Share your best Pathfinder advice in one sentence

[Scott Romanowski]

Skeld wrote:

I just thought of another piece of advice that might help:

Don't get hung up on the rules because they really aren't important.
-Skeld

While this might help in a home game, it can really harm a player in society play. I'd say "If you're the GM make certain that you rule in accordance with the rules."

Imagine one GM ruling in away that goes against a written rule and a player gaining several levels in organized play, using that mistake to guide her character development, taking feats and learning tactics that work but are illegal. Then the player plays with another GM who knows the written rule, and suddenly that investment in feats and tactics doesn't do what player expects. This can happen in a small venue, with one GM, and if the player attending a convention. Your responsibility as an organized-play GM is to make sure your players aren't surprised later because you do things wrong.

I've seen a similar thing at boardgame tournaments at conventions. One player is used to playing with a house rule (e.g., being able to "take back" moving unit(s) MP/MF expenditure when their opponent says shes making a D1F attack on them (ASL)), then gets shocked when their opponent says "You can't do that".

["Auntie" Baltwin]

Tome of Clear Thought wrote:

Carry a pair of shackles for when that one person in the party is about to do something crazy or alienate NPCs, and never be afraid to make a playful grapple check against your other party members.

is the shackles for the PLAYER or the CHARACTER?

[Philippe Lam]

Skeld wrote:

I just thought of another piece of advice that might help:

Don't get hung up on the rules because they really aren't important.
-Skeld

Adapting my mindset on whether it's a home game or Organized Play. The former can't be applied point-blank on the latter because it's the safest way to get disappointed.

[Take 10]

GM Ryan wrote:

Whatever you do, don't roll a 1.

and people want to know why I like Take 10...

[The End Times Party]

Flutter wrote:

"you'd be amazed how many encounters can be solved by throwing a pig at them."

Or a Chicken:

This close to GenCon, I figured we needed something to lighten the mood and bring out a couple laughs... so here's a Con Story.

At a Tier 1-2 table for a certain Special with a Really Big Dragon on the roof a building the PCs have to get into... the PCs are hiding around the corner of the building - peeking around and trying to get up the nerve to run across the courtyard to the buildings entrance and avoid notice by the Dragon on the Roof.

Judge: "The dragon roars again, shaking dust from the roof eves that you are hiding under."

Cleric: "Anyone speak Draconic? I wonder what she keeps yelling about? Anyway, we need a distraction - something to draw the dragons attention away from the door before the rest of us run for it."

Rogue reply's: "Well... I have a chicken."

other players look at Rogue player: "????"

Rogue: "yeah, I picked one up - it's on my equipment sheet - see?" Hold up ITS pointing at the chicken entry.

Cleric to Rogue: "...and ... you're going to use it how?"

Rogue: "I'll throw it at the dragon. She wont be expecting that...."

Fighter: "...yeah, I sure wouldn't be expecting someone to pitch a chicken at me..."

Rogue: "yeah, I'll do that." Turning to judge: "So I run out to here in the courtyard and throw the chicken..."

At this moment the Overseer announces over the loudspeakers that "the Really Big Dragon on the Roof" flies away. (totally unrelated to events at the Tier 1-2 table, but great timing!)

Table judge rolls with it: "Seeing the chicken flying in her direction, the Dragon leaps from the roof and with a crash of her gigantic jaws, snatch's it from the air. Doing a Wing-Over maneuver and with a snap of her huge leathery wings, the giant beast speeds away over the cities rooftops..."

Rogue player sits back with big smile on her face.

Cleric player looks at the table judge, at the Rogue player, then at the other players and says... "Heck, it looks like the dragon just wanted chicken take-out, this would have gone so much faster if someone had been able to speak Draconic..."

[Scott Romanowski]

As any older gamer knows, Phil and Dixie demonstrated that you should use a cat
https://web.archive.org/web/20150428205439/http://www.airshipentertainment. com/growfcomic.php?date=20070128
or a rabbit
https://web.archive.org/web/20150428205556/http://www.airshipentertainment. com/growfcomic.php?date=20070708
not these new-fangled ideas about pigs or chickens!

[Artofregicide]

"Rocks fall, everyone dies" is tired and cliche. Players expect it.

Why not summon a Great Old One?

No, not Cthulu. Why not Ithaqua? Maybe with a pack of a dozen advanced savage(M) wendigoes?

Slowly drive them insane until they start cannibalizing one another. Bonus points if you get the players to do this.

Bonus advice: "TPKs are hilarious and fun, but remember- they can always reroll. But mental scarring is forever."

...

...

...

Have you seen the Yellow Sign?

boring, serious disclaimer:

Along the shore the cloud waves break,
The twin suns sink behind the lake,
The shadows lengthen
In Carcosa.

Strange is the night where black stars rise,
And strange moons circle through the skies,
But stranger still is
Lost Carcosa.

Songs that the Hyades shall sing,
Where flap the tatters of the King,
Must die unheard in
Dim Carcosa.

Song of my soul, my voice is dead,
Die thou, unsung, as tears unshed
Shall dry and die in
Lost Carcosa.

[Joe Mamma]

Pathfinder is a game you play with friends; have fun, and remember that the others at the table are there to have fun too (including the GM/DM),

[rorek55]

player advice-
Play the character, not yourself, and Let them grow, from bad dice rolls, for sometimes all the fun, can come from rolling a simple 1.

DM-
Improv is a godsend, learn it, do it, make it your own. Your players care not for your plans.

[Sir Stabalot]

No creature is definitely dead unless proven otherwise.

Which means two things:
First, you poke the body (and not with a stick)
Second, if you didn't see a corpse, it isn't dead.

[blahpers]

Artofregicide wrote:

"Rocks fall, everyone dies" is tired and cliche. Players expect it.

Why not summon a Great Old One?

No, not Cthulu. Why not Ithaqua? Maybe with a pack of a dozen advanced savage(M) wendigoes?

Slowly drive them insane until they start cannibalizing one another. Bonus points if you get the players to do this.

Bonus advice: "TPKs are hilarious and fun, but remember- they can always reroll. But mental scarring is forever."

...

...

...

Have you seen the Yellow Sign?

** spoiler omitted **

But seriously:

XHAMEN-DOR XHAMEN-DOR XHAMEN-DOR XHAMEN-DOR XHAMEN-DOR
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X͍̳H̛Ạ̢̠͕͕͉̩͕M̱̞̗̮͖̮̕E̡̦̦̣̮̟N̹͍̭͢-̛D̬̬̞̝͚O̗͇͔̰̭̩Ṛ͔͕̹̣̯̲͝ ͖̭͍̜͓̹X̳H͈̣̪ẠḾ̺͚͉̱͔̹E҉͍ͅṊ̷̲̱̬̙͕̥-͔̠͈̟D̛O͇͇̤̻̩̮̪Ŗ ͈̞͍͕X͉H̖̱̖͝A̙͢MEN͕̪-͚̪̹̗DO̢R͖͙͜ ̠̹̫X̤̺̙̮̼͠H͔̭̻̹͕A̧M̹͚͠E̫͉̟͕͈̘͟N̦-̻̘D̪͕͔́O̵̭R̮̰̬̥ ̦̙̞̰X̩̦͔͉̪͇͢H̤͘A͕̗̙̱̻̹ͅM̱̥̱̦̝̯E̡͎̥͕̪̥̺̦N̥̻͚͓-̜D̩̣͖̺ͅO̪͠Ŕ͉ ͙̟̘͞

[Slim Jim]

Don't be the slowest person in the party unless you're the paladin.