Nermal2097's page

Thank you for the input. Im certainly leaning more the latter of your choices, where players can assume some narrative control to affect an outcome that might otherwise be fatal.

Im looking for a way to fully utilize the fact that the PCs are telling each the story round a table rather than the game happening in real time.

Excellent suggestions, I will give them "Memory" points that they can 'spend' on changing aspects of the story. I will also make them aware that as the GM I will also be able to change certain things about what happened. For Example: You see the blood mage shot with a arrow and fall to his death. But what really happened was that he caught the arrow and jumped into the river below to escape.

I will almost certainly take a narrative approach to this effect. Possibly even up to allowing the players to rewrite a short scene or turn of combat.

I'm planning a new game of Legend of the Five Rings rpg (first edition). I am going to use a slightly different campaign structure than normal. The characters will all start the game as old samurai sat in a tea house and they will be talking about there old adventures. The main game will therefore be an extended flashback as they reminisce about their adventures.

This structure allows me as GM to use something I'm going to call the Rashomon Effect, or in other words "that's not how I remember it".

Once per story arc (of which there will around 5 in total) the group can "remember it differently" to alter something that just happened.

Im just quite sure how that might look as a mechanic in game.

any thoughts?

Justice League....

is going to suck.

Wonder Woman will remain an outlier in the DCU in terms of quality.

I recognise that TEEF-ling is the official decision, but given that it's a stupid-ass decision, I've elected to ignore it.

I also feel that way, there just wasn't enough there to get a sense of the paladin's motives or intent. It's probably for the best you didn't try and go into any more details of the story, though.

What lands, laws, rulers, authority or religion the paladin had or what was actually said between the paladin and cleric, or how the player stated his character was acting. It makes it hard to be thorough when objectivity is probably best... You've got a lot of grit sticking it out this long.

There are quite a few details that I had left out, including the race of both paladin and cleric (homebrewed winged albino elf and a hybrid deep one respectively). I also didnt mention that a legal entity of the crown had given them some legal powers directly related to the swift end of the deep one cult within the city. I also didnt go into the fact that paladin had done the significant portion of the damage the cleric had taken so far. Then there was the fact that the cleric had just hit the paladin with Fearful Touch, thud removing her immunity to fear. Or that the party wizard had inflicted Blindness on the cleric. All relevant i guess :)

wraithstrike wrote:

1. I personally think it should be up to the paladin to make the decision. If he chooses wrongly more people could die, and that will also be on him.

2. From a real life perspective I think a GM should decide how much leeway paladins have before the game starts and explain this to the player. Also, if a GM comes here asking what should happen he definitely shouldn't make the paladin fall. The GM is the voice of the deity that the paladin worships. If he doesn't know what to do then there is no way the player will know.

That's how I feel of a GM asking the message boards if a paladin should fall - if he has to ask it's no.

In this case, as it was the first time i have GM'd a group with a paladin that even came close to doing something "bad", i asked because i was curious as to what other people thought.

Quantum Steve wrote:

Not to mention breaking the law is a violation of the Paladin's Code.

Paladins are required to respect legitimate authority and maintain a lawful alignment. Neither of those things require that the paladin never break any laws - though a just law from a legitimate authority should be harder for the paladin to disregard than an unjust law from an illegitimate authority.

Wei Ji the Learner wrote:

OP: I suggest you resist the urge to 'make it a RILLY KEWL REDEMPTION STORY'. I have *never* seen one of those work according to plan, and in fact can drive players away from a table.

I've seen it work, but only when the thing the character is seeking redemption for something happened before the start of the campaign, in which case their choices during the campaign express and hopefully fulfill that desire for redemption.

Nermal2097 wrote:

In this case I took the decision to make the evil priest (a cleric a few levels higher than the paladin) surrender for the following reason. The player involved has been crafting a detailed back story about the character that involves his lineage being corrupted by evil outsiders at some point, giving his character the impetus to do more good in the world (and a cool reason for Eldritch Heritage: Infernal). This was to be a moment of importance to the character, either the beginning of a downward path to embrace that family history or as a "moment of weakness" that serves as a stark self-inflicted warning of what might happen should they look down that path. The player has taken it as the latter of those two and we will work from there. So not quite a full "Fall and Redemption" arch, but a roleplaying moment that makes sense for that character that will give the players something cool to chat about.

This sounds like one of those "redemption from backstory" concepts.

Though to clarify - you're saying that after the paladin refused to accept the cleric's surrender you asked the player if they wanted this to be the beginning...

As a GM I am keen to let players have as much control over their story as possible. As I have said i didnt think this as was enough to make them fall as a paladin. But it could have been enough to start them down that path.

In this case the player is all aboard for the "must do better" feeling from their god and renew their efforts to do good things in the world. Also the paladin has a Hippogryff mount which is too cool to give up.

How do you, the GM, think it is breaking the code ?

It might be dishonorable or even illegal in some societies to kill someone who surrendered

Maybe in others it is the opposite way

The Paladin should first rigidly follow the tenets of his own culture and when feasible follow the rules of the country they are in, at least the letter of it

A Lawful person will always avoid openly breaking a law if they can avoid it

In my opinion the paladin didnt break cross the line. I do think they came close however.

Excellent responses, thank you all for contributing.
In this case I took the decision to make the evil priest (a cleric a few levels higher than the paladin) surrender for the following reason. The player involved has been crafting a detailed back story about the character that involves his lineage being corrupted by evil outsiders at some point, giving his character the impetus to do more good in the world (and a cool reason for Eldritch Heritage: Infernal). This was to be a moment of importance to the character, either the beginning of a downward path to embrace that family history or as a "moment of weakness" that serves as a stark self-inflicted warning of what might happen should they look down that path. The player has taken it as the latter of those two and we will work from there. So not quite a full "Fall and Redemption" arch, but a roleplaying moment that makes sense for that character that will give the players something cool to chat about.

The group are all young adventurous friends that have been seeking parts of an artifact around the city and surrounding countryside. the latest thing they have been doing is investigating and defeating an evil cult that is trying to infiltrate the city nobility. To this end they have been successful. At the final moment the paladin alone was facing off against the high priest, who, knowing that his cult was destroyed, and having no recourse left, surrendered.

The paladin struck him down, dead.

Not just the best mutant/x-men on TV, possibly one of the best put together TV shows of the year.

The visuals are amazing, really helping tell the story from David's unique point of view.
The soundtrack is brilliant. In fact the use of sound, or lack thereof, has been incredible through out the show.

Make sure you learn the Dewey Decimal System

and I suppose they didn't have alchemist fire or area spells like burning hands...

I 'advised' (read wrote his spell list for him) the wizard to take burning hands

Level 1
Game 1
Encounter 1
Spider Swarm!

Hello all.

I am planning an encounter for my group centered around a frontier type village that is ruled by a bad guy. The NPC in question is a human cleric of Asmodeus (level 9 with Evil and Trickery Domains). He has a cohort who is his enforcer within the village to keep everyone inline (cohort is a human monk/weapon adept 7). Basically I want to run this encounter like a Western, where a small town has a legitimate but evil ruler and the heroes roll up and find themselves in the middle of that situation. The Cleric is more of a talker than a fighter, letting his monk buddy be his muscle, but is no slouch if it comes to fisticuffs.

My request for help is for a few key spells this 'black hat' might prep?

Thank you.

Anyone gone back to this after the major "Foundation" update? Three different game modes now. Base Building. Feels like a whole new game.

...you are a party of first level characters with starting gold equipment and your first encounter is a Spider Swarm.

did this to my group in week 1 of my game. They survived with minimal bites and bruises, and only a small amount of vomiting.

No actual need for goatees (two of my PCs are women) but it is the style of choice for evil versions.

I want to present to the group, this is you if you turn evil

Indeed yes, however that comes with some restrictions such as the opposite must immediately attack the character and fights to the death.

Im looking for more long lasting ways.

(its also a Star Trek reference)

Are there any interesting or cool ways to create Evil Twins of characters?

Drahliana Moonrunner wrote:

It's not the candidates that are intolerable to either side. It's actually reached the point that both sides are intolerable to others. The ruralists have had more than enough of condescension from the "liberal elite". While the urbanists have had their fill of being called degenerates from the breadbasket. We have a serious cultural divide that goes beyond candidates.

Maybe it's time to accept the divide is irrevocable, and separate the country?

The 'metropolitan elites' could take the East Coast and West Coast, mostly urban territory, as a pair of 'mega cities'.
And the area in between could be left to the flat earthers, young earth creationists, Armageddon-watchers and Rapture-seekers, as effectively beyond recovery.
Some kind of 'Cursed Earth'?

Don't forget the largely cosmopolitan cities of Texas could band together to join this proposed mega city program.

Refering to any creature, monster, NPC, or walking Hit point stack as a "Mob".

Oh so annoying.

Recently started a game and the party have just hit level 2, I have decided to give them all max HP each level. They are suspicious that I am going to throw all kinds of danger their way.

Which of course I am :D

If you use the knowledge based familiar option so and have the familiar have knowledge arcana ... you could say the raven sets him on the course to how to use his magic.

It would be a cool inversion of the trope that the spellcaster has all the knowledge and the familiar is just a tag-along. Having the Raven begin their path and teaching them the basics would be a fun twist indeed.

The raven follows him around for a few days, just watching mainly. Then the PC gets themselves into a situation that magic would be useful to get themselves out of. The raven flies up to the PC and shouts into their ear "YOU ARE A SORCERER! CAST A FRIKKING SPELL YA DUMMY!"

Make the floor noisy

Affleck was good as Batman, shame that the script was lame, the dialogue weak, the director rubbish, the plot non-existant till the last fight then recylced from two different comics, the human villian non-sensical, lois lane reduced to token female and damsel in distress, the cinematography lazy, the CGI villian looked like a cave troll wandered onto the wrong set and got mad at Zack Synder for for trying to turn Dommsday into some weakass Zod Zombie.

But yeah Ben was good, as was Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman (even though she was just there to literally watch the trailers for the other DC films).

And lets not forget that Ben Affleck has won actual Oscars

Playing the heck out this beautiful game so far. Well right up till i got stuck on a planet with no take-off fuel and no resources in the immediate vacinity.

Planting a Tower Shield grants cover (and possibly Evasion). It is not necessary to plant the shield to gain the burst barrier bonus.

Anyone mentioned the Kobayahsi Maru yet?

The Rock. The mobile fortress monastary of the Dark Angels chapter of Space Marines, carved from the last fragment of a destroyed homeworld.

Fireball XL-5. Because I want to be a spaceman, the fastest man alive.

Thunderbird 3. Coolest rocket ship ever.

Red ones go faster

can you take Amateur Gunslinger twice?

I have an Irradiated rifle called Nuclear War

Maybe the city floats along a certain route that brings it past the same mountain range every year or so. While there they fill large reservoirs of water that they rely on the rest of the year. With back ups of "Decanters" in times of need. The city also trades with the races that live in/on/under the mountains. Thus the city can get new items. such as forged weapons etc.

You could have airships that trade between the city and the surface world. Thus gaining food/wealth for the city. Interruption of said trade could be a good plot line for PCs to sink their teeth into.

Nermal2097 wrote:

My current wizard is riding around on a Gecko

Does it sell insurance?

The Wizard or the Gecko?

Fire and Ice (not really a movie, as much as a series of animated Frank Frazetta paintings)
Rock and Rule (animated mice people over throw the evil Mick Jagger tyrant)

Can someone please remaster a new soundtrack for Ladyhawke, the score is painful but the film itself is awesome.

Also Plunkett and Macleane is cool, not fantasy but definitely worth a watch.

EDIT: Also, Wizards (1977). How could I have forgotten to mention this?

56. 100 duck sized horses.

Nermal2097 wrote:

This isn't from Pathfinder but Amber DRPG. I was leading the party through Shadow and decided that we needed some mounts. So I lead them to a mountainous shadow that used horse sized mountain goats as the steed of choice. Way cooler than just a horse.

Would have been even cooler if it was Bruce Springsteen riding a Horse sized Duck. :)

But that would have been too tempting to get into a fight with 100 duck sized horses.

This isn't from Pathfinder but Amber DRPG. I was leading the party through Shadow and decided that we needed some mounts. So I lead them to a mountainous shadow that used horse sized mountain goats as the steed of choice. Way cooler than just a horse.

My current wizard is riding around on a Gecko

Some wonders that I have for my homebrew setting (not including ones very similar to previous suggestions):

32. The Gargoyle: Near the western end of the World Scar, deep in the Wilds Lands, is The Gargoyle. The southern wall of the canyon has been carved into a colossal demonic statue hundreds of feet tall. The demon sits on its haunches, its elbows on its knees with its clawed hands out stretched palms up as if asking the world for a sacrifice. Between its cloven hooves is an entrance to a cave.

33. The Pillars of Creation: Deep in the heart of the Keloran Wood, an unending and primeval forest, are the Pillars of Creation. The Pillars, the most sacred site to all the native races of Vogundium, are a grove of five cyclopean trees each standing a mile high. The holiest temple of the Elven faith stands in the centre of the grove, a vast structure of wood that seamlessly blends in with its surroundings.

34. The Gate of Heaven: The walled city of Taifeng is the capital of Hoshen Province. It is a centre of learning and religious study. Visitors to the city must first pass through The Gate of Heaven, a torii gate over 100ft tall. Legend has it that the wood used to craft the gate was gifted to the Emperor Who Is The Ruler of the World in the name of the Heavenly Bureaucracy by the Heavenly Emperor That Sits on the Jade Throne from a grove of trees that grow in Paradise.

35. Nethercity: A vast necropolis in the Kingdom of Ealvick that has twice been the source of Undead Uprisings that threatened the entire continent. It has not been active for centuries.

36. The Frozen Giants: A circle of undetermined number of standing stones, roughly hewn to resemble giant humanoids. Local legend states that if anyone were to stand in the centre of the circle and count exactly how many stones there are, they would come to life.

37. The Ice Caves of Aefnia: Deep in the mountains, far from any civilization, are huge caves of ice. Gargantuan creatures, frozen deep in the ice, are clearly visible through the crystal clear ice. Strange looking humanoids can be seen fleeing from and fighting the monsters.

Last week my 7 and 6 yo daughters told me they like X-Men movies more than Barbie movies.

If your taste in Scifi runs more to Dune and such galaxy spanning space operatics then Fading Suns would be a good choice

Also, according to the song a band of demons join in when the devil starts playing. Would they be adding +2's from Aid Another actions?

Fetchling shadowcaller whose shadow/eidolon is Slenderman