No, not normal. I'd say that you unfortunately got a not so great GM.
Your GM is also making up his own rules, and not being a nice person. You should find another group.
Your GM is a git and you should punch him in the face.
well, while it's not normal, it's not entirely bad.
Most of the time I get super frustrated with the lack of being able to accomplish anything with my character until about level 4. Everything happens TO me, rather than me doing anything.
I tend to roll horribly, 1-4 are my favorite numbers, apparently.
The double the price in the core rulebook thing? Eh, whatever.
Getting pick pocketed? It happens.
I suppose that depends all on what alignment your character is. But Maybe just steal stuff?
The Game master is making obstacles for you. Find a way to solve or go around those obstacles.
The str check for smashing the weapon however IS NOT how the rules work, I could see damaging the weapon maybe, but destroying it in a single shot? No. That's just plain mean.
are you playing alone? Is there no group?
Your DM is picking on you. Bigots come in all shapes and sizes. Please do not blame the guy because of one jerk. Look for a pathfinder society game. those are organized play and they are more likely to help a begginer. Once you found people you like there you could start a legacy game with them.
As others said. Those aren't in core, they are homebrew rules (except stealing gold, but the GM shouldn't really be doing that to new people anyways), and the GM should let you know ahead of time if he has homebrew rules.
Try and talk to him about this: Tell him your new to pathfinder. If he doesn't want to change, just quit and find a new group (or if you have it in your region, you could try Pathfinder Society.)
The Game master is making obstacles for you. Find a way to solve or go around those obstacles.
So how about the language barrier issue? Is that also just a standard challenge to be cleverly overcome and enhance the game experience for all?
The Game master is making obstacles for you. Find a way to solve or go around those obstacles.So how about the language barrier issue? Is that also just a standard challenge to be cleverly overcome and enhance the game experience for all?
Well I dont know, I dont speak french. Where is this game occurring? Canada? Im trying to think of where and English speaker would be playing with a french speaker?
I speak Spanish, English, Afrikaans, and German but I can't help you with French.
I assume you could just get a basic translator online of for your computer and cut and paste in rules and have them translated so you can read them more easily.
But as for speaking directly to the Game Master? That's hard, I know I often think of something in Spanish and then it's hard to explain it in English. Even though English is my first language, but the concept is often cultural which is why it occurred to me in spanish, so my spanish speaking co-workers understand me and the English guys are just confused or it takes me way longer to explain what I'm trying to get across.
To make things more difficult, most Americans are very impatient with French Speakers, it's something about the accent I think. So even when you are speaking English, many still find it annoying and get even more impatient. Are you playing in the US, France, Canada? Brazil?
Where is this happening?
We just had our second session and it's my first time playing PF. I wasn't impressed about how it turned out. First of all, my first language is french but i speak english well enough. My only problem is that i struggle 3 times as much to understand and sink in at times. I try to take info down as much as i can but i do forget details from what was rubbed in. So when I asked a question later on, dm said he wasn't repeating. I tried explaining my situation that i have to find my words so ai struggle a little more.
1st session, as i got to the big city, i fail a perception check and got most gold stolen, leaving me with 2 pieces. In the first combat, i was unfortunate and rolled a 1 to hit the enemy on the ground then i was asked to roll a str check so i rolled a 19. He told me that i smashed my weapon. The second session, i tried getting another weapon like the one i use at a temple for the deity i serve and I was told that they don't hold any weapons because of the city laws. i found a good smith to make another and he charges me 15 gold piece which is doubled in the core book.
For the rest of the session i sort of stayed in the background because I didn't feel I was having fun with this.
Is this normal things to happen in this game?
Good lord, I would hate to deal with something like this. I actually feel sorry for you for this, because this is about as bad as it gets.
Let me start with the misunderstanding of the rules, and I will say this: Misinterpretation or Confusion regarding rules is natural. We are all (well, almost all) primary English speakers, and I can tell you that Rules Confusion is not a strange coincidence, even for us who can understand the text clearly. There are loopholes, and unexplained corner cases that will occur in games, and is not something that is outlandish; lucky for us, we develop a Rules Question Sub-Forum to help with this conundrum for other players that the Creators of the Game (as well as other, more informed players) attempt to answer questions regarding the Rules As they are Written, or shortly listed, RAW, and if you have any questions regarding anything, don't be afraid to make a thread about it, because there is no such thing as a stupid question here.
Now let's move on: as I've said before, I feel sorry for you. Why? This is nasty, almost hostile GM behavior. Now, don't get me wrong, I am not saying that the GM should not have stuff like this occur, and since I was not there, nor do I have a full scoop on anything (like that would technically make a difference), I cannot say for sure how he truly acts; but if you are a beginner and stuff like this occurs, all I can say is that you got a tough GM, and a complete a****** (A-hole).
While I do agree that the posters on this forum do have a solid consensus of the matter (that the GM is a major punk for making such horses*** rules up), I would suggest that you talk to your GM about the matter first; I also advise you that when you do so, you do so at a point in time when you both are level-headed, and can talk about this without causing a fight or blow-up. The most complex and perplexing things can be solved by a little conversation; the thing is, you should let your GM know that 1. You are a new player, 2. You are not having fun at the table, and feel oppressed by the GM, and 3. The gaming experience with the group is not very fun, and is quite frankly, upsetting and frustrating you.
If your GM is not the big punk like we all look at him has, he will understand your situation, and will work with you on how to make the game fun again (and maybe the other players can help with this issue as well, don't be afraid to include other players in the matter as well). If he really is, he will tell you "It's my way or the Highway," and quite frankly, at this point it would be best that you find somebody else to game with.
Personally, I will go ahead and say that you got screwed with this group you're playing with. If it's your first time, and you are already having a bad experience, I feel bad that you are having to put down a game that all other contenders enjoy, just because of a couple bad apples ruining your experience. I suggest...no...implore that you give Pathfinder another shot; whether it be with the same group that is willing to help you enjoy the game more by adjusting some concepts, or with another group who would better fulfill that purpose than a group who does not care about another player's fun, because I don't find it right, or even acceptable to quit something due to an idiot bogging you down for no reason at all, when there are many other players out there who I will bet are more than willing to help you out.
I hope you try again with a different group.
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Good rule of thumb is if the DM uses critical fumble house rules (something bad happening if you roll a 1) get out of the group as fast as you can. This is one of the biggest red flags of a very bad DM.
Also I am sorry your first game went like this. As a whole we should all be trying to bring more people into the enjoyment of table top gaming not alienating them.
Reading the Op I see a few issues; Bad DM/Jerk, Language issues, and new to the game. As many others have suggested, find a new game where the GM will help you learn the game and learn to play. There are lots of GMs like myself who hav no issue with folks that are new.
Give it a go with another group.
Playing in Canada, Quebec.
I play with my gf and cousin and dm. Cousin and gf went to english schools as i went to french. They seem to roleplay very well, maybe because their english is so good, i can't the same thing their french. In combat i was effective, gf had horrible rolling and cousin wasn't doing much damage. But i think the breaking weapon was excessive.
It i my first time for PF but i did play some D&D in the pass
Ok Quebec canada,
SO at least you dont have the intolerant american issue.
So can your GF translate anything for you, is she bi lingual or not? ( I thought most canadians in the east were)
I do believe French Translation of the game is available somwhere.
I think the GM is probably the issue.
There are many "fake" languages in the game, so a language barrier can just be a fun role playing situation, what about playing a character like a half orc that doesn't speak common?
Or a Chelaxian or other human race that doesn't speak common?
The Game you are playing is almost exactly like D&D and is only slightly more complicated.
Another way around "breaking weapons" would be to play a spell caster or a monk.
Steal everything I have and I can still take on the world with a monk in the nude!
I find it hard to believe the French thing can be an issue in Quebec since French is so common there. I think it has to be just your dumb DM, why doesnt he speak french, doesnt he live there?
Playing in Canada, Quebec.
I play with my gf and cousin and dm. Cousin and gf went to english schools as i went to french. They seem to roleplay very well, maybe because their english is so good, i can't the same thing their french. In combat i was effective, gf had horrible rolling and cousin wasn't doing much damage. But i think the breaking weapon was excessive.
Well, it's pretty obvious that the GM might not have any idea of the rules either, and another recommendation is that you have him relook at the rules again (and this will definitely help you in figuring out if the whole "weapon" thing was purposeful or not). Here's what should've happened:
You roll to hit an enemy creature, and you roll a 1. Rules dictate that it is merely an automatic miss. That's it; no fumbling around or anything, as there are no rules in the book. While this indicates that he uses homebrew rules (that is, rules made up for the session), which isn't bad, it tells you two things: 1. He implemented something outside the rules without telling or consulting you guys, and 2. This concept has no specific means of enforcement.
As I've said before, even if he uses homebrew, the fact he uses homebrew isn't bad; our group does it constantly, using books from other (or perhaps predecessor) sources and implementing them into the game. However, the Homebrew should be formally agreed upon and established by the entire group, and it has to be properly enforced and balanced within the game. Otherwise, it's just another means for a mean GM to push his players around for no reason.
Now then, let's say he uses Homebrew that meets these conditions, it should go like this (and this is the way we do it):
Alright, you roll to hit an enemy creature, and you roll a 1. It's bad, but it happens to all of us, even the bad guys too. Now, since we have a possible Fumble, we roll the D20 again, using the same attack modifiers as before (unless we have a penalty or bonus regarding Fumble rolls, which would be added or subtracted to our original bonus at this point). If we do not hit the creature's AC again, then the attack will result in a Fumble, in which we draw a card from the top of a published Critical Fumble card deck and follow what it says for the respective attack.
If we do hit the creature's AC, the fumble is avoided, and it just results in a severe miss, and the character maintains his balance without exposing a weakness.
See, now this is acceptable; why? Quite frankly, these rules are set on rules from a predecessor (and inspiration) from Pathfinder, meaning that it is easy to make such rules compatible. In addition, such rules are endorsed by third party content (and possibly official Pathfinder content) as optional rules to include in the game (that is to be discussed and either enforced or ignored by all participants of the game), and is influenced on an elaborately established and balanced concept.
MY wife just reminded me all the miniatures she orders from this one catalog are ALL in FRENCH (everything with a pistol is listed as 'Guillarme' what is that in english like a cop?)
so if her WHOLE miniature catalog is in FRENCH there has to be alot of french players for this type of game, Im sure most of them are in Canada, not france or morocco etc.
Talk to your GM.
When first starting a game it is intimidating to talk to the GM but if s/he is not aware of your newness to the game or how uncertain you are with the rules the GM my run the game at his/her usual pace and style and not take you into account.
Say - I am new to this, I may need you to walk me through some of your decisions so I can understand why things happened.
The role of the GM is not smasher of PCs but facilitator of fun for all (including the GM). It's a hard job to balance and nobody is perfect.
So when I asked a question later on, dm said he wasn't repeating.
Everyone seems to be overlooking this as the reason why it's not just a normal language barrier issue and a simple solution like getting a French rulebook won't work: the GM is a hostile git.