I might be completely losing my mind (no, wait, that's probably a certainty, but I digress), but I could have sworn there was a statement in the Core Rulebook somewhere that said a GM has the capability of providing ad hoc circumstance bonuses to various rolls based off of game play. Did I just make that up? I have scoured the rulebook for about the past hour, and I can't find anything like that anywhere. The only thing I could find that was even somewhat like it was under the Cheating and Fudging or GM Fiat sections of the Gamemastering chapters. Is this just a phantom rule I've carried with me from a previous version, or something I dreamt up and put into practice without good cause?
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I am using my phone, but I believe that it is directly addressed in the gamemastering guide. The old "rule" is to throw out a +2 bonus when something is favorable or a -2 when it is not.
There was a lot of number crunching done back years ago to show the relative benefit of the simple fast rule and it seems to work well.
It is a nice trick to quickly level up a creature (+2 to everything) or make it a young creature (-2 to everything)
@Arliss
That's the rule I mentioned that's listed under GM Fiat.
One handy rule to keep under your belt is the Fiat Rule—simply grant a player a +2 or a –2 bonus or penalty to a die roll if no one at the table is precisely sure how a situation might be handled by the rules. For example, a character who attempts to trip an iron golem in a room where the f loor is magnetized could gain a +2 bonus on his attempt at your discretion, since the magnetic pull exerted by the f loor helps pull the golem down.
That might be the rule I was thinking of, but the fact that it specifically says this should be done in the case where the rules don't specifically apply bothers me. I thought for sure there was a statement somewhere in the book that said the GM had the power to add circumstance bonuses based off of game play.
Yeah, no, I get that. Rule 0, GM's word is law. I know as a GM I can do whatever I want, including cheat/fudge (which is actually in the rules), but I'm saying I had a distinct recollection that there was such a statement somewhere in the rulebook. Something to the effect that: "The GM might add additional circumstance bonuses or penalties afforded by in-game action." It's possible, as I previously stated, that I'm just losing my mind and no such statement exists anywhere.
You're probably thinking of the "GM's best friend" from the 3.x DMGs. It basically explains that anytime you as a GM feel that circumstances favor or disfavor something, use a +2/-2 circumstance modifier. It was a little more spelled out in those books.
@Ashiel - Thank you!
That is exactly what I was remembering.
When in doubt, remember this handy little rule: Favorable conditions add +2 to any d20 roll, and unfavorable conditions penalize the roll by –2. You’ll be surprised how often this “DM’s best friend” will solve problems.What I didn't remember was that this rule is also prefaced with this:
Often a situation will arise that isn’t explicitly covered by the rules. In such a situation, you need to provide guidance as to how it should be resolved. When you come upon a situation that the rules don’t seem to cover, consider the following courses of action.
Which means that the quote I have above, from the Core Rulebook on page 403, is the Pathfinder equivalent of that rule. I was obviously remembering that rule, but putting it into a different context. Thanks to all that replied.