I run homebrew, so I can let players be tentacled mollusc-like creatures that bear little resemblance to any conventional Earth life.
Hi5 and/or brohoof, as appropriate.
However, ponies do not exist in my world at all.
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I run homebrew, so I can let players be tentacled mollusc-like creatures that bear little resemblance to any conventional Earth life.
{raises mimosa in cheer} Huzzah!
However, ponies do not exist in my world at all.
OMG YOU TERRIBAD GM HOW DAER U UR GAME SUX
Would the lack of Ponyfinder be OK if instead all her homebrew's kitsune were neons and pastels and had cutie marks?
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Funnily enough, that's not actually a joke!
Most of the setting's natural life is from the Miocene to Pleistocene or thereabouts.
There are various precursors to modern horses, particularly, domesticated variations. This includes small species like Merychippus, I guess?
Funnily enough, that's not actually a joke!
Most of the setting's natural life is from the Miocene to Pleistocene or thereabouts.
There are various precursors to modern horses, particularly, domesticated variations. This includes small species like Merychippus, I guess?
Oh, sweet.
I run homebrew, so I can let players be tentacled mollusc-like creatures that bear little resemblance to any conventional Earth life.
And lots of Japanese - excuse me, Tian-Xia - school girl NPCs, I presume?
It's non-Golarion, so no Tians, unfortunately!
I imagine that if there is any tentacling between schoolgirls and cephalopods, it is entirely consensual, mutually-fulfilling, and utilizes safe words.
Probably.
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Did You Know: Aasimar are sometimes born as "miracle children" to devout couples that would otherwise be incapable of bearing children?And if Aasimar were written as they should have been with a Human scale lifespan, (which is how I use them) it would have been a perfect depiction. As they are written the only race that could actually "raise" an aasimar, are Elven parents.
They are written that way. The only place that uses the wrong numbers is the ARG.
That PFS has yet to notice doesn't make it any less non-canon.
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my problem with Tolkein, isn't with Tolkein's works, but with how the Works seem to permeate and dictate every tabletop RPG out there.
a game that Replaced Halflings and Gnomes with Elins, Elves with Castanics, Dwarves with Baraka, Half-Orcs with Amani and bothered to make the human ethnicities interesting by giving them variant packages, would indeed be an interesting game
what i mean is,
instead of 11 identical human ethnicities, build 11 human subraces with their own flavor and their own mechanical packages that fit their flavor to make them interesting.
my issue, is primarily, with tolkein's massive influence on tabletop fantasy, 60 years after middle earth was initially published
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I run homebrew, so I don't have to put up with what I don't like - the freaks and furries simply don't exist, which also includes Aasimars, Tieflings, and the elemental races.
Because there's absolutely nothing freaky about gnomes, half-elves, dwarves, elves, halflings and half-orcs.
Name-calling - for when simple opinion just won't do.
As for the questions regarding Aasimar/Tiefling lifespans and such,
I would suggest to you all to actually READ Blood of Fiends/Angels. I own Blood of Angels so I shall use that as my reference. In the book, Aasimars are described as growing up just at the same pace as their human children counterparts (it goes by the initial assumption of Human aasimar). But as they get older, they actually don't age as much and retain their youthfulness longer than their peers. This is much in line with things like Half-Elves as well. They just don't lose their youth as quickly as a human. They are like Asians, just... permanently. WHen they are 40, they still look 20. xD
(and YAY for being Japanese!)
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I run homebrew, so I don't have to put up with what I don't like - the freaks and furries simply don't exist, which also includes Aasimars, Tieflings, and the elemental races.
I am offended by your racism against all non-tolkien races. I would recant your statement before the PC police come and get more offended as well xD.
/sarcasm
I run homebrew, so I don't have to put up with what I don't like - the freaks and furries simply don't exist, which also includes Aasimars, Tieflings, and the elemental races.Because there's absolutely nothing freaky about gnomes, half-elves, dwarves, elves, halflings and half-orcs.
Name-calling - for when simple opinion just won't do.
Except my opinion is superior to any dissenting opinions, so I'm right to be smug about it.
I believe there is only 1 human because people would get even more angry if you gave african-analogue humans +str or + wis or -int, or the asian-analogue a +int and dex and -str, or otherwise make human skin colors different mechanically. I think it was why you didn't see humans in the Monster Manual in 3rd edition like you did in 2nd. Also why they removed the stat differences between the genders in 3rd, when males and females were mechanically different in 2nd edition.
I believe there is only 1 human because people would get even more angry if you gave african-analogue humans +str or + wis or -int, or the asian-analogue a +int and dex and -str, or otherwise make human skin colors different mechanically. I think it was why you didn't see humans in the Monster Manual in 3rd edition like you did in 2nd. Also why they removed the stat differences between the genders in 3rd, when males and females were mechanically different in 2nd edition.
A 3E Conan RPG had exactly that, except females, the only races were humans, and they came in all kinds of shapes and colors, and stats.
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Tolkien and/or anything Tolkien-esque in nature is too often used as the standard by which all fantasy is measured which I find short sighted.
In general I find "traditional" or "conventional" AKA "high" fantasy to be a bit underwhelming and particularly dull. It’s not that anything is inherently wrong with this style of fantasy it is just that I have found from personal experience and observation that High fantasy "purists" tend to consider other style of fantasy disagreeable and are quiet verbal about their discontent.
I have also found that high fantast purists tend to automatically assume that the genre of fantasy equals "High Fantasy", which is simply not the case anymore. Fantasy as a whole started before Tolkien as a retelling and/or incorporation of traditional folklore/myths in to fictional works. Tolkien helped bring Fantasy into the main stream and helped establish the Fantasy genre as a legitimate form of writing but he was by no means the first fantasy author and is certainly not the best.
Actually the legend goes that Tolkien and C.S. Lewis were talking about various stories and legends one day when they decided to take their writing in a new direction. They came up with the topics of "Time" and "Space" and decided to write books related to those themes. According to legend they flipped a coin and Lewis got Space and Tolkien got Time. Time turned into Tolkien's "The Hobbit" and Space turned in to Lewis' "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe" with The Lord of the Rings coming from the Hobbit and the Chronicles of Narnia coming from The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. Of course the hobbit was originally released in 1937 and The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe was released in 1950 so the time discrepancy makes this legend unlikely.
However, it does show that even when Traditional high Fantasy was being solidified into a genre that a slightly different take on fantasy was also being developed. If even only based on the fact that Tolkien and Lewis were friends and common associates.
I started off as a Horror and Sci-Fi fan and only switched to Fantasy because of Dark and Gothic Fantasy which typically has none of the traditional races. I feel like variant races outside of the traditional races opens up a lot of different options but no matter what you do with the traditional races they tend to get type casted and adventures tend to run a long a select few options. It is in many ways stifling to creativity and originality. (I speak in general terms as there is always exception to the rule).
There is nothing wrong with Mr. Gygax taking high fantasy and using it as the foundation of his Role Playing Game. It was so well done that it became the foundation of most RPGs. That does not mean that fantasy RPGs have to follow the same principles/genres/assumptions he used in developing his original D&D.
The thing that I like about Golarion and Pathfinder in general is that it offers so many different things that I can play pretty much any type of Fantasy setting that I want (outside of no official psionic rules but that is a different discussion). Paizo never claimed that Golarion or Pathfinder as a whole was a traditional high fantasy game. Only that it was a fantasy game.
I enjoy sitting at a table with no elf prince rangers but then I also suspect that there are several table of elf prince rangers, and dwarven high born paladins who are glad that my Tiefling Blight Druid is nowhere to be found....and that's fine, everything has its place. My place is not at the table of tradition high fantasy purest players.
Actually the legend goes that Tolkien and C.S. Lewis were talking about various stories and legends one day when they decided to take their writing in a new direction. They came up with the topics of "Time" and "Space" and decided to write books related to those themes. According to legend they flipped a coin and Lewis got Space and Tolkien got Time. Time turned into Tolkien's "The Hobbit" and Space turned in to Lewis' "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe" with The Lord of the Rings coming from the Hobbit and the Chronicles of Narnia coming from The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. Of course the hobbit was originally released in 1937 and The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe was released in 1950 so the time discrepancy makes this legend unlikely.
If there's any truth to this coin-flippery, I suspect that Lewis' literary contribution was probably "Out of the Silent Planet" which is actually about space, rather than furniture, and came out in 1938. (and lead to far more interesting sequels, in my opinion)
As for the questions regarding Aasimar/Tiefling lifespans and such,
I would suggest to you all to actually READ Blood of Fiends/Angels. I own Blood of Angels so I shall use that as my reference. In the book, Aasimars are described as growing up just at the same pace as their human children counterparts (it goes by the initial assumption of Human aasimar). But as they get older, they actually don't age as much and retain their youthfulness longer than their peers.
That's how all the long-lived races work in my games.
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my issue with races. is not when somebody tries to homebrew an honest conversion of an Elin or a Half-Nymph because they like the concept of playing a count's fey blooded niece or think Elin's are cute
it's when they homebrew a race with a +8 racial bonus to intelligence with a -2 to strength and charisma, with some tacked on spellcasting related features that sound elfy, tack on a drug addiction and call it a blood elf so they can be the best wizard ever.
i have no issue with blood elf homages, it's just, i don't beleive they warrant a special +8 intelligence bonus or a highly wizard slanted race.
now, i'm fine with an honest conversion of a famous MMO race that doesn't have a PF equivalent, toning down a monster race to PC levels, or creating hybrids involving creatures that seem feasible but haven't been done.
at the same time, i don't like it when people go "human" because they get a flexible bonus, a flexible bonus feat, and a bonus skill point per level.
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And birds are dumb.
And foxes are dumb.
And frogs are dumb.
Even more coming soon.
I wish to get rid of my account, so if someone could close or delete it for me that would be most helpful. Thank you.
Awww shucks, I was soooo looking forward to what OP thinks about Samsarans.
I wish to get rid of my account, so if someone could close or delete it for me that would be most helpful. Thank you.Awww shucks, I was soooo looking forward to what OP thinks about Samsarans.
Now, that's a strange reaction.
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MY Campaign world
I always find this telling.
Five people sharing an imaginary world, but it's YOUR Campaign world!!!1!!!(bold and italic emphasis yours.)
"Stupid players, always trying to ruin MY fun by having their own ideas! Why can't they just stick to their places and be the auto-dice rolling function I demand from them? If I want their creative input, I'll give it to them to parrot back to me!"
Cue whining: "But I work soooooooooo haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaard! I DESERVE to be the only one whose ideas matter!"
And also: "But... I'm THE DM! No one else could possibly do that job! Only ME! I'm SPECIAL!"
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MY Campaign worldI always find this telling.
Five people sharing an imaginary world, but it's YOUR Campaign world!!!1!!!
(bold and italic emphasis yours.)"Stupid players, always trying to ruin MY fun by having their own ideas! Why can't they just stick to their places and be the auto-dice rolling function I demand from them? If I want their creative input, I'll give it to them to parrot back to me!"
Cue whining: "But I work soooooooooo haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaard! I DESERVE to be the only one whose ideas matter!"
And also: "But... I'm THE DM! No one else could possibly do that job! Only ME! I'm SPECIAL!"
While I do consider the homebrew settings I'm been running in for my friends and classmates the past couple years "my setting", I certainly don't consider it "MY setting", let alone "MY setting".
It is MY setting as a GM, but it is OUR campaign as a group.
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It's a fundamental truth of basically any creative endeavor: two (or five) heads are better than one. Accepting input and criticism from your players is going to make for a better narrative because your players will think of things you won't.
When I started running Pathfinder I never had a chance to flesh out things like clergy and organized religion, but then in my second game when a player wanted to a cleric I just told her to tell me what she wanted and I made it work.
3 campaigns later we have a thought-out history that everyone's had a finger in.
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It's a fundamental truth of basically any creative endeavor: two (or five) heads are better than one. Accepting input and criticism from your players is going to make for a better narrative because your players will think of things you won't.
When I started running Pathfinder I never had a chance to flesh out things like clergy and organized religion, but then in my second game when a player wanted to a cleric I just told her to tell me what she wanted and I made it work.
3 campaigns later we have a thought-out history that everyone's had a finger in.
There is an old axiom that also is a fundamental truth.
"Too many cooks spoil the broth"| 4 people marked this as a favorite. |
There is an old axiom that also is a fundamental truth. "Too many cooks spoil the broth"
I saw an exceptionally insightful illustrated book of sayings when I was a kid. It had these "fundamental truths" on facing pages.
For example, "A stitch in time saves nine" was opposite "Haste makes waste."
"Absence makes the heart grow fonder" ... "Out of sight, out of mind."
"Beware of Greeks bearing gifts" ... "Don't look a gift horse in the mouth."
Your quote was opposite "Many hands make light work," as I recall.
my problem with Tolkein, isn't with Tolkein's works, but with how the Works seem to permeate and dictate every tabletop RPG out there.
a game that Replaced Halflings and Gnomes with Elins, Elves with Castanics, Dwarves with Baraka, Half-Orcs with Amani and bothered to make the human ethnicities interesting by giving them variant packages, would indeed be an interesting game
what i mean is,
instead of 11 identical human ethnicities, build 11 human subraces with their own flavor and their own mechanical packages that fit their flavor to make them interesting.
my issue, is primarily, with tolkein's massive influence on tabletop fantasy, 60 years after middle earth was initially published
That's a function of the RPG community in which fans of Tolkien are legion (and probably will be for many years to come). And every one of those fans (game designers included) want to participate in the fantasy ideas Tolkien put forth. So we run campaigns, publish games, write books, post fan-fic, whatever, all influenced by Tolkien rather than <insert other reference here>.
It's like seeing the monkopotamus. Once you see him, you've gotta try to ride him...
MY Campaign worldI always find this telling.
Five people sharing an imaginary world, but it's YOUR Campaign world!!!1!!!
(bold and italic emphasis yours.)"Stupid players, always trying to ruin MY fun by having their own ideas! Why can't they just stick to their places and be the auto-dice rolling function I demand from them? If I want their creative input, I'll give it to them to parrot back to me!"
Cue whining: "But I work soooooooooo haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaard! I DESERVE to be the only one whose ideas matter!"
And also: "But... I'm THE DM! No one else could possibly do that job! Only ME! I'm SPECIAL!"
Actually what I find telling is how you singled out and took out of context just that one point and chose to ignore the parts where I demonstrated that I am willing to work with the players. If (as you are trying to imply) I were unwilling to allow the players some input I would not even offer revision suggestions but just reject/ban out of hand.
Shared Universes do not work without set guidelines and limits. The Job of the GM (Much like an editor in chief or continuity director) is to ensure those limits and guidelines are not breached.
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Actually what I find telling is how you singled out and took out of context just that one point and chose to ignore the parts where I demonstrated that I am willing to work with the players. If (as you are trying to imply) I were unwilling to allow the players some input I would not even offer revision suggestions but just reject/ban out of hand.
He was using your post to make a broader point.
If the shoe fits, wear it. If not, kick it to the curb.
He was using your post to make a broader point.
Exactly this. Apologies if using you as a springboard reads as an overall attack on you -- that wasn't my point.
The classic races are alive and well, so to speak. There are tables where Dwarves, Elves, and Men dominate the game world and are the entirety of the adventuring party.
Most game groups I have encountered would be open to such a campaign if given a pitch before any character creation is done. The reasonable player is a far more common creature than the caricature overly-demanding player portrayed in many thread.
Shared Universes do not work without set guidelines and limits. The Job of the GM (Much like an editor in chief or continuity director) is to ensure those limits and guidelines are not breached.
To follow up and/or clarify, I'm not arguing against anything in the above quote. I do very strongly feel, however, that the "guidelines and limits" being enforced by the DM should be decided by the group, and not simply declared by the DM.
-Sigh-. Does anyone else feel similarly?
Boy, the way my memories fade. But I swear we was content with a +1blade.
Roleplayers like us, we had it made. Those were the days.Didn't need 1,000 splatbooks shipped by freight. All the classes pulled their weight.
Gee, those red box rules ran great. Those were the days.And you knew who you were then, elves were elves and men were men.
Mister, we could use a man like Gary Gygax again.People seemed to be content. Fifty gold pieces paid the rent.
Special snowflakes were in the circus tent. Those were the days.
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There is an old axiom that also is a fundamental truth. "Too many cooks spoil the broth"I saw an exceptionally insightful illustrated book of sayings when I was a kid. It had these "fundamental truths" on facing pages.
For example, "A stitch in time saves nine" was opposite "Haste makes waste."
"Absence makes the heart grow fonder" ... "Out of sight, out of mind."
"Beware of Greeks bearing gifts" ... "Don't look a gift horse in the mouth."Your quote was opposite "Many hands make light work," as I recall.
Totaly agree. In the one homebrew campaign in my group (we have 3 active games but only one is homebrew), the dm has created a frame work, but players have created organizations for him, helped him flesh out the pantheon, taken his hand sketched maps and polished them up in illustrator. Its a group effort, and we are all more invested for it, then we would if he just emailed us 200 pages of background to read through.
Oh and that too many cooks axiom almost exclusively is refering to more then 2, usually more then 3. I have never met a cook who does not do a better/faster/less stenious job cooking with a sous chef or too to help out. Its actually a very good analogy really. You have the head chef (GM) and assistant chefs (players who help create specific elements within the world the gm lays out).
Totaly agree. In the one homebrew campaign in my group (we have 3 active games but only one is homebrew), the dm has created a frame work, but players have created organizations for him, helped him flesh out the pantheon, taken his hand sketched maps and polished them up in illustrator. Its a group effort, and we are all more invested for it, then we would if he just emailed us 200 pages of background to read through.
There are potential downsides to this for certain play-styles, but the upside is pretty much unbeatable. Anything that sucks away apathy and brings people to the table excited is a win-win.
Otherwise, you get resurrected by the rest of your party just so you can tell them where they're supposed to be going next and why.
Don't be the guy who gets resurrected by the rest of his party just to tell them where they're supposed to be going next and why.
Don't be the guy who gets resurrected by the rest of his party just to tell them where they're supposed to be going next and why.
And definitely don't be the guy who gets resurrected by the rest of the party and then suffers from amnesia.
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I don't see what the problem is with the old standby:
If you don't like it, don't have it in your game.
I personally am not a fan of most of the new races in the ARG, but it doesn't hurt the game to have them. In fact, it gives people more options for fun play in their style, so it's a great book for the game, even if I don't use it in mine.
The problem is that one side is calling wrongbadfun, which is never productive. Don't worry about what other people like. Play the game that you like.
Meanwhile, a lot of the people on the other side are waxing elitist, implying that those of us who like our JRRT are small minded, backward, and old fashioned, and those of us who limit players in any way are overbearing control freaks, and are having wrongbadfun ourselves. Don't worry about what other people like. Play the game that you like.
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If they released a new book with stats for AK-47s and Rocket Launchers I believe that would be going against the spirit of this specific game.
I think you are going to *hate* the Numeria arc.
-Ben.