Stunty_the_Dwarf's page

Life is crushing me. I've barely had time to sleep. This is the first time in weeks I've done more online than check email. Hopefully, this will clear after the holidays, but until then, I'm pretty much unavailable.
Of course, things aren't as bad for me as for those of us in Greece.
Keep safe...

I'm just checking. We don't really have a local shop, so it's doubtful that anything will form around here, but I'm intrigued by the possibility.

Okay. Final leg of the move starts today. I'll be off the internet entirely until Tuesday. Sad... I'm going to miss a bunch of good emo roleplay.

That's fine.

Haven't we spent a sizable chuck in this little one-mule town? I figure they've got most of what we've been "paid" back, although different people have it now.
Hell, we've probably bought more healing items and higher-end weapons than this burg sells in 5 years.

My gaming stuff is stored at the moment. It'll be sometime early next week before I can level Larken. I'm not even sure what he's going to take a level in. lol...

Just an FYI guys.
I'm in the middle of moving. We're out of our house today, and not into our new one until the 8th. My posting may be spotty for a week or so. I'll probably be able to check every day, but if I'm holding things up, please feel free to NPC Larken.

God! I'm a fat old man. I hate moving.

goers

Well, strictly, given the DC is actually 28, it was more that Elisile and Larken boosted eachother with their good rolls, and with a bit of DM fiat thrown in you both saw it.

Ahhh... well, then. Never mind.

Hey gang,

I think I'm going to need to bow out. I'm just not "feeling it" like I hoped I would, and I think that's going to take away from the enjoyment of everyone. I think PbP just isn't for me. I've got one other game still running, and the only reason I'm still in it, is because we're almost at the end.
Good luck.

Guys, I'm honestly not trying to be a wanker. Larken has gotten out of my control. I know that sounds weird, but he's pretty much playing himself at this point.

I'm out of town from tomorrow until sometime Sunday. Feel free to NPC Jericho if necessary.

I'll be out of town from tomorrow until sometime Sunday. Feel free to NPC Larken as necessary. I may be able to get online for a little on Thursday or Friday, but who knows?

I'm good either way.

Guys, I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to bow out of this game. I just have too much on my plate right now.

Sorry... I'm going to have to bow out.

I'm back online.

My computer is crashed. I won't be able to post until I get it up and running again, which will, hopefully, be this weekend.
Sorry.

I'm almost certainly going to play a psionic.

This could be fun. Any room left?

Oh, my god, do we need a party leader. This adventure committee stuff is starting to get a little old.

ummmm.... end of surprise, beginning of real initiative, coppertop at the bottom of the initiative chart? Perhaps a bit excited about the opportunity to whack goblins, but dude... wait your turn. Everyone, leterally everyone (including little old ladies and Tiny Tim "God Bless us, every one!") get to go before you.

Before we all go trucking off into the darkness, I would just like to let everyone know that all I've got left for attack spells is a magic missile and one more scorching ray plus a few cantrips, wands, and my Fiery Burst ability. As long as we don't get into anymore "boss fights" we might be okay... hopefully. Otherwise, I won't be able to contribute a whole lot.

and remember... you have to keep that scorching ray in reserve to use your fiery burst ability.

Another option would be to give the paladin a selection of different abilities (of which Remove Disease would be one) that all borrow from the same "positive energy" pool.
Maybe some short-term personal combat buffs, various condition removal effects, and some sort of 'ray of smite" (which would also need a "smite evil' use.
It would give the paladin a little more of the flexibility that folks have been after, and turn an ability that sees little use in most campaigns into something a little more usable.

Jaku going would be a great shame but I'd rather people voice their opinion and possibly move on at the beginning before we all form much stronger ties.

I agree with the initiative cloud being a bit confusing but it should highlight just how much effort SargonX is capable of putting in on our behalf. He has to bring each round together.

His use of the electronic map and rules knowledge also bode well for the future. Perhaps you could give the game a month or two to see how the game improves, possibly thanks to your comments?

Finally I find it ironic that the one PC who has almost caught our quarry is the one disappointed at the encounter. My guy is useless in this environment but do I care, no, I'm just enjoying what is happening to you as you set off all the fun ahead of me!

This is widely regarded as a good encounter and part of a very good starting Dungeon scenario called Mad God's Key. I have to side with the DM on this one, I reckon it's a pretty interesting start.

My 2 pence worth.

Okay...

I also find it ironic that I'm the only one disappointed (actually, frustrated and irritated are more accurate) with this encounter. It's designed so the only classes that really have a chance at it are the ones that can bury jump (and really... who does that?)
If we hadn't switched over to 3.PF, I don't believe anyone would have gotten as close as I have. (Certainly not me - my 3.5 jump was +0.)
As things stand, I'll probably be unconscious or dead before I actually get to say "tag!" Unless, of course, I try the 20' jump, at which point I'll just be wet.

Thank you for letting me know that this encounter is widely regarded as a good one and that the scenario it's from is also widely regarded as very good. It's not my cup, and so I disagree.
I shall, however, remain for a while, since it's not actually the DMs work, and I don't want to judge his adventure on the basis of someone else's product.

Crossbow traps on barges that don't trigger against drunks?
Pop-up drunks that don't spend a round trying to figure out what's going on, when this is the first they've appeared?
And here, I thought all the jumping from boat to boat was making this hard enough.
sorry... a little cranky this morning.

*snort*
I think once you hit someone on the head with a mace, you're into intimidation a bit more than diplomacy. Either way, you've made sure they start at hostile.
We need to think about what we're doing a bit more, perhaps.

For anyone who's interested in getting into a game, but can't find one on these boards, Unlimited RPGs has a bunch of games up and more in the works. We're currently getting some Pathfinder started, and if there was a sudden influx of players clamoring for games, I'm sure the DMs there would make sure that everyone was happy. Also, if you're a DM looking for a site dedicated to PbP, Unlimited RPGs is the place to look.
Looking forward to seeing some of you there.

Dravite fires 2 arrows through the opening and at the king...

I'm all about heroic action, but I really don't think there's any way to get reasonable LoS on the King from outside the door, and I don't think Illes has had time to make a hole in the roof. I really think that the pillar at J9 added to the crowd of minions between him and us pretty much totally blocks him. I mean, it's the DM's call and all that but, wow.

Nah...
What I'm saying is "It's not the game system's fault if you're so intractable that, rather than accept that no gaming system is going perfectly simulate exactly every single thing that anyone wants to play, you choose to play a subpar character, or get pissy and stomp off, rather than try to work with/around the system."

Now... now I'm getting snarky.
It's like you're being purposefully obtuse. "I want it my way. Why can't I have it my way? You're not making it my way. Why isn't it my way?"
The answer to these and many such questions is thus:
You're not designing the system. If you choose to do so, you can comment on the Alpha rules, and possibly the designer will take your needs into consideration and make some minor modifications to his vision of the system. But, and you can quote me on this, until YOU write a game system, YOU will never have it exactly your way.

And with that, I'm not posting again for a while. Once I get to the point where everything I read annoys me, it's time to take a break.

The problem with I have with flexibility in a class system is that most people don't seem to know when there's enough, and when there's too much. Using classes, by their very definition, means a limit on flexibility. If you want your character to be something beyond the base classes, look at one of the 100294 available PrCs. That's what they're for.
Even without the PrCs, the core classes, as written, allow a nearly infinite variation of concept. Hell, I rarely need a PrC to make the character I want to play.
The classes, as written offer so much flexibility that I find it ludicrous that anyone can be upset because they're 'too restraining'. IMO, much more freedom, and we may as well go with a classless system, which would suck (at least for me, I know there are folks out there who LOVE classless systems - you know who you are, courtfool ;) ).

First, I wasn't being snarky. I'm rarely snarky. I usually go straight to rude, and progress to condescending. My response to your post was actually quite polite for me, as is this one, just in case you wondered. When I decide to insult you, you'll know it... trust me.

Now... about your character concepts that don't work in pathfinder.
What you're saying now is you can still build them, but you don't want to, because they don't make optimal use of the specialist abilities.
That's fine, and certainly your choice. I personally don't think that not using the specialist power is going to cripple a character. Some of the higher level stuff is pretty strong, but you can get by without it, or for that matter, don't play a specialist. Then, the 'universal specialist's abilites are extra and so you don't need them anyway. Your concepts should work just fine.

Being specialized in a school doesn't have to give you fixed abilities.
I can easily make five different kinds of summoners or enchanters or any other specialist - or at least I can in 3x. Remarkable, really, considering that 3x's flexibility, itself, is nothing to boast about (the rigidity of the game system is why we have 10,000 prestige classes). - though, to be fair, that has to do less with the original 3x system and more with the perversion it grew into over the years.

Wait... so you're saying that your 5 different summoner or enchanters hinge on a single additional spell per day? And the lack of that one spell keeps you from building the guy you want? Hard to believe, but I'll take you at your word.

I posted this, but the board ate it.

LilithsThrall wrote:

I've said before that the psionic warrior makes a better monk than the monk does.
That being said, I could go for the psionic warrior or a variant thereof replacing the monk.
That way, everybody's happy. Psionics is in core. The monk is less eastern. The monk gets a much needed boost and becomes a better, well-rounded, class. You don't have to worry about transparency vs. non-transparency issues so much because psionic warrior abilities do less direct effects.

See... I hate blanket statements like "That way, everybody's happy."
I personally don't like psionics, don't feel that the psychic warrior makes a better monk, and certainly don't want to see something like that replace the monk. I like the monk. I think monks kick mucho ass. Your proposal would not make me happy, and I'm part of everybody, aren't I?
I just wonder why people who don't like or can't figure out how to effectively play a class have to say, "This sucks! Let's throw it out."
The monk is fine, and will likely get the same facelift that the rest of the classes are getting, making it even more kick-ass.

As for a new class... I'm not sure what core is missing. If you add a psionic class, then you have to make sure that all the rules for psionics link up with the PFRPG, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but could be a problem, logistically. I wouldn't mind seeing a spontaneous divine caster. Something like the favored soul, but without all the "becoming more and more divine and less and less what I was." Something like the Mystic from the DLCS, maybe, which is basically a sorcerer that casts divine spells.

I've said before that the psionic warrior makes a better monk than the monk does.

That being said, I could go for the psionic warrior or a variant thereof replacing the monk.
That way, everybody's happy. Psionics is in core. The monk is less eastern. The monk gets a much needed boost and becomes a better, well-rounded, class. You don't have to worry about transparency vs. non-transparency issues so much because psionic warrior abilities do less direct effects.

See... I hate blanket statements like "That way, everybody's happy."

As for a new class... I'm not sure what core is missing. If you add a psionic class, then you have to make sure that all the rules for psionics link up with the PFRPG, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but could be a problem, logistically. I wouldn't mind seeing a spontaneous divine caster. Something like the favored soul, but without all the "becoming more and more divine and less and less what I was." Something like the Mystic from the DLCS, maybe, which is basically a sorcerer that casts divine spells.

You know, I Initially thought "Open Playtest - what a good idea!"
Now, I'm not too sure. By the time I got a playtest started and was ready to give some feedback, the boards were clogged with 1005968447 posts by yammering chuckleheads who wanted, not a modification to the existing PF rules, but something completely different. Of course, each of those threads were filled with more yammering chuckleheads discussing the merits of said proposal (and not, of course, the merits or flaws of the PF RAW). I admit that I have been one of them, although mostly as a "GAH! Please god no!" kind of poster (which is, in itself, no more productive than the chuckleheads'). Those threads spawned more threads - spin-offs of topics that have little to do with the PF RPG (becoming more and more just discussions of some aspect of The Game) until now, it has become so annoying to try to find useful threads that I'm giving up. I'll continue to playtest the game and as things are changed, I'll incorporate them, at least for a while, but in the end, I'll take what I want and leave the rest behind.
It's become like that jobsite commercial. "If you let everyone play, nobody wins."
There have been some good, insightful, pertinent posts on a variety of subjects. I just hope they haven't gotten lost in the combined yammering of 1005968447 chuckleheads.

They do go together, but they're not the same, at least not from a game-mechanic, feat-balancing point of view. If you put them together, then that feat gives you too much for your one feat, as compared to other feats, even other combat feats, and especially other "no prereq" combat feats.

Additionally, it looks like the idea is to limit availability of feats based on class. Combine that with the current PF skill system, and you'll end up with characters that are too specialized and two-dimensional. I like being able to build a wizard who takes a few combat feats to increase his ability to survive if he gets into HTH combat (or just surprise an opponent with his above-par ability with a club.
Is it optimal? No... but not everyone is, and that's the part of PRGs that I like... you can play anything you can imagine.

Gah... they're doing that in 4E.
The whole idea behind PF is that it's not 4E. People who like 4E are going to change over to 4E. Pathfinder is, IMO, being designed, at least partly, for the people who don't like 4E. Bringing 4E "innovations" into PF is going to put those people off.
I don't mind change. I like what I see of PF, for the most part. I just don't think I'd be interested in some sort of 3.5/4E genetic experiment.
(I realize that there will probably be some cross-over. I just don't want my nose rubbed in it.)

Nothing like this is necessary, especially in the core.

Out.

Spoiler strictly for Stunty's eyes only:

** spoiler omitted **

Spoiler strictly for Aubrey's eyes only:

I'll put something together tonight. I'm probably going to build a Favored Soul, after all. I have a concept... we'll see how it works.

I'd be willing to put together a cleric or a favored soul (although I much prefer the mystic from the Dragonlance CS - it's like the FS, but without the whole "getting more angelic as we go" angle. Or possibly, I'll just steal Coppertop whole-cloth - I'll look at his profile and see.)

I'm already playing in a Runelords group, so if that's a problem, let me know.

lol...

"I study the ancient art of Razor Sharp Chair Leg"
"Ahhhh.... now your skill with such improvised weapons makes sense. Your Chair Leg-fu is quite... impressive. Let us drink tea and talk of things not relating to combat. Servants, summon that useless twit, the Bard, that he may inspire us to more greatly enjoy our tea."

Meh... this is a silly idea. Homerule it if you want.
He has all the tribute he ever wanted. The game lives on.

Craft and Profession are just fun roleplaying things.

See, that's the point. Some people actually like to roleplay.

Personally, I feel that the bard should only have spellcasting via magic items. There are way to many classes that can cast spells. Give the bard its own niche. Perhaps giving a bard a greater chance of using the use magic device skill would better capture the character that knows a little about a lot flavor than giving them full caster status.

Pretty much every bard in fiction/folklore/mythology has been able to use magic. Take that away, or the music, and you've so fundamentally changed the class from its literary roots that you've created a brand-new class.

Hmmm... grit and combat toughness. Call it a Grit check.
A possibility:
DM: make a Fort save
Player: 15
DM :you recover 5 hp.
(save DC increases per use, amount healed is static based on a table)
Something like:
DC--amount healed
15---5 hp
18---10 hp
21---15 hp
24---20 hp
27---25 hp
30---30 hp (maximum for a single check)
DC goes up by 5 for each check between sleeps, though the period can't be less than 12 hours.
Something like this, but less clunkily written, might be acceptable.

Okay. Let's try a different approach.
Self-healing is ridiculous. After a fight, everyone (I'm sorry, only fighters and barbarians) regenerate? Why? How?
Yes, it's a magical world in a magical game, but to give the two least magical character classes regeneration is silly. That's where the magical healing spells and potions come into play.
Simple, yes.
Elegant, no.
And whether or not you play video games, that is the mechanic you're espousing.

Indeed. They really just want to sit quietly after a battle until their life bar gets back to... oh, wait, that's something else.