Don't worry, I am checking with everyone whether they'd be up for it. Haven't had a chance to talk to all of them yet, but the two I've spoken to so far seem to like the idea. I'll get a chance to talk to the others at our next gathering. And our group has never been afraid of discontinuing a game that hasn't been enjoyed, or letting the GM know WHY it isn't being enjoyed.
Most of the time we're up for experimenting, and we enjoy the role-playing in different scenarios. If not everyone is up, then I'll hold onto the idea until a latter date when I get a group that wants to puzzle it out.
In other news, I've gotten a hold of The Wurst of Grimtooth's Traps. I think I'm worrying anyone who passes my door, what with the diabolical laughter I've been giving off as I read them. To people who have other Grimtooth books, does 'Wurst' cover most/all, or should I continue to seek the other books?
The difficulty with that particular trap is that it requires a 1st person mode of view. Pathfinder is primarily top down.
Aye, that was the immediate problem that I foresaw. Even if I were to tear asunder WarHammer minis, stick their limbs on matchsticks and prop them, it means naught if my players are watching from a birds eye view. And even if they got down to table level to see everything, the mess of body-parts might obstruct the view they need to find. And I don't actually have an army of WarHammer minis with which to tear asunder.
Oh, and that mirror puzzle? That was glorious, and I might have to use that myself.
@Mark:
Ooh, the ideas. Bringing in spirits and phantoms to foreshadow and pique interest. I love it. I also love the idea of using Operation as you suggested, I can just picture everyone jumping at the buzz as they fail, before looking to me in dread, wondering whether they triggered some diabolical trap.
Also makes for an interesting sub-plot if spirits become involved in such a way: why did the supposed best friend betray him like that? WAS it a betrayal?
Out of curiosity, how would you guys GM the Shadow Puzzle from Drake's Deception?
If you don't know what I'm talking about, it was a puzzle where you had a room full of body-parts (only statues) suspended in the air, a mural of a stabbed man on the back wall. Using a staff with a focusing lens and a lit candle on it, you had to place it so that it shone the light in such a way that it used the shadow created from the suspended body-parts to create a second person stabbing the figure in the mural.
This was easily one of my favourite puzzles in that game, but I can't picture how it would be done in Pathfinder. At least, not without a lot of time and skill to create a physical puzzle of that sort, the latter of which I definitely lack and wouldn't even know how to begin such an endeavour. A puzzle of that flavour could easily have the solution hidden in plain sight by having paintings of the complete image scattered across the place. Would the party remember the painting I described not so long ago? If not, well, that'd be their fault.
I've been catching up on the GMery Guide, so I only just read the posts after my last. Fun fact, as I was reading Herbo's post, my playlist decided that the Raiders March was the next thing to play. Fitting, considering the topic.
@Herbo: I like the idea of physical puzzles, though I'd have to make certain that the group is down for this campaign before making them, else they'd gather dust / get lost before I actually find a group willing. Wouldn't want to waste the effort.
@Mark: Valid point about the foreshadowing that I hadn't considered, yet makes so much sense! Made me feel a bit of a dunce, but eh, I'm used to that. It'd certainly make the party feel nervous, especially since I tend to roll the die, and look at the group with a smirk even when there's nothing to roll for.
I will make certain of how much everyone would enjoy this sort of campaign beforehand, at least two perspective players I know would enjoy that sort of thing, the others I'm not certain, so putting in some feelers would prove enlightening.
I believe they'd try it out, and we've all shown that we're open to experimenting with various campaigns.
Even if I don't get a group right away, writing down such a campaign for future use with a party actually interested is a given. I have this in my head, it will be written down for future use. And some of the advice here can help even in running a regular campaign, after all, traps aren't exclusive to these kinds of campaigns, I doubt the Dreadlord of Woe in a combat oriented campaign would impartial to using traps to defend his home base. Just less awesome ones.
Thanks for all your words of advice. Many ideas of how to do this. And looking into all books mentioned, and the archives for the Alternate Reality games. Let's see if I can make myself some really memorable adventures with all this helpful advice.
@Stringburka: Aye, they'll start at low levels. And you make a very valid point about the whole 'fly ruining my chasm'. Knowing one of the prospective players, he'd do it as well. Ha, I'll do as you said and introduce him to some noxious fumes, see how he likes that.
@Dudemeister: Ooh, chase cards! I hadn't heard of them before, and when reading that article, I realize why: I still don't have the DM Guide, which I have now corrected. So I'll naturally be giving that a good read as well. But those chase cards like a look great idea.
I'm considering running a campaign somewhere down the line (time allowing) and one of the first thoughts I had was that I wanted this perspective campaign to have an Indiana Jones / Tomb Raider feel to it: more about the dungeons with the elaborate booby traps and puzzles to reveal the ways to bypass my devices cleverly engineered to jam a pointy stick up the rear-ends of any foolish enough to enter these bastions of a long dead civilisation.
I particularly want to do this because my usual group tends to be in more combat orientated campaigns; so a campaign more about the lost city of Atlantis-ripoff and playing with brains more than brawn seems like a nice change of pace. And when I mentioned this idea, my usual GM expressed an interest in such a campaign, so once we have our schedules clear, I would like to run this campaign.
However, I know my limitations. I could probably get in a couple of good locales, I could probably even get away with recreating a couple of stages from the Tomb Raider or Uncharted series, (the Lost Valley from Tomb Raider 1 would be a joy to recreate), but I'm not that creative at making elaborate puzzles. Much as I enjoy working at them.
So I'm here looking to you good people for interesting ideas. And don't hold back on the cruelness of them. I plan to make it clear to the prospective Archaeologists / Tomb Raiders that if they wander into the trap from the Last Crusade that decapitates anyone not on their knees, failing a reflex save will leave them a head shorter. I want to drill it into them that brains are their best weapon here. Well, that and their wits.
I play for role-playing, but most of the core-races just don't impress me, leaving me with human more often than not, because at least I know I can manage well enough with human, whereas Elves... I can't stand them as a person, something I attribute to a friend who loved elves giving me an unwanted overdose of the pointy eared buggers.
What I enjoy playing the most is non-core races, Gnolls and Lizardfolk. Adds in huge RP potential, especially since both tend to not be liked by the so-called 'civilised races'. Alas, my usual GM rarely allows non-core races, leaving me as a human more often than not.
...good point... though I read it as otherwise, but eh, we all make mistakes, it was a learning experience for him to learn that I suffer far too often in RPGs... *cough*becauseofyou*cough*
...
What?
Ah, you know I mean it all in good fun anyway... except for the initial act of aggression, the rest is all in good humour.
Caim has dark hair; with a red bandana barely keeping his fringe from getting in his eyes. He is usually seen clad in dark pants, a black, short sleeved shirt with a sleeveless jacket worn on top. He has a red sash tied about his waist. He is also oft seen wearing a thick cloak.
In order to further my arcane abilities or learn more about the theory and practice of magic, I travelled Korvosa and through much difficulty, managed to secure a seat at the Acadamae, however, possibly because I was a foreigner, or maybe just bad luck, I was framed for murder.
The only witness was intimidated into damning me during his testimony, by one Gaedren Lamm. A result was that I was forced from the Acadamae. Now I'm after him, hoping for evidence that would clear my name, even if I have now lost all interest in attending the Acadamae ever again.
Wizard and sorcerer are too feeble for close range combat, and Caim's father was the sort who wanted the fruit of his loins to all take after him and be big, strong, knights in shining armour. However Caim took after his mother and learnt the arcane. Rather than let all the gruelling exercise that his father made him go through to waste, he instead integrating melee combat into his fighting style, even if he favours a bastard sword over the axe that his father had.
Because of his ego and sarcastic attitude, he has always been something of a lone wolf, his spells have never been buffing or team supporting, though if his team-mates manage to get him to trust them and get him to loosen up, he might be inclined to learn spells that can give aid to them beyond roasting an enemy. Thus, Magus is the class of choice.
Aho thar Samson, if you will have me, I shall gladly join whichever motley band forms up to tackle this throne, that at a glance would appear to be Crimson, and that I have a suspicion happens to be cursed.
If you will have me, I have a choice of characters to pick from, but I'm thinking of Caim the Magus, if you'll allow Ultimate Combat for me use.
Or, if not Caim, I can instead opt to either create a half-elf Paladin known as Hablion, or I can create my namesake if you'll allow a Lizardfolk player, which I have a feeling will be a no, but I figure if I put it out there, at least there is always a chance. I already have the three in my head, just awaiting your word.
Tell me which you'll allow, and then I'll talk to you about backstory
Regarding the death by door, it did make sense at the time, considering the crit card also made the damage lethal, I think... been a while since I've seen that particular crit card and seeing as the owner of them refuses to let anyone read the things unless they've just drawn one in gameplay, it wouldn't surprise me if I never saw it again. AND, if memory serves, you did manage to pay a cleric to remove the curse, which I recall letting you pay less than you should have, though when the cleric learnt WHY you were cursed was rather unsympathetic.
The curse was due the fact you were STEALING BREAD FROM A CRAZY, HOMELESS WARLOCK WHO WAS LIVING IN THE SEWERS! When the other characters learnt this, none of them were sympathetic either. And you chasing him around, was because you were trying to get him to cast the remove curse spell that he didn't know. He even told you, in his mocking way, that he didn't have the power to remove curse, and that maybe next time you'll think twice about stealing break from a homeless man for silly reasons. Silly reason being? He wanted to be left alone. Classy.
Now, I do recall a pirate called Captain Cortez, who died trying to dropkick an ogre, said dropkick tacking him over the heads of his four party members, all of whom were dwarves. I realise that it might have seemed that the party was against him at the time, but... well, RP-wise, they were... they were all dwarves, and had been together since the start of the campaign, and about 5/6 sessions in, they meet a new party member who's introduction was cursing at his sinking boat, (and when asked why he didn't just get out and swim to the very close beach his response was 'too much effort') and then climbed the mast of the boat and 'triple back flipped into a swan dive' after the sinking boat was beached... the dwarves were vaguely amused at this, but less than thrilled when he started to tag along with them.
I have a feeling the dwarves all partied when this pirate was swatted out of the air by a club not unlike how we swat flies.
Alas, that was my first ever attempt at DMing, and I made a LOT of mistakes, which even at the time I sort of groaned after the fact and wondered what I was doing.
