Tatyanna LePierre's page

Hi, guys

So I'm about to start a campaign with Hollow's Last Hope, and have been reading through the adventure. I just would like to query two things.

Firstly: The players background story in terms of how they got together is that they were all hired for some mission/task which ended up being sabotaged... they've been very vague on the details, so I'm going to play it in medias res and add details as the campaign goes along.

So the idea is that they're going to be lying low for a bit, and I thought it would be useful to say that the ranger knows of a quiet little lumber town on the outskirts of a forest in the middle of nowhere and has a old friend who would be happy to house them for now.

Now, the idea is that the friend is frantic about finding a cure for the epidemic - either due to his child or himself having become ill during the players trip to the town.

He'll ask the heroes to help him. Should they not wish to do so, there's two ways I'm thinking this can go: he'll either blackmail them - saying he left instructions that if he dies, a message will be dispatched to the nearest city of their location.

Alternatively, he'll state that he's spiked one of their drinks with the contaminated water, and that their only chance is to find the cure before it takes them.

Obviously, he'll be scared, and apologetic, and he knows he'll have betrayed the friendship and so on, and say as much, but I think it has a greater impact at indicating the level of desperation the townspeople feel.

Which do you think is the best route? Should I change it somewhat? I don't want to railroad too hard, but I'd like to run through the adventure and I think this is a pretty fitting way for the adventure to get started.

Secondly, what's the best way to play the Worg's request for "assistance" with the outlaying creatures? I see it working once, but I imagine the heroes will be very unlikely to go and kill a second batch of monsters when he only hands over one or two mushrooms for the dark mantles.

Do you have some suggestions on the wheedling out/backpedaling on the apparent lack of faith and get them to handle the other monsters? If they want to fight him, that's fine, but I'd like to play the Worg as cunning as they describe him in the module.

"Not important at all." The book reprints some material from APG and Golarion-specific sources, but nothing has jumped out as requiring UC or UM (except perhaps a small number of Magus and Gunslinger archetypes). There may also be references to UM or UC feats or spells, though I haven't noticed any specifically. If it does come up, you can check the PRD or d20pfsrd for any material that needs referencing. But again, the vast majority of the book can be used as-is in combination with the core rules and APG, without even acknowledging the existence of UC or UM.

Cool, thanks.

Hi, quick question.

I was under the impression that the Advanced Races Guide was similar to the Advanced Players Guide - i.e. adding more variety to the core game but which could ultimately stand on its own.

I've been reading some threads where the posters are posting races that state that they get abilities from Ultimate Magic or Ultimate Combat.

As someone who's only bought the 'core' set of Pathfinder books (Core Rulebook, GM Guide and Bestiary I), how critical are UC and UM to being able to fully utilise the ARG?

Props to everyone in this thread for Pogolo Peeps, I really like this sort of thing. The name seemed silly to me at first, but as the thread developed I've warmed to it immensely - seems exactly the kinda thing a young kid would call it.

Anyway, my two cents (I know we're overstocked in the creepy rhymes department):

Inside the shadows,
Ready to leap,
On all naughty children,
Waits ol' Pogolo Peeps.

So give no one sass,
And best mind your cheek,
Else there'll be a visit,
From ol' Pogolo Peeps.

Everyone, thanks for all the replies! I find myself constantly shifting back and forth between ideas, as they all seem to have their pros and cons.

In one of our recent games our GM told us that we were all slaves captured by the Drow. After having been owned for 10 years, the PC group were the only slaves that had survived the entire tenure and had grown to trust each other completely.

The campaign started with us being transported through a desert in a drow caravan to get from one underdark portal to another when our caravan was attack by surface raiders.

In the confusion we were able to make our way out of our slave wagon and get some weapons and free ourselves.

Gave us a nice start. Good RP relearning how to be people again instead of slaves and made sure we all had a valid reason to trust each other even if our otherwise diverse backgrounds would have made that difficult.

Not to sound repetitive, but I really like this as well (Possibly because it aligns pretty closely with my original idea). Tying it to thejeff's comment about how a character's actions in game over time sometimes contradict their supposed history with a character, I guess it allows for that trust element to be in place at the start without forcing guys into unnecessary relationships or background stories that they'll probably never refer to anyway.

Dabbler: Will definitely give it a read.

Alternately you can just start the game with them stitched together as a humanoid centipede. That gives them all an immediate common goal.*

*Do not do this thing.

Kind of like carriage cars for

There is some excellent advice above.

Actually, yes. And if you're running an adventure path, that can actually be a good thing. This is why I don't often give players Gorbacz's line, although it's a good one. What I say is: "Make whatever you want, but they must be the type of character who can answer the call to adventure and work in a group."

That is my sole criterion. If people really want to play isolated amnesiacs, why should I stop them? My job is to let them play.

A character who ignores plot hooks or throws them back in the GM's face is a manifestation of a player who enjoys wasting the GM's time and effort. I make it clear up-front that I have no patience for that — but everything else is cool. Even the mysterious loner ranger, so long as the player is at peace with the plot hooks.

Every reason or rationalization I tried to provide for them to be together was rejected as not meeting 'my character concept'. So now I use the rule above.

Excellent advice from both of you. That's exactly why I'd like to try and make the group as cohesive as possible from the start - I don't mind so much having plot-hooks ignored (although it can get a bit tiresome if someone deliberately avoids it), but I've found that a player's 'character concept' can be amazingly flexible from moment to moment.

Gigglestick: That's an excellent suggestion. I'm curious, do you let them know they may get the bonuses out of their character generation and backgrounds? Or do you just assign it as an unexpected reward?

Michael Radagast: Sorry, I haven't, but I get what you're saying.

Also, I read through some of your organisations, DM_aka_Dudemeister. Nice work. I might give them the opportunity of belonging to an organisation before we start generating their characters so they can work it into their backgrounds. I know a few of the players will get a kick out of the benefits (they like optimising builds and whatnot in other games).

Thanks for all the replies so far, guys!

Is the game already start? The PCs have already been created?

I usually come up with the background that led the group togheter by looking at what char classes/races i have to work with.

Having some tips from you will make easier for us to help.

What the setting? Golarion or homebrew?
Is there any particular event going?
Usually being hired from a powerful church is a good start that doesn't need a lot of work,so is there a cleric PC?

Looking at Golarian at the moment. While I want to do my own adventures, I'd like to be able to dip into modules or the like when I'm under strain.

Currently, we haven't started anything yet. I'm busy reading through the material (Core Rulebook, GM Guide and Bestiary I) and looking to pick up the Inner Sea World Guide PDF, finances allowing.

Over-arching event/story at this point is pretty vague. I'm putting together notes as I go, but I'm happy to wing it for the first few sessions while I generate a more substantive story arc.

Tell the players: "Now, as a group, please come up with a story on how you all met each other and why are you all adventuring together. I'll start running the game once you folks have figured that out."

Works every time.

That's... well, that sounds like a remarkably simple and effective solution, actually - especially in the case of my players. Doesn't that result in alot of "I'm a vagabond with no ties, no families and no responsibilities, hurrah!" though?

My suggestions:

Give the players a list of "Party Origins" that they may choose from. The Party Origins each have a requisite alignment, all PCs must be within one step of that alignment.

If you want some examples see HERE. Warning: Very, very minor Kingmaker Spoilers.

Hmmm, that could actually work. Especially if it's combined with

2. Patronage: who doesn't like stuff? The PCs have some kind of benefactor at the beginning of the game that can provide them with anything from an extra healing potion to everyone getting the "rich parents" trait free and they all go on wild shopping sprees. Said patron can be anything: dragon in disguise, a guild, a kindly mentor, or a sucubus. The key is that the first couple adventures result from having to "do" stuff for them and eventually the party may move beyond the need for a patron, but their "parent" just doesn't want to let go.

I like this idea as well. Possibly the PC's have been individually approached as being unique and they're drawn into some sort of new guild or group for more extraordinary missions?

Hi, guys

While I have DM'ed before, it was a long time ago (like, 14 years ago) and a for Dark Sun campaign that grew in player size gradually over time, making it easy to work in new PCs.

I've taken an interest in Pathfinder and am keen to begin a new campaign. The issue is that it's a group of five (two old-hands, three relatively new) from the get go, and I know from experience that these players sometimes are prone to the "Why would my PC want to hang out with these guys" argument or inter-party drama.

What would you recommendations be for starting the campaign in a way that gets around this scenario in an uncontrived manner? While I'd love for them to fall naturally into a group, it can be difficult to steer them in that direction and I'd prefer they all start on good terms from the beginning.

My thoughts at this point are:

1. During character creation, work in a hook into each character's background where a PC is at least related/friendly/a colleague of another PC.

2. Mutual survival: The PC's start shackled and rowing on a slave galley far from home (their starting equipment is essentially stored in a storage hold of some sort), when the galley is attacked by a third-party - in the ensuing chaos, they have the opportunity to deal a blow to the slavers and escape to a distant shore. Or the city where they were all located is aflame, and they've all managed to escape the inferno via the city's long-abandoned catacomb network... something along those lines.

Anyway, have any tips or recommendations?