This may sound dumb, but rule 0 is not "the gm can do whatever they want" nor anything to that line of effect.

[Reksew_Trebla]

Hear me out. I'm writing this from memory, as I don't have the book with me right now, but there is a rule that outranks even the authority of the GM. Since Rule 0 is meant to be the one rule above them all, this means this rule I am about to remind you of would actually be Rule 0.

That rule, is the rule that determines the GM's role in the game, and thus who even gets to be the GM. Again, I'm writing this from memory, but the text says something like this: It is the GM's responsibility to keep a balance of fair but also fun in the game.

So yeah, if the GM is not being fair or fun, technically, they are breaking the rules, as this rule outranks even the GM, as it determines who gets to even be the GM.

EDIT: In case it wasn't obvious, I'm just venting about the abysmally bad GM I just dealt with. Literally killed the party with "rocks fall, everyone dies," just because my character had a Ring of Sustenance, and didn't need more than 2 hours of sleep, preventing the party from having all of their gear stolen in their sleep.

[PossibleCabbage]

I'm not sure. The reason you should avoid "Rocks fall, everyone dies" sorts of GMing is not that rule 0 doesn't give you this sort of power, it's that it's generally not going to lead to a good experience for the people playing the game.

Like insofar as there are rules that bind the GM, these are rules about how you treat people, not about how the game rules work.

[OmniMage]

Rule 0 is everyone should have fun. At least thats my rule.

[DungeonmasterCal]

Rule 0 for my games echoes that of Omnimage above. I have never done the "rocks fall, everyone dies" or "you fall into lava and die. No save" types of actions, though with lava I might make the exception lol.

Seriously though, the game is supposed to be fun for EVERYONE. It shouldn't be a power trip for a GM or an excuse for a player to act out their repressed puerile or violent fantasies. I have had to enforce Rule 0 only a handful of times in nearly 40 years of game mastering, but I do my best to make a player understand it's nothing personal and that it would apply to everyone in the party, and I never do the "I'm the GM and I'm a GOD" bs. But if I make a ruling, sometimes on the spot, a reasoned conversation about whether or not what it applies is welcomed. Throwing a tantrum does at least unlock the "rocks fall, this player dies" door.

[happykj]

from Core Rulebook's How to Play section wrote:

Above all, have fun. Playing the Pathfinder RPG is supposed to be exciting and rewarding for both the Game Master and the players. Adventure awaits!

There are many other places in the books that emphasize this point

It would be annoying if you spent time to play, and Game Over without a proper reason.

Ps:It's a little off topic, but falling rocks and lava won't necessarily kill you if used the environmental rule, though you need to be lucky enough

[Mysterious Stranger]

The ultimate power actually rests with the players. If they don’t like the way the GM is running the game, they are free to leave the game. If all the players leave the game, there is no game. But within the game the GM is the final authority.

This is not a rule of the game; this is part of socializing with others. If you don’t like how a person is acting don’t associate with them.

[Bjørn Røyrvik]

Rule 0 of RPGs is that the GM can enforce, ignore, change, add or subtract any element in the game regardless of what the rules or setting says. Enjoyment of the players is not a part of it. Rule 0 of having friends and folks to play with is not being a dick.

[TxSam88]

Bjørn Røyrvik wrote:

Rule 0 of RPGs is that the GM can enforce, ignore, change, add or subtract any element in the game regardless of what the rules or setting says. Enjoyment of the players is not a part of it. Rule 0 of having friends and folks to play with is not being a dick.

I'll agree to this as long as he does not do it on the fly. When you go into a session, you should have a fair assessment of how the rules of the game should work. If suddenly the GM decides he doesn't like how something works, it's not fair to suddenly change it, at least without some discussion of why he wants to change it and some mechanism to keep it fair.

[Belafon]

Rule 0 can be paraphrased differently by everyone. My definition has always been:

“The ‘rules’ as presented in the book are just guidelines. The GM is free to add, subtract, modify, or ignore those guidelines. Both when setting up a campaign or in the middle of an encounter, the most important thing is to make your campaign one that is enjoyable for your particular group of players.”

In your particular case, talk to the GM and offer constructive criticism for the future. Many times in my PFS GM career I had to say “let’s take a 5-minute break” not because we needed a break but because the players had done something that blocked the plot from progressing and I needed time to figure out a reasonably organic way to get back on track. It sounds like the GM was setting up a sequence that involved your party trying to regain their gear. And he got frustrated and responded badly rather than coming up with an alternative explanation. Maybe some flowers around your campsite that bloom a couple hours before dawn and give off an extremely strong soporific (everyone falls asleep).

By the same token it’s important for the players to work with the GM. If the GM is trying to start a plot line, gloating about how a PCs abilities or a player’s cunning planning keep the thing from happening isn’t going to make the GM happy. Again using this example, if the GM comes up with the “flower” idea, don’t spend time arguing about how that wouldn’t work either. A good GM will work with you and meet somewhere in-between. “Because you need less sleep than most creatures, you wake up earlier than the thieves expected. You startle one and he drops his loot as he flees.” So you would still have some of your gear.

[TriOmegaZero]

Anyone can do whatever they want, as long as no one at the table objects.

When someone objects, then you have to figure out how to resolve it.

This leads to rules about what you can and can't do.

That's the purest base of the game.

[Dragonchess Player]

Rule 0 is about gameplay.

This is (and should be) distinct from the "social contract" for the gaming group. "My way or the highway" falls under the gaming group social contract, not Rule 0.

[Masalic]

I swear GM's like that are why I learned to condense my builds and why i tend to stick to PFS legal so they won't have any excuse to say i can't use something.

If a GM use the game to go on a power trip, im moving to another table.

[TOZ]

Rules can't protect you from a bad GM. One of you gotta leave.

[Zepheri]

Rule -1 player have more power than the gm, Because without them there is no game to play. So before the gm kill the party because he can do it think before you act you may lose not only the adventure but also the position of gm a game with the same group or even lose your friend
This doesn't mean that you can't kill them

[Waterhammer]

Players don’t have more power than the GM. GM can walk away just as easily. Which may be what happened to start this thread. Or not. How could I know, I wasn’t there.

[PossibleCabbage]

You can't solve personal problems with game rules, but insofar as there is a question about game rules the GM's word is more or less final.

[Azothath]

GMs can do what they want, it is their implementation of the Game.
That said, nobody has to play or continue to do something they think isn't worth their time. People earn their reputation.

Reskew_Trebla wrote:

...

As a hard core 'not close to RAW' player I'd expect you to experience more troubles than most. You'll have to find a GM who will work with your ideas.

[Diego Rossi]

To be honest, the OP post sounds like there are issues on both sides of the table. No idea if that is correct, as I don't know the players or the GM, but get the impression they are in a confrontational relationship.
If that is the situation, it is better to find a different gaming table. Maybe simply swapping who is the GM can resolve the issue.