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Every time I GM The Disappeared, I want to play the Mission Impossible theme song and use this line.Idea for a Scenario: A mad alchemist implants bombs in all the VCs."Should you or any of your team be caught or killed, the Society will disavow any knowledge of your actions. This Venture-Captain will self-destruct in five seconds."
When I first played The Disappeared at Gamex, our GM actually did just that, playing the Mission Impossible theme off his smartphone! It really set the mood. Since it was Sunday at the time, our table had the room to ourselves, so the music didn't disturb anyone else.
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No wonder you guys were not looking happy over at your table...We almost lost our second Prestige point yesterday in Scars of the Third Crusade because of this.
** spoiler omitted **
I really hate gaming with chaotic players.
Well, it worked out in the end, and in the single combat of the game my monk rolled two natural 20s on a flurry of blows, so I had fun in the session.
But yeah, it felt like we were being sabotaged.
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Ive had to explain on numerous occasions to one of my younger players that Pathfinder Society =/= police and that he cannot lawfully arrest anyone in any town just cause he is a Pathfinder.
This...
I have to remind my players that they have no powers of arrest and not part of any militia. And they aren't playing CSI:Absalom
Wait a minute, says who?
You can buy manacles on the cheap. You can interrogate. You can hand them over to the authorities. Or you can leave them there !
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Ive had to explain on numerous occasions to one of my younger players that Pathfinder Society =/= police and that he cannot lawfully arrest anyone in any town just cause he is a Pathfinder.
This...
I have to remind my players that they have no powers of arrest and not part of any militia. And they aren't playing CSI:AbsalomWait a minute, says who?
You can buy manacles on the cheap. You can interrogate. You can hand them over to the authorities. Or you can leave them there !
Just wear an Aspis Consortium badge and you make the Society look good by comparison too!
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I feel like for every scenario where you get bad reactions from identifying yourselves as pathfinders, there's an equal number where you get good reactions from identifying yourselves as pathfinders. So depending on what scenarios one has played, they may get the impression that everyone likes the pathfinders.
It's also a way to pass on blame. A fairly common knee jerk reaction. It's not my fault, I'm just following orders, blame the institution that told me to do it not me.
I have to disagree. Today I completed my twentieth session and the best initial reaction I've had was a begrudging acceptance that you were needed (that was Assault on the Wound and in retrospect, I attribute that to minimal interactions with NPCs). The rest of the time people were indifferent or downright hostile, with NPCs knowing who you are, when they have no reason to (I've also played in Scars of the Third Crusade and felt the sting of a railroad job care of a lazy writer).
Call me jaded, but I've found it best to not say that I am a Pathfinder. The NPCs will know without me telling them (toot toot). I haven't had a situation, yet, where identifying oneself as a Pathfinder wasn't a liability.
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As an Ordained Hellknight of the Order of the Gate I take issue with the idea that I lack the moral right to imprison, arrest or otherwise constrain those who would bargain with fiends outside of the compact between the Dark Lord and the House of Thrune. Should temporal authorities seek to interfere in my task then they will be re-educated appropriately.
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This is an ongoing problem because of the mix of temperaments in groups. Sometimes, it's perfectly justifiable to pull a Han Solo "boring conversation anyway.".
I pulled one of these when my group started discussing how they would attempt negotiation with a monster that is "Always Chaotic Evil" in alignment and was clearly supposed to just be a combat threat, and they were going to give up the element of surprise. So I charged and got a surprise round.
In the aftermath, we learn that this is literally the only member of this species ever to possess a Lawful Good alignment...
*shrugs* Oh well! Glad I was playing my Rovagug worshipper! While the three Sarenrae worshippers prayed for forgiveness, I used its blood to paint cool designs on my face.
Venture-Captain, California—Sacramento
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This is an ongoing problem because of the mix of temperaments in groups. Sometimes, it's perfectly justifiable to pull a Han Solo "boring conversation anyway.".I pulled one of these when my group started discussing how they would attempt negotiation with a monster that is "Always Chaotic Evil" in alignment and was clearly supposed to just be a combat threat, and they were going to give up the element of surprise. So I charged and got a surprise round.
In the aftermath, we learn that this is literally the only member of this species ever to possess a Lawful Good alignment...
*shrugs* Oh well! Glad I was playing my Rovagug worshipper! While the three Sarenrae worshippers prayed for forgiveness, I used its blood to paint cool designs on my face.
So... Clearly it was not there just as a combat threat.
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So... Clearly it was not there just as a combat threat.
Yes, but it was intended to seem like one (it didn't even occur to me to suspect otherwise - I've come to expect little subtlety from most scenarios like this, and was pleasantly surprised it had depth). Most groups will slaughter the thing, and the character I was playing was far too trigger-happy to consider the alternative.
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Venture-Captain, California—Sacramento
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I don't see how you got surprise, if it is the one I think it is. Oh well, different GM styles.
I have, in past, allowed a bluff vs sense motive to get a surprise round during negotiations. (The idea being that you get a surprise round only if the opponent is unaware of the threat, and with bluff, you can convince the opponent that you are just pulling out a bribe, instead of (for instance) a bomb.
The down side of course is that unless you have prewarned your comrades, then they *also* need to make a sense motive against your bluff to go in the surprise round. (Of course, if you have prewarned them, then they have to make bluff checks too, and the enemy only has to meet the lowest bluff check...)
He could also have been invisible, which would have provided him (but only him) with a surprise round.
But yes, some GMs are overgenereous with surprise rounds. I have played with people who basically rule "first person to say I attack gets a free attack, and then combat begins."
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My drug addeled pesh addict spent his first few missions in areas where the group pretended to not be pathfinders. So I had him play the confirmation to have him learn he was actually a pathfinder. Now he is just confused and thinks he betrayed the aspis consortium.
My summoner has infiltrated the Aspis Consortium so many times she's practically on a first name basis with half its operatives.
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My drug addeled pesh addict spent his first few missions in areas where the group pretended to not be pathfinders. So I had him play the confirmation to have him learn he was actually a pathfinder. Now he is just confused and thinks he betrayed the aspis consortium.My summoner has infiltrated the Aspis Consortium so many times she's practically on a first name basis with half its operatives.
Wait, is anyone here NOT an infiltrating pathfinder agent?
Its how the Consortium gets half its free labor.
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This is an ongoing problem because of the mix of temperaments in groups. Sometimes, it's perfectly justifiable to pull a Han Solo "boring conversation anyway.".I pulled one of these when my group started discussing how they would attempt negotiation with a monster that is "Always Chaotic Evil" in alignment and was clearly supposed to just be a combat threat, and they were going to give up the element of surprise. So I charged and got a surprise round.
In the aftermath, we learn that this is literally the only member of this species ever to possess a Lawful Good alignment...
*shrugs* Oh well! Glad I was playing my Rovagug worshipper! While the three Sarenrae worshippers prayed for forgiveness, I used its blood to paint cool designs on my face.
I'm betting that there were significant clues that this character was different from the norm that you (either player or character) ignored.
I'm glad though that your monster knowledge skills were rewarded in knowing that these creatures are always evil.
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It's Ok. I'm an American.
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I'm amused by the premise of a scenario that sends the PCs to rescue a bunch of fellow Pathfinders who attempted the "Don't worry; we're Pathfinders!" defense in very inopportune circumstances.
Like Molthune, Cheliax, Bloodcove, select parts of Ustalav, or the like.
John, "Don't Worry, We're Pathfinders" should be the title of a module.
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John, "Don't Worry, We're Pathfinders" should be the title of a module.I'm amused by the premise of a scenario that sends the PCs to rescue a bunch of fellow Pathfinders who attempted the "Don't worry; we're Pathfinders!" defense in very inopportune circumstances.
Like Molthune, Cheliax, Bloodcove, select parts of Ustalav, or the like.
Part 2 would be "Back off man, I'm a Pathfinder."
Part 3 is just "Candygram"
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Ive had to explain on numerous occasions to one of my younger players that Pathfinder Society =/= police and that he cannot lawfully arrest anyone in any town just cause he is a Pathfinder.
"I am insulted by your claim, sir! I am a long time judge and executioner in both the Courts of Absalom, and the Church of Damerrich. I pride myself on being both an expert, and student, of international criminal law. Wherever possible, I make sure that I secure some sort of writ or approval from local government to apprehend suspects should I come across them in my exploration.
"I live the law, I embody the law, I AM the law.
"Besides, what would you have us do, sir? Simply murder those who commit crimes against us? I thought that was the sort of reputation we were trying to avoid."
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John, "Don't Worry, We're Pathfinders" should be the title of a module.I'm amused by the premise of a scenario that sends the PCs to rescue a bunch of fellow Pathfinders who attempted the "Don't worry; we're Pathfinders!" defense in very inopportune circumstances.
Like Molthune, Cheliax, Bloodcove, select parts of Ustalav, or the like.
Don't worry. We're pathfinders and we're here to help.
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I don't see how you got surprise, if it is the one I think it is. Oh well, different GM styles.
I don't remember the details. Regardless, I got to hit the thing before it hit back.
I'm betting that there were significant clues that this character was different from the norm that you (either player or character) ignored.
The only clue we were given was "it hasn't attacked you yet, and seems to be hiding." To me, and my character, that sounded like "you've spotted an ambush before they jumped out at you."
The GM said afterwards "Don't feel bad. The scenario sets you up to fight them and feel guilty after."
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I'm glad I saw this thread. Last night I was mentally prepped to point out that we couldn't just "make a bust" because we were Pathfinders. We had no legal standing and weren't even considered good guys.
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A bit before my time, a player in our area would knock on doors and announce "Pathfinder Society!" This has become somewhat of a running gag. It's always amusing when they are sent to help someone who is expecting them, and this actually works.
We had a Ranger in our area with an Axebeak animal companion who used it as a prop. His running gag was to knock on doors and claim to be raising funds for the Axebeak Sanctuary Society.
His Bluff skill sucked, though, so it never really worked, but we got a lot of good laughs out of it.