCs! I doubt its worth a hardcover so maybe the backmatter in a few AP books?

Are there more "Evil organizations" than the ones we already know about? What does a "Sith Lord" Solarion look like? Show me a violent, marauding Vanguard or a Biohacker torturer! Gimme more info on bad guy pirates or the Dominion of the Black! Gimme the bad guy stuff!

Look, I get that RPG Star isn't a thing you really do anymore and that open submission is kind of a pain in the butt to manage. But Tales from the Drift, while great, might be a perfect chance for newer or aspiring writers to get their chance.

Why not open up a new forum, let people post, let the readers vote, the stuff with the most upvotes above a certain threshold get an official examination, the stuff that you like, you post.

You can give people guidelines to follow but in general, all of the stories would not get to your table until the readers decide one or the other is good enough.

Not really, I just want everyone to know about this: Feast of Legends is The official Tabletop RPG of Wendy's Restaurants

I'm looking for some feedback on these Homebrew adventures I'm cooking up. I sort of like using the "AP" format but I want to run my own stuff so I sort of imagine what my stories will be like as APs.

These are roughly some of the stuff I'd like to tackle with my homebrew group. Let me know if you've got any advice and ideas that might work in the setting.

Blood and Chrome

Roar of the Wasteland- While attending a Hykli fighting tournament on Akiton, the party find themselves defending the city of Arl from an attack by the Dust Devils, a violent tribe of bikers and mutants who serve a mysterious leader known as the King in the Dust.

The Lost Tribe- After being deputized by the Stewards, the party travels by train to the trench city of Maro where the tribal records of the Shobhad and the Hykli may hold secrets about the King in the Dust.

The Crimson Sea- With a possible location for the King in the Dust’s hideout, the party set off into the unforgiving desert known as the Crimson Sea where Ikeshi tribes rule with an iron fist.

Black Smoke- Upon arriving at the Halls of Reason in Old Ashok, the party discovers a rogue tribe of Shobhad and the Dust Devils are determined to destroy the last refuge of the Contemplatives.

Bleached Bones- With the help of the Contemplatives, the party learns the dark secrets of the native races of Akiton and also the ultimate goal of the King in the Dust: the total destruction of all sentient beings on Akiton.

King in the Dust- The murderous King in the Dust has gathered his forces and prepares to destroy the people of Akiton once and for all. Can the party stop him in time?

Lost Guns

A Bullet for Absalom- While working as security officers for the Holonet awards in orbit around Bretheda, the party discovers an ancient weapon headed straight for Absalom Station.

Dead Worlds- The party rushes towards a distant planet that once fought a centuries old war against the Pact Worlds. But before they can reach their destination, they have to battle a horde of cultists loyal to the Dominion of the Black

The Long Fuse- Arriving on the dead world of Yanik the party discovers that the Vesk colonists who went to war with the Pact Worlds are dead and only their automated defense systems remain.

Vault of Eternity

Nest of Vipers- At a convention for corporate mercenaries, the party is hired by the Abadar Corporation to find a lost Star Vault containing ancient technology.

The Great Library- With their competitors from the Aspis Consortium hot on their trail, The party attempts to find the last known location of the Vault of Eternity by visiting the Archives of a monastery dedicated to the god Ibra.

House of the Pure Ones- After weeks of searching and a final confrontation with Aspis Consortium soldiers, the party discovers that the Vault of Eternity is real...and that it was never abandoned. Heretical priests of Abadar have been living in the Vault for centuries and the Vault of Eternity is not just a treasure warehouse but a full fledged city that the Church of Abadar will want destroyed. Now the party has a difficult decision to make...

The Last Voyage of the Blue Star

Boarding Party- The party has been hired by the Stewards and the Colonial Management Authority to board and salvage the Blue Star, a super colossal ship that was once home to two hundred thousand colonists before it disappeared over a century ago. Now the ship has dropped out of the Drift and is floating in near space…

Rampage on Deck 37- After boarding the Blue Star, the party discovers evidence that the ship is not entirely unoccupied and that someone may be controlling the defense systems. As the vessel’s security robots try to stop them, the party must battle their way out.

All Quiet- While spending a century in the Drift, the Blue Star has picked up a few extra passengers. Garaggakals and other Drift creatures have made their way on board and now they’ve over run the ship’s shopping center and leisure decks. To get to the main bridge, the party has no choice but to sneak through a strange eco-system of alien life forms.

The Endless Waltz- Parts of the Blue Star are lifeless but not unoccupied. On Deck 20, the undead remains and ghostly manifestations of the ship’s first class passengers are reliving their last night of life at a never ending dinner party. Can the party discover the secret of what happened to the Blue Star?

Ahead Full- After finally arriving on the command deck, the party makes a horrifying discovery: the ship’s occupants and crew are dead but roughly a hundred of their grandchildren have survived. Raised on a ship trapped in the Drift, the “Crew” of the Blue Star are lead by an undead original crew member who has become an emotivore and she doesn’t like visitors...

The Last Command- With the help of the “crew” and the “captain” of the Blue Star, the party are finally able to arrive at the bridge in preparation for the final confrontation with Heavy Blue, the insane AI that killed most of the original crew

Eye of Evil

The Black Pharaoh- On a distant world orbiting a burned out star, two rival factions are attacking a Pact Worlds scientific installation: Axomites who serve the Plane of Order and Proteans from the Realm of Chaos. But there is a greater evil just lying beneath the surface of the conflict.

Eldritch Whispers- The servants of the Black Goat stand revealed! The Mi-Go are punching holes in the fabric of reality in an attempt to grant the Outer Gods more power. As interdimensional horrors spill out across the cosmos, the party must journey into the home dimension of Nylarhothep.

Creeping Evils- In the Dreamlands, the party crosses paths with an Aeon who may help them seal up the damage caused by the Mi-Go. But each passing moment they are exposed to pure chaos, their very bodies are being warped and twisted.

The Starstone Wars

The Wrath of the Shining Ones- A huge armada of mysterious warriors attacks the Veskarium and the Pact Worlds Military answers the call to support their allies. But the invasion is a distraction as the Army of the Shining Ones detonates a drift bomb that leaves the Pact Worlds and the Veskarium navies trapped inside the Drift. With nothing to stop them, the Shining Ones invade and conquer the Pact Worlds and lay siege to Absalom Station.

Escape from Absalom!- As refugees flee the station in terror, the party discovers that the Shining Ones and their leader, the Shining Lord, are only interested in the Starstone and have already begun dismantling the station itself for spare parts. With the help of the other residents of Absalom Station, the party forms a resistance movement to combat the invaders, while also researching the origins of this mysterious army.

The Shining World- While the Resistance fights the Shining Ones on Absalom Station, the party undertakes a perilous journey to the homeworld of the Shining Ones. They discover a technological paradise of perfect human beings who seem obsessed with acquiring wealth and power. But as they dig deeper into the secrets of the Shining World, the party discovers some horrifying news: The Shining Lord is none other than Karzoug, the Runelord of Greed!

The Gathering Storm- With the Shining Ones in control of Absalom Station and Karzoug preparing to undertake the Starstone Test, the party must unite the remaining factions of the Pact Worlds: Knights of Golarion, the Xenowardens, the Hellknights, The Abadar Corporation, The Free Captains, and the Starfinders. Each of these groups must unit in a last ditch effort to save their home system or face destruction.

The Battle of Absalom Station Part 1- With a ragtag armada preparing to fight the Shining Ones, the party travels to Verces where a decommissioned Stewards capital ship sits unused. With the help of a crack squad of engineers, the party must make the ship ready to fly into battle.

The Battle of Absalom Station Part 2- After using the hull of a legendary ship to fight their way through the Shining Armada, the party and their allies arrive at the Starstone just in time for the final confrontation.

New year, new book, new thread.

We can has Platyparians?

I just finished reading Fate of the Fifth and, no spoilers, I think the guys who wrote it...might be sick of going to Gen Con.

Hear me out!

The AP is set on Suskillon, a rural industrial farming community with a large megapolis. The Planet's most interesting feature is it's extremely hot summers and cold winters (*cough* INDIANA).

A rampaging horde of weird alien creatures who cannot be reasoned with and have bizarre, hard to understand motives but are prone to rage filled fights and have ravenous appetites descend on this community.

I formally request we change the name of this AP to "The Bugs that Ate Indianapolis."

My copy is very loosely attached to its cover.

I have no idea why, for the second edition in a row, Wayne has drawn one kind of troll on the cover and the interior artist has drawn...not that.

Hi, I assumed I preordered two Second Ed Books but it says that it's in my "Sidecart" and there's no shipping date. What does this mean?

We're finally getting minis for this game...but I'm wise to your tricks, Paizo. There's been like two tengu models in fifteen years. We're not backsliding on that...

You're making Otterfolk, y'all, and they'd better be everywhere! Uplifted bears too!

Not gonna lie, the new Dark Crystal tv series is gonna give me some serious ideas for new Starfinder stuff. Like I can really up the fantasy part of the Science Fantasy.

So one of the biggest holes in Starfinder's supporting story are the Shireen and their origins. Despite being former members of the Swarm, nobody treats them any differently and they appear to be a major cultural force in the Pact Worlds. I'm imagining that the reason the Swarm didn't bulldoze civilized space is because the Shireen warned everybody.

I feel like it's written down somewhere but I can't remember it: what happened to the living occupants of Androffa, the people who built the Divinity and gave us Pathfinder Androids, in the Starfinder setting?

Alien Archive 3 is going to be Otterly Beautiful!

So being a Starfinder fan can be rough: between the Ninja Division thing and the fact that it's still a new system, it's hard getting people interested. I've had SFS games go "no-show" and I've stared longingly at APs I don't have enough players for.

I get it, I'm not bitter. Pathfinder has been around for a decade and has a huge fan base while Starfinder is barely two years old. Getting people to try new things requires patience and commitment.

One of the people who has most made being a Starfinder fan a little more bearable and has kept the fires burning has been Dan Tharp with his plucky, friendly info blasts on all things Starfinder and Patfinder two days a week. I never miss a Starfinder Wednesday when it comes on Youtube.

Dan has had an out sized effect on the Starfinder Community because, with barely five hardcovers to our game setting, we needed more fluff and more discussion of the setting's locations and races. Dan is the guy who let us hear directly from game designers and writers that gave us actual background about how they saw the world they created and how we can use their creations in our home games. Dan gave us that forum and it's been wonderful.

I can't speak for the Pathfinder side of things but I know how those of us in this side of the setting think of him and it's a big deal that he's stepping away because he means a lot to some of us.

So I can think of no better way to honor him than to let him have a permanent, never ending mark on the Starfinder game setting.

Several weeks ago, Dan had a throw away line in his chat that some of us in the forums have had a good old time laughing about. He made an off hand comment about two conjectured races in a Starfinder video: Otterfolk, which if I remember correctly was part of a discussion about Uplifted Bears, and Platyparians, some sort of alien Platypus race. Some of us on the boards have had a lot of fun about the idea of a race of alien warrior Platypi and space faring Otters. These races, especially Platyparians, became one of the first true Starfinder in jokes.

Well if Dan is leaving, we should let his co-creations join the universe of Starfinder. I don't care how you do it or where they would appear, even if it's just in a Starfinder Society Scenario or the back matter of an upcoming AP, please let some form of Otterfolk and/or Platyparians appear as playable races in Starfinder. I'm not saying make a big deal about it, just add them to the many races of Starfinder's enormous setting in honor of all of Dan's work keeping the fan torches burning bright.

Thank you for your time and I encourage messages of support among other forum posters.

1- Steward Officer
2- Hellknight
3- Hellknight Armiger
4- Knight of Golarion
5- All the Iconics
6- Devourer Cultist
7- Vesk Hammers
8- Solar Weapon Solarian
9- Eclipse Weapon Solarian
10- Solar Armor Solarian
11- Eclipse Armor Solarian
12- Kish tribesmen
13- Male and Female Core race of each class
14- A Pathfinder Core Race class box
16- Hylki
17- Shobhad
18- Witchwyrd
19- Necrovite
20- Osharu

21- A full fleet of the menacing world conquerors known as the Platyparians

Let's just get the first one out of the way:
1. Game of Gnomes

Introduction

In honor of Wrestlemania and my own personal fan theory on the subject, here is a write up you can use for your own game.

The Major Leagues

United World Federation

Rivaled only by Brutaris in popularity, the United Worlds Federation or UWF is what most people in the Pact Worlds mean when they talk about combat sports in the Pact Worlds. UWF is a grand spectacle of fighters from across known space competing in both armed and unarmed combat for the glory of their homeworlds.

With a current roster of two hundred, the UWF is divided into four distinct divisions: United Championship Division, the promotion's main division that's open to all fighters. Armored Combat Division, a very popular subclass for fighters in heavy power armor and battle mech suits. Empty Hand, a division featuring strictly unarmed combat between fighters. And Combat Team, the only truly lethal division where fighters on opposing teams are pitted against a series of timed challenges on obstacle courses or even wild animals.

Each of these divisions fight in a weekly holovision broadcast known as UWF Match Ups and major special events scheduled throughout the year. On the weekly broadcast, fighters are followed around in a reality show like fashion. Fights don't always happen inside the ring as major confrontations between rival fighters occur regularly.

The UCD Champion, "Death to Fools" (Male, Vesk, Soldier, CN) is a major Pact Worlds Celebrity who regularly grants personal appearances at major events throughout both the Veskarium and Pact Worlds. His finishing move, the Long Ride, is a flexing suplex into the floor of the arena. "Death to Fools'" Main rival at the moment is Saya "Skull Princess" Farge (Female, Half Elf, Operative, CG). The two fighters have "ambushed" one another at various events in an attempt to goad the other into a fight. Their championship fight is scheduled for a future major tourney.

The current Armored Division Champion is Neressa Galberion (Female, Korasha Lashunta, Mechanic, CG). Neressa's power armor, "The Bulwark of the Stars", is as iconic as the champion herself and Neressa has started licensing copies of her famous battlesuit. Selling replicas of a fighter's power armor is a common merchandising tactic used by the UWF but many Armored Division warriors steadfastly refuse to do this. Retired UWF superstar Wix Tane (Male, Human, Technomancer, LG) has refused to release the design specs of his infamous "Vault of Secrets" power armor despite being offered millions of credits by defense contractors across the system. There are even rumors that the Pact Worlds military tried to copy the Vault of Secrets' stealth flight system but failed miserably.

Current Empty Hand Champ Rosa "Painfist" Haller (Female, Human, Operative, CE) is widely believed to be unbeatable after her victory over Vera Kerns (Female, Human, Soldier, CN) but rumors are spreading that Battle#v1.3 (Genderless, SRO, Soldier, N) is about to turn pro and has it's artificial eye set on Painfist's belt.

While fatalities and serious injuries are rare, they do occur and the most recent high profile injury during a Combat Team match has lead to calls to reform the division. Bloodwhisker (Male, Ysoki, Soldier, LE) the Captain of the Seven Devils Hellknight Combat Team, lost an arm during an obstacle course match, causing an automatic forfeit as his team was unable to continue with only six players. This means that the current team combat champs, The Leaves of Kyonin, are now champions only by default. Now in addition to calls from the public to finally shut down the Combat Team division, the UWF is facing complaints from their own fighters that the Combat Team championship should be vacated and played off in a tournament. The loudest voice demanding a new tournament is N'zairn the Unwanted (Male, Drow, Technomancer, CE) the team captain of the Nightbloods. N'zairn has actually threatened legal action if the League doesn't create a new playoff for a vacated title. The Leaves of Kyonin to their credit have offered the Nightbloods a championship opportunity.

The Fighting Pits of Arl

The Fighting pits of Arl on Akiton is a vastly different experience than the flashy UWF. Typically a regional interest, the Fighting Pits were an ancient tradition that helped the Shobhad, Hykli, Ysoki, and Ikeshti settle serious conflicts without wide spread tribal warfare. To this day, the Hykli still consider the fighting pits an ancient and respected institution and betting upon fights is considered a serious social taboo. These fights are considered a form of worship to Talavet, the god of community who allows small scale bloodshed to preserve the large scale community.

Entry into the Fighting Pits is a serious matter and requires sponsorship from a clan. The current Battlemaster, Yog of Five Winds (Male, Wytchwyrd, Mystic, LN) is one of the most respected sentient in the city of Arl and his guidance of the Fighting Pits is considered an important part of his duties as a high priest of Talavet.

The fights in the fighting pits are televised but only on Akiton's local holonet. They are presented commercial free as a religious broadcast by the Talavet Church. Each match begins with a prayer and then a respectful handshake by the competitors. Death in these fights is an unfortunate occurrence but is a factor in certain matches. Killing you opponent deliberately, especially after they surrender is not technically illegal but considered a grave dishonor.

Bloodleagues

In the Halls of the Living on Eox, the Bloodleagues have been one of the only official full contact death sports in the Pact Worlds. Seen as exploitative and vicious, even by the standards of other Eoxian holonet shows, the Bloodleagues offer a dark, gruesome past time that is enjoyed by sadists and bloodthirsty psychopaths across the system.

There are very few rules in the Bloodleagues but in general, two to eight armed opponents are placed inside an arena and fight to the death. An average life expectancy of a Bloodleaguer is fifteen minutes but a few "veterans" have stayed alive long enough to achieve fame. Telessa the Lamia (Female, Elf, Mystic, CE) decapitated her own sister to achieve her status as the leader of the Bantamweight class while the Gorax of the Shadow Clan (Male, Orc, Soldier, CE) is the reigning heavyweight champion.

While the Bloodleagues are "popular" among certain elements of the Pact Worlds society, they are surprisingly unpopular with the native Eoxians. The Undead populace are often dissatisfied with the "artless" methods of dispatch that occur inside the Bloodleague arenas. Zo!, the well known reality show super producer, has gone on record with saying that the Bloodleagues are "a bad investment" and often refuses to let repeats of Bloodleague matches on his channel.

Minor Leagues

Dragon Moot

On Triaxus, the Skyfire Centurions have an annual combat sports competition where the Battleflower warriors show off their skills for the Draconic leadership of the planet. These displays of military prowess are a sort of "sales conference" where various mercenaries who have been trained by the Skyfire Centurions or the Battleflowers can show various corporate clients what they can do. Most of the powerful bodyguards of the various elder dragons are hired at the Dragon Moots. Participating is invitation only.

The Starlight Meditation

Every year, the various solarion masters of the Pact Worlds gather on the Idari's main deck to display their skills. This competition is considered the most important fighting meet up of it's kind due to the important exchange of skills between various styles and practitioners. During the Starlight Meditation, Solarions are granted mastery ranks by the loose organizations who oversee the guidance of the Solarian fighting arts within the Pact Worlds. Particpating organizations in the Starlight Meditation include the Dawn Patrol from the Burning Archipelago, the Knights of Golarion, the Hellknights, and even a few of the Noble Houses of the Drow and Cultists of Aucturn. The participates will meet, fight in one competition, and then teach the crowd the specifics of their technique. No winners or losers are recorded during the competition matches but the most successful fighters tend to attract the most students to their chosen style. Currently, the House of Walking Stars on Verces has had the most success at the Meditation. He-Who-Moves-With-Speed (Male, Kasatha, Solarion, NG) has participated in the Tournament and his "Ibra's Faithful" Teaching methods are currently being adopted in many Solarion monasteries.

Okay, we know gladiator games are a thing in Starfinder. We know professional athletes are a thing. We know reality tv shows are a thing and there's a Battle Flower archetype in the Ops Manual, which according to an official Starfinder Wednesday live stream is a "celebrity fighter" archetype. In addition,there's a Gladiator theme in the Pact Worlds book.

Now...

Here me out....

Professional Wrestlers, via the full weight of logical deduction, must INDEED exist in Starfinder's canon.

Not a homebrew idea, not a crazy canon possibility, I'm saying that somewhere right now in the Starfinder Universe Gnome Heyman is telling everyone that Vesk Lesnar is going to bury the Undertaker of Eox in their upcoming casket match. Meanwhile, Ronda Half-Elven and her Hellknight Horsewomen are threatening to destroy Sasha-36 and the Lashunta Hugger. But never fear for Becky Summerborn Ryphorian is ready to deliver STRAIGHT SOLARIAN FIRE!

And for the main event? The Uplifted Bear Giant vs Dwarf-kind in a no holds barred, hardcore Gnome on a Pole death match! Special Referee

Roll Zo!'s Entrance theme!

The Pact Worlds- A single system government and the group we know the most about.

The Veskarium- We have at least three confirmed races from their single system empire and know broadly that the Vesk consider themselves a militant, meritocracy of proud warriors. If this is true in application, however, we would need more info.

The Azlanti Star Empire- The Largest and arguably most powerful of all the various "empires" on this list and certainly the most expansionist. We still aren't sure if the Azlanti are "evolved" precursor humans or "degraded" Azlanti but they seem sophisticated, hateful, and cruel.

The Shadari Confederacy- Mostly a criminal organization with a nominal government to shade their power. They appear to have multiple systems as they're said to be located in a Nebula but that's not fully explained.

Any I miss?

One thing is for certain: there is no stopping them; the Goblins will soon be here. And I for one welcome our new emerald skinned overlords. I'd like to remind them that as a trusted DM, I can be helpful in rounding up others to toil in their underground pickle caves.

It begins.

Trying to put together a Mad Max/Wild West style Akiton setting and I'm wondering if you guys could help me out. I'm trying to come up with some neat names for wasteland gangs and outlaw outfits and also some thematic appropriate names for custom weapons. Here's what I have so far:

Golden Lords, AbadarCorps "official" muscle in the wasteland.
The Red Death, A brutal hovercycle gang
Twenty One Sons, A native Hylki gang
The Black Mischief, A Ysoki protection league
The Hellions, A gang of Asmodean cultists who intend to "conquer" the lawless
House Nerus, An exiled house of Drow who deal weapons to other criminal gangs
The Stillborn, Eoxian people smugglers who sell forced labor and indentured servants to the local mining companies
Sons of Razmir, Masked lunatics who claim to be the direct descendants of an ancient god
The Hounds, A gang of vigilantes who hide out in a ruined temple of Cayden Cailean
The Nusk Confederacy, A renegade tribe of Shobahad who refuse to "civilize"
The Maw, Devourer Cultists
Skinsaw Boys, Inbred cannibals

Then there's the guns. I liked the idea of giving unique weapons sort of neat, unique names to make them feel special:

Seven Devils and a Fleet of Angels, twin handcannons with a gruesome history
The Queen of Diamonds, an silenced pistol that once belonged to a famous woman
Boartusk, a sawed off scattergun
Sol Invictus, a flame pistol
The Fel Eye, a hunting rifle "blessed" by demons
White Steed, a laser pistol made by a legendary Elven gunsmith
Blue Rose, a haunted gun
The Philosopher, A cursed heavy pistol with a mysterious fusion on it

Any additions?

Ancient ruins on an asteroid? Yet another Pathfinder race getting in to Starfinder? You have my attention, proceed.

...and I have a need to send some Starfinders on a mission travelling at the speed of 88 miles an hour. Right now I'm picturing some major Pathfinder era villain rises from the grave and the only way to beat him is back in the Pathfinder era so the heroes have to go back and face old timey magic.

Any other suggestions?

Let's get really, real here:

It's nice we get to see the Swarm and the Azlanti close up so quickly and I also get that the Swarm and the Azlanti are going to be the Whispering Tyrant/World Wound of the setting (a big threat that isn't going to go away anytime soon) but honestly...

There are two places that NEED an AP just based entirely on how cool they are haven't even gotten a lot of attention in SFS yet.

Akiton is perfect for an AP because it's got enough pieces that would work as their own module by themselves. For instance, you could do a whole futuristic Rollerball style Death Race Bloodsport gladiator games in just the cities alone. Then if you left the cities, you could do a cool ass Mad Max storyline or a Wild West "Let's get them banditos" themed storyline. In fact, with a six volume AP, Akiton could be a setting of an epic damn campaign.

Right so like let's call this hypothetical AP "Rage on the Red Planet"
AP 1 is sort of a "Blood and Sand" Gladiator games where the Players cross the wrong gang boss or trip over a bloodthirsty corporation and wind up fighting in a series of futuristic gladiator games. Finally your level nothing characters have to fight Half Orc Brock Lesnar. Maybe the back page goes into various types of professional athletes in the pact worlds, a Pro Baller character theme (though that's probably just Icon) and why bloody deathgame competitions are still allowed on Akiton and Eox.

Fresh from their victories in the Hunger Games or whatever, the PCs show up for their prize ceremony and wind up getting attacked by a vast army of marauders led by "Scaryname McGuffin, the meanest mutant in the wastelands". APs two through five is your party getting a posse together to hunt this SOB down and bring back his head for a hefty reward. You'd hit all the tropes with Mad Max style vehicle combat, Wild West Shootouts, and back page articles about the Shobhad tribes, Max Max-y character themes or Wild West archetypes, and new, dust covered playable races who enjoy driving murder dozers and shooting pistols.

AP six could have you discover that Scaryname McGuffin is just a pawn being used by a rogue Wytchwyrd or Contemplative named "Reveal Von Actualvillain" who is using his massive mental powers to manipulate the entire planet and suddenly the last adventure in the campaign is you trying to beat this mystic bad guy with whatever means are at your disposal. The backside of this book would have stuff that expands on the Phrenic Adept Archetype and discusses psychics in Starfinder, maybe there's a slightly different version of the Archetype, and a bestiary of like "Other massively psychic races" and you get the Starfinder version of Munavri and a bunch of other new playable psychic races.

That's a great way to narrow in on a place we've already gotten glimpses of but if we can't have that just yet, a Veskarium AP would be a great runner up. It would be cool because we haven't been there yet and the AP could be a lot like the Aeon Throne in the sense that it could be a cool three volume appetizer to a future setting hardcover.

Let's pretend it's called "Empire of Thunder" and it begins with an attack on a Pact Worlds ship by a group of Vesk terrorists. Not wanting to disrupt the longstanding peace, the Vesk hire you to hunt these lawless jerks down. The First AP you arrive on the throne world and you walk through a vast marketplace teeming with crazy alien life forms. You find evidence of a Vesk terrorist group that's upset with the current government and you head off on an adventure through this new system. The Backpage would be like the Dead Suns first AP but it would be about Vesk-1 or Vesk Prime

AP 2 would have us hop around two or three different planets with a backpage about the Veskarium's version of the Stewards and maybe an archetype that lets us play as such.

AP 3 would finish the adventure on the most terrifying place in the universe Vesk-3, home of the Skittermanders. There would be no back page info because your party would die here.

Last time I checked, worshiping Sheyln is still not legal in society play BUUUUT...No spoilers but it's been established in society that someone, somewhere, still worships her. Is she going to be opened up in the future?

Use PCGen for keeping track of your PC

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Also I found a starship sheet.

Sunrise Maiden In Progress

It makes perfect sense if Maxim thinks he is the only one who got given some extra dosh

As an fyi Boreal is female.

Are all the pirates called Isabella?

Defrex Hide and a Static Arc Pistol

Boreal scowls following after Manteca. Nearly got her killed... She mutters to herself, eyes burning holes in the back of Manteca's head.

"And then you f&@$ing drop the thing?" Boreal shouts after Manteca before sprinting back

"The f+@! are you doing?" Boreal asks Manteca, standing there fuming, doshko leveled ready to swing, "They are fighting and you ran away to look for a f$*+ing necklace?"

"How the hell am I supposed to know?" Jink asks as his comm buzzes, turning to Nilan

So our Winners of the luckiest unlucky competition are:
APOPHIS1989 with the highest average roll of 11.71428571 across all twelve days. It seems lady luck does favour you... slightly.
Our very late comer, Applied_People, wins the highest average placing, coming in 7th on his only roll!
Because of how late Applied joined, I will be giving a prize to the person who came second after him in terms of highest average rolls.
Hellder placed at 9.25 on average for the full 12 days!

I will try and get some PM's out to you fine folks shortly to discuss your prizes.

Our leader is now Hellder win an average of 12 and place of 8.5.

Nedreow is still right where he was.

Nedreow maintains his status!

Im laughing now, because I noped to the question of if anyone had been upgrading the ship >_< :D

Nope

Whoops, I missed a few days.

Our Highest luckiest least lucky person is Nedreow with our highest placing of 7.6666 and our highest average of 13.8333

Bhampton rolled an 18! Keeping him in the position of luckiest least lucky person! Average of 16
He has also now edged himself into the average highest placing at 6.6

Now that I have actual information to work off of:

Bhampton is currently our highest average rolls without a win sitting at 15.5. lucky roll tomorrow by Nedreow could easily see them overtake though, sitting at 13.5 currently.

Uncle Teddy however is our highest average placements without a win at place 5.5

Current Offers:

Taig: 12 winners across 12 days, up to $12, multiple products from various publishers allowed
Rednal: 1 winner on last day, up to a $20 product from Drop Dead Studios
Whack-a-Rogue: Any Interjection Games Class PDF to the first person to roll a 1 in Taig's drawings
Legendary Games: The Last Shall Be First - Random draw from all nat 1's at contest end go into a random draw for a print book. Anyone who finishes in solo last place gets a PDF
J4RH34D: The Luckiest Least Lucky Person - person with the highest average non winning rolls after the full event, as well as the person with the highest average non winning placement at tned of the event if it is a different person.

----

Current Entrants (in order of applying):
Rednal 
Bardess 
SilvercatMoonpaw 
Whack-a-Rogue 
Sliverik 
Readerbreeder 
master4sword 
Dale McCoy Jr (Requests reroll and prize given to someone else) 
Sethvir 
Uncle Teddy 
Fabius Maximus 
DungeonmasterCal 
Necromental 
SuperJedi224 
dwilhelmi 
bhampton 
avr
APOPHIS1989
137ben
J4RH34D
Orthos
Jason Nelson (Is he in or just making an offer?)
John Napier 698
Nedreow
Dizzydoo42
Talonhawke
Ragadolf
Hellder
Jelloarm

Where is Rednal? We need to update his list :P.

I'll try get to it now

"He said it was... dark beef and beer." Boreal says getting it wrong. "EH-RK needs to try it too!" she says excitedly, and then tries to call him on her comms unit.

"EH-R**UNZUNZUNZ** shili ish **UNZUNZUNZ** PARTY! **UNZUNZUNZ**" and just because she knows how to peak his interest "**UNZUNZUNZ** So many **UNZUNZUNZ** dancing **UNZUNZUNZ** underwear."

I hope it goes well Taig, and that the recovery is swift and painless.

If we are talking super powers, I would just want knowledge. Lots and lots of knowledge.
With enough knowledge you can make pretty much anything possible.

J4RH34D wrote:

Taig, do you have a google drive so I can give you Edit Permissions but keep everyone else on viewing only?

Nice Spreadsheet. I will explain things once you have access

I do. spaws1000 at the ol’ gmail.

Thanks!

So I have given you Edit Permissions.

I have left the names of everyone that participated last year.

You will note an ugly looking thing at the bottom of the sheet.
If you copy a dice output from the boards and paste it in there for each day, each person's roll for that will automatically update.
I didn't do one for the rerolls. You can do that manually as there should not be too many of those.

Taig, do you have a google drive so I can give you Edit Permissions but keep everyone else on viewing only?

Nice Spreadsheet. I will explain things once you have access

J4RH34D wrote:

Please put me on the list again this year, and I will be running the same deal I did last year.

The luckiest least lucky person* over the full twelve days will get something from me, amount is still up in the air at this point unfortunately, but I will finalise before the rolls start.

*The person with the highest average roll that has not won anything.**

**I may extend this to the person with the highest average placing without a win as well, depending on if they are different people.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Taig, would you like me to set up the google sheet for you again this year?
I can make it a bit more user friendly, and should be able to get it to accept text copied off of the messageboards and check the results.

Thanks for the offer, J4RH34D! I'll take you up on it, if it's not too much trouble for you.

No trouble at all

Please put me on the list again this year, and I will be running the same deal I did last year.

The luckiest least lucky person* over the full twelve days will get something from me, amount is still up in the air at this point unfortunately, but I will finalise before the rolls start.

*The person with the highest average roll that has not won anything.**

**I may extend this to the person with the highest average placing without a win as well, depending on if they are different people.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Taig, would you like me to set up the google sheet for you again this year?
I can make it a bit more user friendly, and should be able to get it to accept text copied off of the messageboards and check the results.

Boreal watches this all. Glad that nobody is paying attention to her to see how much of a fool she feels.
When Manteca turns to talk to her she nods and gives the Shirren a grin.
"She is strong. And she fought back. I can respect that." As she says this she walks over to Imagine and offers her her hand to help her stand. You can tell that she is too proud to openly apologize at this point in front of anyone, but her gesture here is somewhat of an apology in and of itself.

13. Play a wizard

13b. Spells. Just spells

So...

Cybernetic Dex Upgrade Mk1 please.
And a Tactical Baton.

My characters don't identify by what their class is, but rather what they do.

Tink is a ratfolk crafter in a mythic game. He would introduce himself as a collector, merchant, and purveyor of all things arcane. He is a Wizard x Summoner Mythic Archmage

Jimmy would introduce himself as a caravan guard come pathfinder whose main goal is to protect those who he cares about. He is a paladin.

Clarice wouldn't introduce herself as anything special. She does talk to her scythe though, and it responds. She is a reflavouring of a bladebound/kensai magus. (the scythe is only a scythe in look. Does normal damage for a rapier I think. So it is a rapier, that looks like a scythe)

Harrold would say he is an old man who used to hunt in the woods, and learn't his way around treating ailments with herbs. He is actually an alchemist.

Trytton would have introduced himself as someone who fights with the oceon. He is a water kinetecist.

Gran't' would say he was a guard and a craftsman, out for revenge against the orcs that ransacked his clan's mine. He is a geokinetic knight.

Jo, The Cabin Girl, would probably introduce herself as whatever you wanted her to be. Making it obvious her specialty is in manipulating people. She is a Kitsune Sorceress.

Sana would say she is a protector of those who were enslaved, and a fighter for their freedoms. She is a cleric.

Basically, none of my characters could easily be placed into a class by what they "do". In all honesty that is fine too. What the character is capable of, (in terms of mechanics and in terms of what the character would want to/is willing to do) is far more interesting and important than what the character sheet has down in the class line

Its more that if the guy is trying to do something like this, bloodmoney only being known by a runelord probably does not bother them overly much.

Something that I think is great that you can do...

Cleaving Vital Strikes OF DOOOOOOOOM

Required Feats:

Power Attack
Prerequisites: Str 13, base attack bonus +1.

Cleave
Prerequisites: Str 13, Power Attack, base attack bonus +1.

Great Cleave
Prerequisites: Str 13, Cleave, Power Attack, base attack bonus +4.

Vital Strike
Prerequisites: Base attack bonus +6.

Improved Vital Strike
Prerequisites: Vital Strike, base attack bonus +11.

Greater Vital Strike
Prerequisites: Improved Vital Strike, Vital Strike, base attack bonus +16.

Two-Handed Weapon Trick
Cleaving Smash
Additional Prerequisite(s): Cleave, Improved Vital Strike, Power Attack

Goblin Cleaver (Combat, Dwarf)
Prerequisites: Str 13, Cleave, Power Attack, dwarf.

Orc Hewer (Combat, Dwarf)
Prerequisites: Str 13, Cleave, Goblin Cleaver, Power Attack, dwarf.

Giant Killer (Combat, Dwarf) (this one is not strictly needed)
Prerequisites: Str 13, Cleave, Goblin Cleaver, Orc Hewer, Power Attack, Strike Back, base attack bonus +11, dwarf.

Cleave Through (Combat, Dwarf)
Prerequisites: Str 13, Cleave, Power Attack, base attack bonus +11, dwarf.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Be careful that you cannot take Power Attack at level 1.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Feat Progression:

1: Open Normal Feat
2: none
3: Power Attack, Cleave
4: none
5: Goblin Cleaver
6: Vital Strike
7: Great Cleave/Orc Hewer
8: none
9: Great Cleave/Orc Hewer (whichever not taken at 7), Open Bonus Feat
10: none
11: Open Normal Feat
12: Improved Vital Strike
13: Cleaving Smash
14: none
15: Cleave Through, Open Bonus Feat

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The fantastic thing about this is that you can cleave everyone your size or lower within your reach, and apply improved vital strike to all of the attacks, and can 5ft step after the first hit.
Your opponents no longer need to be adjacent to each other.

This synergises amazingly with vital strike, as you want to make yourself large, which lets you increase your reach, and damage dice, so you can potentially hit up to 24 people with improved vital strike.

You can fit greater weapon of the chosen into this build too. To be honest I am not sure how greater weapon of the chosen synergises with cleave.
You can probably also fit in the greatsword divine fighting style.

But here you have a warpriest who can deal really good damage to single opponents via greater vital strike, and can do INSANE damage to mobs of opponents by hitting all of them with vital strike, and at 17, improved vital strike.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You might be slightly behind a full attack in damage against single opponents, but you should do more damage against multiple opponents.

"It was definitely a compliment." Jink says smiling, "Thank you." He says as he tries the not-gruel. "Surprisingly, I have had worse..." he says and shrugs

"I would never imagine that this is how you would look, or live... But now that I've seen it I couldn't imagine it any other way." Jink says slightly in awe

I really really like that this thread is being used for it's intended purpose (with a few attempts to derail that have been summarily shut down).

I am really happy that this thread is still going, and to see people talking about what they like, rather than just what they don't has put a smile on my face once more.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As to what I am liking from the blogs:

Sorcerer! I am loving the concept behind the sorcerer, and the idea that different bloodlines get different kinds of magic is something that I never knew that I needed.

Resonance. I love the base concept, and what they said they were trying to achieve (reduce book keeping). I will not talk about the current implementation though

Cool and flavorful small magic items. I absolutely love that these are being codified. I try to do this kind of thing for my players already so to see it in a book is nice.

There are plenty of other things I am liking, but these are what came to mind quickly.

I live in South Africa.
Our government has been so lax about keeping our power infrastructure in shape and scaled for the population that we went through a 2 year period where the government was having to cause scheduled blackouts to stop the whole grid from being overloaded.

I know that my house was without power for 8 hours a day, during peak hours, every day, for at least 6 months.

I am treating this as my 10 minute rest for Stamina. And the RP was what I was after mainly.

"I can have a look... You wouldn't happen to be one this dull knives would you? It doesn't take much between the ears to know that calling someone 'Ysoki 1' would be likely to piss them off."

"This lot have their own way of doing things. Once their minds are set you don't change them. I don't understand why they do half of what they do, but nothing has gone too badly wrong." She stops for a moment turning to watch Manteca, "They aren't being too stupid here though. Trying a bit hard maybe, but the idea is good. This person might have information which is useful, and if they don't then we have only lost some time."
Turning back to Jazzming, "The energy it takes to try make them change their minds is not worth it. I have learn't to save my energy to deal with the consequences."

I am perfectly happy with that.
I don't know why I didn't mention going prone in any of my posts. I think it is one of those "I thought about it so often that I just thought I had done it" type of deals.
I will ensure I don't leave anything like that out in future.

I do appreciate that we can actually have discussions about shit like this rather than just a
"NYE! YOU SHOT ME AND YOU SHOULDNT HAVE!"
"NYE! IT HAPPENS BECAUSE I SAID SO!"

If he wants to be difficult to hit he can look at going snake style and being an annoying little so and so.

If he is allowed to rebuild to a master of many styles monk, he could go for crane and snake and just not get hit ever. He would need to get dex to damage to rake up the damage, or specialize in a combat maneuver which can be used in place of an attack like trip.

The biggest issue is that we are facing high ability enemies but have not had the chance to actually get any wealth to put into any of the "big 6". I think we are all quite far behind the expected wealth of 16000gp.
I think all that Tink has is the button of level 1 spell storing which the closest I can see would maybe be 2k gold.

This doesn't matter too much for damage items or the like, but when facing "Save or die" abilities like 3d6 rounds of paralysis, our highest save having a 55% chance of failure causes issues.

Shweet.
I will say there is far more RP going on that I anticipated and I am thoroughly enjoying it

From Sleep:
"A sleep spell causes a magical slumber to come upon 4 HD of creatures"

Color Spray can effect unlimmited HD of creatures. and has an effect on HD 5 and up, whereas sleep just auto fails against HD 5 creatures.

a 10ft radius is 12 squares, a 15ft cone is 6 squares.
You trade half the effected are to effect up to any 6 creatures, whereas sleep can effect a maximum of 4 1 HD creatures.

Something else I am really really enjoying so far is the input we are seeing from the designers so far.
It is fantastic to be reading a thread on one of the blogs and see a designer responding to someone's question. It isn't a rules thing or anything like that but it really really makes it seem like the designers are listening, and care about our questions and feedback, so kudos to them!

So, something I have seen happen time and time again is that people tend to focus on the things we don't like. This is normal, and human.
The unfortunate side effect is that it can be rather emotionally draining as a creator to only see lists of things that people don't like about the creation you have spent days pouring your energy and soul into.

The purpose of this thread then is to give the designers a place to come when their betteries are drained, and get some positive feedback.
Beyond just that, it helps to know what people are enjoying, and liking, and why they are liking it, so you can give them more of it.

Lets keep this to a positive thread, and tell the designers what we are liking, and if you can explain why you like it that would be great too I am sure.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

1. I really like the fact that so far the system just seems streamlined.
All the actions are the same action. There is no more remembering what my 7 different actions are and "Did I do my immediate action last turn? How does that effect my swift this turn again?"

2. The way feats seem to be working now.
I know some people don't like the fact everything is called a feat now, but lets not get into that. If you don't like it, find something to tell us that you do like instead :)
I really like that the terms have been grouped and the talk of nice easily searchable lists of the feats is really interesting. I love that feats seem to be focused on options now rather than just bonuses to things you could already do.

3. Ancestry as a whole intrigues me. I love the fact that it introduces a whole lot more variance into the races of Galorion. I also am loving the floating stat bonus we are seeing.

I do believe there is a step by step character creation process in the frontish section of the core book.
I do also know that the core book is an unwieldy tome (both in sheer weight and in actually finding any information you want.)

I will suggest that if you would like, I can give you my number for whatsapp, my skype details, my email, or my discord info. Then you can rapid fire ask questions and I can try and explain why some things are the way they are.

We all love the game here and all would love to help turn your frustration into a love for the game as well.

J4RH34D wrote:

Stuff

Very nice response

I think we are very much on the same page. And I suppose the difference is semantics. I would call very few of my examples below the break RP. Finding a video isn't RP, but it is effort put into your character and the game.

I don't think anyone ever has issues with rewarding putting in the effort, so long as you reward all effort equally.
I feel most people start talking about this subject saying "Should I give rewards for good RP?" and people start getting iffy with the fact that you cant reward the charismatic but not others.
Nobody has said giving rewards are bad. It's just that the way we talk about it "implies" a bias towards giving rewards for a certain set of behaviour, which is actually quite contrary to a lot of the personalities we see in TTRPGs.
To these people it can come across as almost an attack, which is why we tend to get so defensive and combative about it. It is a tender issue.
I know I was picked on at school quite mercilesly for my social ineptitude, and so having someone say "Hey, if you can be a good RPer you get a bonus" can sound a lot like "Hey, if you are socially inept you are never going to be able to get this bonus and will be worse than the people at the table that are not". I know logically it isn't true but I have to temper my emotions to not feel like I am being excluded from the bonus club for not meeting it's criteria.

That is why I stipulated that I do not give bonuses for good RP, because while I do that it is a subset of the bonuses I give. I feel this question/topic is better represented by asking "Should I give bonuses for people that are putting effort into enjoying the game and the game of those around them, in whatever way they are capable?"
I believe the answer to that is a firm yes from "everyone".

Another example, If I have a player who is tactically inept trying to play a general, I will give him bonuses when he has a good idea, or even potentially when he out of character asks for advice, or if he quotes sun tzu, or a lot of other things. I might even give a bonus to another player who helps our general player enjoy himself by making suggestions OOC on tactics so long as it is done well and the general player enjoys himself more as a result.

~~~~~~~~~~~
There is some psychology involved here. When someone says "We reward x behavior with bonus to checks" people have a tendency to read that as "We reward x, but not a b or c, with bonus to checks".
While the exclusion is never stated, people have a tendency to insert it. In this case this becomes "We reward good RP, but not good research, or effort, or any number of other things". While the person asking the question never meant for that exclusion to be present, it is treated as if it is there, which is what a lot of the arguing here revolves around.

~~~~~~~~~~~
TL;DR
There is enough stigmatization of the hobby, and of a large group of people that participate, that we should be careful how we phrase things to avoid getting peoples backs up. We should also be clear about what we are trying to achieve.
I firmly believe nobody is against rewards for effort.

MrTsFloatinghead

I have always viewed combat as much more of a group effort.
I find it happens much more regularly in combat that my group of players will say to each other "Hey, if you move there, I can move there, and then we get a flanking bonus." The nature of the round by round combat basically ensures that everyone gets a turn to effect the outcome.

I can honestly say that I have never had anyone in any of my games, ever say, during someone elses RP "Hey, remember this guy is having an affair, weave that in to your speach." It just isn't something that really happens.

So the main difference for me is that the codified benefits in combat, are often applied by sharing the spotlight, and saying to someone "Hey, if you move here you get a bonus to stab the guy." is much less likely to make someone uncomfortable than trying to get them to create a narrative or descriptive improv.
Opposite to combat bonuses, RP bonuses to me come across as a very singular thing, with very little way to make it into a group thing, and almost promote attempting to hog the spotlight, at least to me.

____________________________________

I have no problem with bonuses, but I give bonuses for much more than just good RP. If you take the time to read up how to actually swing a sword and can show me that in combat, maybe I give you a +1, or if you are too shy for that but you spend some time researching and find some really cool fighting montages, and when your monk flies into battle you pull out a clip and go "I punch the guy like this" you would get the same bonus. So long as you put effort in each time.

I will do that for everything. If you make a rousing speech you get a bonus, or if you just sit down and think properly about how your character would act, and even if it is written down and handed to me on a piece of paper, you would get a bonus.
If you are an artist playing an artsy character and you actually do an impressive sketch to represent your character doing it, bonus. If you are not an artist and you try to draw something to represent your character doing a drawing, even if it is crap, so long as effort was put in, you get a bonus.
Trying to collapse a building with knowledge engineering? Describe how you search the building for weakspots etc, and be good rp, bonus. Or, spend some time researching ancient demolition and excavation techniques and explain (in a technical manner, this is supposed to be the not good RP guy bonus) how those techniques could be used here, bonus.

Now on the opposite side of this, I have no issue with asking my players to explain why their characters are doing something.
If my cha 5 dwarf barb decides to make a rousing speech when all he has done up to that point is grunt, I am going to ask my player if that makes sense, and might not give them a bonus if they can't explain how it fits their character

Protoss
Zerg

Links fixed and clickable

I like the idea of a dragon that is enamored, intrigued, respectful and possibly even awestruck with the shorter lived races.
They find it incredible what the shorter lived races (say under like 150 years) can accomplish in their time on the planet. They cite the building of incredible cathedrals, works of art, entire cities that rise and spread in the space of two or three generations.
Bemoaning the fact that most dragons contribute surprisingly little with their apparent power and their longevity.
They are a bit of an outcast with other dragons for touting the ideology that dragons could do with being more like people.

They believe that people have one major shortfall though. The tendency of the masses to become complacent, and to expect those more powerful than them to fix their problems.
Our dragon tried for many years while still little more than a wyrmling to interact with smaller settlements, but they would either panic, or start to worship him. In both cases the society would stagnate due to his presence.
He eventually learnt that he could not be a part of the society of the shorter lived races as a dragon, and began to interact while disguised as members of many different races. He became a patron of the arts, spent time travelling as a "tinker" or cart salesman. Towns he passed through suffering from goblin raids would soon find themselves free of the tyranny.
Our dragon basically strives to allow societies and settlements to progress as a peacetime culture, as they believe that is when the shorter lived races are at their best.,