I may do a Paladin or Cleric then, unless you'd prefer a Rogue. If I did go with the former, what should I use for gods? The standard Golarian ones? (Not sure if your setting is homebrew or just the adventure.)
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Yes, c’mon, lets try to take this serious. It could improve someone’s game. Now, to me, it doesn’t really seem like there’s anything actively evil about it…so I guess he could. I imagine his superiors might not appreciate it though. It’s sort of like the church deacon hanging out at a topless bar. Kinda bad for the church’s image. The real question is does he get in trouble for violating the no touch rule? I mean, he was probably just laying his hands on the girls to heal them. Perfectly innocent, right?
It’s not really needed, no. OD&D only had three alignments I think, the rather vague Lawful, Neutral, and Chaotic. Alignment is just a convenient shorthand in creating a character quickly (which, once upon a time, was a goal; a new character was something you could whip up in under fifteen minutes). Rather than write a lengthy background, you could just say I’m playing a Chaotic Good Thief and there you have a fairly archetypal character, probably a Robin Hood sort. It’s a way to get people thinking about their character outside just the stats. Personally, I'd prefer some kind of optional Personality Trait chart players could roll or select from over alignment but...whatever.
Hi, I’d definitely be interested, as the time is perfect for me. Are you planning to use Skype or Ventrilo? I don’t currently have a mic is why I ask. Kind of a MapTools newbie myself.
Players use it quite a bit over at Tangled Web and I’ve yet to read any horror stories about it.
I too preferred the relative ease of creating characters and DM-ing back then. But I’m new to Pathfinder. Maybe this system too becomes second nature with time. I do have to agree with the complaints about the game trending more towards optimization and tactical combat though. Things were much more…fluffy in the old day days. And, no, you’re not the only one. There are a fair number of ‘retro’ games out there at the moment like Castles and Crusades and Labyrinth Lord (many of which are free to download). People yearning for older style gaming have become a small but real presence in the gaming world. I certainly count myself one. I’m trying out Pathfinder because, well, it’s there, and a lot good players play it and it has some nice products. But if 2e or a similar retro games were more readily available, I’d go with them, and put that massive Pathfinder Core Rules textbook aside. The older games were just so easy to play and run.
The Star Wars SAGA RPG is quite popular and I’ve heard people compliment the system it uses. Call of Cthulhu is a well-loved game that’s gone through many editions. I see a lot of Shadowrun games around as well. And of course Hackmaster which best captures the true spirit of DND IMO. :) I also agree with Dragonchess that AD&D 2e still has a lot to recommend it in terms of how easy it to play and run and the incredible number of supplements it enjoyed. I mean, you know... Planescape. How anyone topped it as a setting? Alternity was pretty good as well and I also rather liked Deadlands. It's hard to find players for those games these days though. I miss 'em.
I suppose it works because the Mythos make use of black magic, dark gods, and monsters, already staples of the fantasy setting. Really, though, the main reason the two are combined with such frequency is that Robert E. Howard included references to them in his Conan stories and those stories were and remain a huge influence on the genre. Plus both (RPGs and Lovecraft) tend to be things you pick up a liking for in college. I don’t personally think the Mythos are done much justice by the combo myself though. Adventurers are the anti-thesis of the powerless everyday heroes Lovecraft used and the Mythos monsters become just another kind of orc or demon in a setting where you can actually fight them with magical powers of your own. Horror is so dependent on mood and a sense of danger and the unknown that it’s hard to do well in a fantasy setting. Danger and the unknown are both pretty much carefully codified and stat-ed out in a DND game and meeting and fighting monsters is everyday business for PCs. But…people still love horror and so enjoy Ravenlot/Mythos DND games even if the fit isn’t a very good one.
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I do view writing opposite sex characters the same as a writer would, so it doesn‘t bother me. To me it’s a personality concept I play more than anything else. So deciding the personality of a character is always the key part in the creation process to me. Male or female is somewhat secondary. (Although if entirely honest, I have to admit that when rolling stats to create a character I tend to make lower STR chars female and higher STR male. Sorry, but, yeah.) I’d probably play more characters of opposite sex if I didn’t often get the feeling that doing so strikes others as uncomfortable or weird so I don’t do it that often. I suspect guys feel this more than ladies. Nobody really judges a woman for playing a male character but...I'm not so sure the opposite is always true. All that Tolkien doom & gloom got REALLY old, to me, years ago. I agree actually, and this is true of superhero comic books as well. A little humor can go a long way but many fans seem to look down on it. Taking this stuff ultra-seriously taxes my patience after awhile though. I prefer a fantasy world filled with strangeness and wonder…not incessant gloom and angst. Alice in Wonderland beats Lord of the Rings as a fantasy template IMO.
Hi, just posting my effort. Arlan Signet - Paladin: Spoiler: Arlan Signet was the first and only son born to a pair of Abadarian priests involved in establishing a missionary outpost along the outskirts of the Varisian wilds. His was a strict but not unloving upbringing that quickly instilled in him a firm belief in public service and placing the needs of the whole above one’s self.
As young a boy, Arlan proved rather shy and hesitant around the other local children, but always impeccably mannered and obedient to authority. At the age of twelve, he was sent away to the city of Taldar to study the order of Abadar in earnest. His exemplary dedication soon earned him entry into a small and highly select martial order based there. Over the years he was trained strenuously in the fighting arts and made to swear to a strict code of conduct that places the establishment of order and the furtherance of civilization as life’s primary goal. Arlan has now returned to his homeland in time for the festival. He has changed greatly from the shy young boy he was into a formidable warrior full of confidence and purpose…and perhaps more than a little rigid and judgmental in his beliefs.
Warned it’s a trap and then people stumble right in anyways… :) Anyhow, my two bits is, yes, I see your point. Some things strike us as enormously ridiculous but the idea has always been the DM is supposed to make up the difference. If you survive a charge by a guy with a lance because you have enough hit points than the proper description shouldn’t involve you getting skewered in the chest. Instead you probably leapt out of the way at the last second but hit the ground hard enough to sprain your arm...or whatever. Something like that. Same for the fall. If a character somehow survived a 200ft fall then it probably wasn’t a straight fall. He must have rolled downhill part of the way, caught some handholds, whatever. If it was a sheer fall, no getting around it…well, standard DM practice in my day (2e) was add modifiers until you get the desired result. A dead fall from 200ft onto the jagged rocks below would be grounds for some seriously deadly modifiers. Me…as DM, I’d go the other way. Explain the situation in a way that kind of makes sense and move on. If a character survives a dragon’s fire…then don’t describe the scene as him or her taking it full in the face. Also, yeah, as someone said, the high levels are basically demi-gods. The characters are the equivalent of Hercules or Wonder Woman. Their capabilities are well beyond the scope of normal human beings. In fact, isn’t the general rule that most NPCs in the world, even experienced warriors, are only level ones or twos? So even a Lvl 8 is someone well beyond an average human’s capabilities. We often think of Lvl 1 as meaning rookie but I don’t think it’s supposed to mean that. I think even a Lvl 1 is a supposed to be someone of rare ability.
Hello, I don’t know if you remember me but I lurked in your game for awhile. I’d definitely still like to give it a try, although I’m not sure if I’m what you’re wanting in a player. Like said before, I’m experienced at PbP games but still an amateur at the PF system. I can only do my best not to goof stuff up and of course except whatever penalties/rulings result if I do make a mistake. I think getting on that Wall of the Dead would be kind of an honor anyway. Some of those entries were hilarious. :) (I lurked all the way up to the second fight where the heretics killed practically everyone in the alleyway, so I kinda know what’s going on. It looked like everyone was pretty dedicated to the game though, so I didn’t think there’d be any spots opening anytime soon. I‘d be happy to fill in whatever role is needed to help balance the party, since I recall there being some discussion along those lines.) And to anyone else interested -- even I can attest this guy runs a pretty tight game he seems to put a lot of thought and preparation into. Great maps and game atmosphere, plus deadly combats.
I don’t know. If you’re saying you have more luck finding RL games than PbP games than your experience is vastly different than mine. But, yes, finding a PbP can feel like a hassle sometimes. You have to hunt for a listing that suits you, submit a character and hope you're accepted, wait for the GM to start the game (if they ever do), and then hope the thing actually holds together beyond a couple weeks. I would say maybe 15% or less will work out. So a lot of ‘wasted’ time is involved in hunting and staking out forums, submitting characters, waiting for it start (if it ever does), and then crossing-your-fingers-it-survives. Still a good PbP (or PbeM) can rank among the best RPGs you’ll ever play. It’s a crap shoot but hitting that lucky number can be rewarding. (Expanding your search area might help as well if you haven’t already. There are a lot of DND forums out there and most have PbP games and many host Pathfinder games as well as regular DND. I check a lot of them and currently the number of Pathfinder games recruiting is fairly low...but a few weeks ago it was quite high. It goes in fits and starts.)
It really depends on the game. I’d say my average AD&D 2e games were maybe 20% combat while Pathfinder tends to be considerably higher as the system itself feels geared more towards tactical combat. The Call of Cthulhu games I’ve played hardly have any combat and the freeform games I’ve played online have basically none. (Admittedly none of those have been fantasy-based; fantasy tends to call for constant danger and adventure more more than most genres.) In my mind, the more rules, the more combat, as most rules are combat related. Since Pathfinder tends to be on the heavier side of the rules equation, I would imagine on average its players are more combat oriented. I think it’s a system that attracts people who like to fuss over creating an optimal build and then play them in battle. Indeed, it’s one of the first RPGs I’ve ever played, where the players are often keenly interested in what others players ‘builds’ are and how they’ll effect combat strategy. As others mentioned, a less than optimally built character in a Pathfinder game is often not especially welcome, since if you can’t fight well, what’s your point? And I’m not saying one approach is intrinsically better than another, although I do have my own preference. I find combat boring, no matter how in-depth or how many options I have. But there’s certainly nothing wrong with playing Pathfinder or DND largely as a combat simulator. That’s what the mechanics are there for, after all. Indeed most RPGs are combat systems -- the rest is basically playing make-believe and you don‘t really need many rules for that beyond common agreement. (Although, in agreement with some of the above posters, bad make-believe can be much more annoying than any combat scenario. Combat is basically just an advanced game of Risk and while it can be boring, it's never actively irritating. Being forced to endure bad storytelling however can drain your very will to live...)
Just popping in to say I'm present and working on my char sheet. Should have it finished later tonight. (And I'll have an alias up for Vic by that time as well.)
Bridges to Babylon by The Rolling Stones. Been a long time since I dug this one out but not a bad record really. Plus I needed a break from Devo’s latest after listening to it way too much.
Gave it a shot. Will make an alias if you think he's in the running. Name: Vic Marduk
History: Vic was born and raised in the slums of Korvosa, his mother a scullery servant in one of the South Shore’s posh estates. His father was a former longshoreman given over to drink and inveterate gambling, burning through what little money the family made. As a result Vic’s youth was a difficult one full of want and neglect. Early into his teens, he fell in with a group of local toughs, doing odd jobs for Gaedren Lamm. The work seemed easy enough, even exciting, and for the first time in his life he had coin in his pocket and could afford to dress in clothes that didn’t have visible holes. So despite his parents concern, Vic was happy with the arrangement, and it was only of late that he’d begun to question the fairness of the cuts and whether there was any real future in sticking with the old man long term. Such thinking led to where it usually does when Lamm is concerned -- with Vic lying bleeding and left for dead on a Korvosa dock after a botched job that looked for all the world like a setup. Personality: Having spent so many years on the Korvosa streets and the fringes of its underworld, Vic has a somewhat skewed sense of morality. He has no qualms with lying, thieving, and cheating, provided a person is smart, fast, and clever enough to get away with it. After all, a sucker deserves to have his purse lightened, and if it’s not you taking advantage, then it’d just be someone else. For all that, he still sees himself as a good person, smart, savvy, and loyal to his friends and benefactors. Others, particularly those not use to Korvosa’s seedier side, are apt to view him as rather cocky, overly cynical, and given to overestimating his actual abilities. Motivation: Vic never liked Lamm much but respected the old man for introducing him to the trade. Whatever debt he owed him, however, died the night he was betrayed and left for dead and he now looks forward to the day he can repay that favor. Appearance: Short, slight, with wavy dark hair, green eyes, and a face still boyish despite his wish to look hard and cunning.
A gladiator class seems awful redundant. How is a gladiator not a fighter and vice versa? I suppose you could do character development guidelines. IE, a gladiator typically takes the following skills and feats at the following levels. But it strikes me most players would rather just create their own unique characters than follow a list.
I kind of like rolling the dice myself just because it's rather handy in defining your character. If you don’t know what you want to play when you sit down, your ability rolls often make that decision for you. I like that randomness. But then I like lower powered games in general and have never really had the desire to create powerhouses.
I’m currently switching back and forth between a number of different books: Against the Day by Thomas Pynchon
It's tough to pull off well and somewhat difficult to implement with a dice-based game IMO. If a player is terrible at riddles but his/her character has a high INT score, do you let them roll to figure out the answer? Seems to be defeat the point, and yet...seems only fair. I think if you're going to implement a puzzle it shouldn't necessarily be one with a right or wrong answer but rather one that will decide what path the PCs end up on. I think players like games where their decisions impact a game's direction more than a game where they have to solve things the way the GM designed them to be solved or end up stuck. Whenever you reach a point where your (good) players are stuck or frustrated, you've probably done something wrong as a GM.
TSR published a sourcebook for Ancient Greek campaigns for use with AD&D 2nd ed. called Age of Heroes back in the day. It provided a special kit for hoplites (or spartiates if from Sparta) but really there’s not much discernable difference from a regular fighter, beyond the suggested equipment, weapon proficiencies, and skills. The sourcebook includes kits for other classes, a brief history and myth lesson, a section on daily Greek life, a list of setting-specific equipment, magical items, and monetary exchange rates, plus some maps. I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s available free online somewhere like a lot of other old out-of-print AD&D supplements. The class kits aren’t so helpful since they use the old rules but the other stuff might be. This link appears to be an attempt at creating a Ancient Greek campaign for DND 3e. (I ran into it by googling 'Age of Heroes Dungeons and Dragons', it doesn't seem to be terribly detailed.) |