And I guess if you just want straight combat that's fine, but I like giving my players the option of solving most encounters with soft skills even if they never take. even when they never take it. They never take it.
Funnily enough my players have decent odds of trying to avoid fights unless I make the villain pretty clearly evil or they don't see a way out. Animals and magic beasts they almost certainly avoid or just treat with gloves.
Though on the latter it's usually because I tend to play animals and magic beasts on behavior IRL or based loosely on their monster entry.
side note, it really sucks that book is coming out in the Woke Era. A CoC setting not done by the performatively woke could be dope as hell. Even if you want to make it a racism morality play, you could have literal racists working with otherworldly powers to enslave the minds of the blacks, or focus on how in the eyes of the old ones all of humanity is equally insignificant.
But naw, it'll be 100% woke where they can't even type out the word Nigger.
Bet Negro is banned too.
The Klan teaming up with Black Panthers and each side forgetting their hatred to fight extradimensional threats would be dope, but they'd never allow it. Black people can do no wrong and white people are incapable of not being evil.
The Klan teaming up with Black Panthers and each side forgetting their hatred to fight extradimensional threats would be dope, but they'd never allow it. Black people can do no wrong and white people are incapable of not being evil.
That would be dope. Both of them realizing a shoggoth doesn't give a fuck about your skin color. Or for Max Lulz, the PCs could be FBI agents who were sent infiltrate both groups.
Or have like the Tulsa Race Riot be the work of a Old One cult. Roy Belton being necromancer who was stealing an artifact from Homer Nida,and the one behind the whole thing as he was trying to summon some other worldly creature that was half-formed on a WWI battlefield.
Anyway, the woke in the Core Rules goes beyond mere performative. A lot of the "woke shit" in the 5e PHB is skirting the line of performative. The PF2 Core rules go far beyond "dudes can play girls, girls can play guys". They practically encourage players going full woketard, and by including X card faggotry in the same book, players who read cover to cover (or are told page numbers by their woke reddits) can say "But but but Rules say I get to remove anything I don't like right here!"
Again, its like the people who say "Well ok sure the rule books say white men at the table should wear dresses, highheels, and suck any black dick in a 30-block radius before sitting down to play, but my group just doesn't use those rules", which ignores that at some point you need to get a new group, and you are going to have woke hugbox players rolling up, saying they identify as a black woman and dropping their pants, and asking when the blowjobs start.
and at the same time you got a "gaming is for all" paragraph right at the beginning (and only a single paragraph), which I pointed out before means everyone, so even hitler could come up to play with his big tiddy goth half-elf char. this is far from vampire's retarded "if you're a fascist drop this book and get help". sure, someone will be retarded enough trying to pull a "this means everyone but X", but they don't need a paragraph for that, without it they would still tard out at some point.
as for the rest: this is a) limited to the GM section, so most people don't even see it (and if it would be split wouldn't even be in the PHB) b) it's one page of like 45 unless I missed something (and the x-card stuff is limited to a sidebar) c) the whole section has basic bitch directions how to GM, clearly aimed at complete newbies. of course a seasoned GM will already know all that (and pretty much everything else in that section), and also know he can run his game with how many rape-slaves he wants if his group is ok with it, but the book is for absolute normies and paizo's woke customers as well, if it's isn't the target audience in the first place.
nothing of that screams woke to me, just a basic reminder not to be a fucking retard, half of it is basic common sense. it even says basic assumption as baseline, to be modified how you see fit. I think I mentioned it before, but you have to remember what absolute speds are part of the "community" now, we're at a point you absolutely have to spell it out it for them not to be comedians and start raping butchered baby corpses at a con or on stream.
dunno why you assume "ban it, no questions asked" is the absolute rule and people can just willy-nilly pull shit out of the ass and you just have to accept it, you and I know that's now how it works; just because it's in there won't give the snowflakes free reign over your table, and you still gonna have to find a compromise with your players anyway. it's a general rule of thumb which is much easier to explain and understand without writing it like a legal text with dozens of exceptions and spending even more time on "ifs, whens and buts". dipshits will be dipshits, with or without "support" from the rulebook (you can filter most of those by declaring your game will still have phylacteries anyway).
another thing of note is that the playtest was worse (part of the gm stuff was in the intro), but instead of doubling down they cut stuff and moved it which is hardly the typical wokeshitter MO.
The X Card is shit because it doesn't make the person using it explain what is the issue. When the one specific thing I can't handle even in games came up, I told the player and asked him to not do it. He agreed and the game went on fine. When I wanted to play a character backstory and concept that was meant to be creepy, I cleared it with everyone else in the group first. And when it turned out during play that one player was uncomfortable even though he thought he wouldn't be, he told me and I changed things because I'm not going to argue about my right to play a statutory rapist high school teacher even if it's a World of Darkness game and therefore edgy as fuck.
the problem with the x card is a theoretical good idea abused by snowflakes and tards. iirc it was proposed for cons where you sit with complete strangers, which can already be shitty enough on it's own, having to explain people why you don't want some dude rape your character while staring at your tits shouldn't really be necessary.
like everything it depends on the circumstances and your table, if you pull that card with people you've known for a while (and hopefully somewhat trust) it would raise eyebrows, but I don't think that happens that often anyway. and there's really no point getting annoyed how other people play at their table.
You don't need an X card if you have minimal social skills and basic respect for others. And if you have traumas hat you can't talk about and instead need to immediately stop play without explanation when they come up, you should get therapy before doing social activities like ttrpgs.
Spoiler: page in question
Nothing of that screams woke to me, just a basic reminder not to be a fucking exceptional individual, half of it is basic common sense. it even says basic assumption as baseline, to be modified how you see fit. I think I mentioned it before, but you have to remember what absolute speds are part of the "community" now, we're at a point you absolutely have to spell it out it for them not to be comedians and start raping butchered baby corpses at a con or on stream.
Don't be picking and choosing now. include the page before (X card, allow woke shit) and after (Players with disabilities)
(Sorry for potato formatting, too lazy to screen shot)
A WELCOMING ENVIRONMENT
The role of Game Master comes with the responsibility of
ensuring you and the rest of the players have a rewarding,
fun time during the game. Games can deal with difficult
subjects and have stressful moments, but fundamentally
Pathfinder is a leisure activity. It can remain so only if the
players follow the social contract and respect one another.
Players with physical or mental disabilities might find
themselves more challenged than abled players. Work
with your players to ensure they have the resources
and support they need. Additionally, be on the lookout
for behavior that’s inappropriate, whether intentional
or inadvertent, and pay careful attention to players’
body language during the game. If you notice a player
becoming uncomfortable, you are empowered to pause
the game, take it in a new direction, privately check in
with your players during or after the session, or take any
other action you think is appropriate.
If a player tells you they’re uncomfortable with
something in the game, whether it’s content you’ve
presented as the GM or another player’s or PC’s actions,
listen carefully to that player and take steps to ensure
they can once again have fun during your game. If you’re
preparing prewritten material and you find a character
or a situation inappropriate, you are fully empowered
to change any details as you see fit. You also have the
authority (and responsibility) to ask players to change
their behavior—or even leave the table—if what they’re
doing is unacceptable or makes others feel uncomfortable.
It’s never appropriate to make the person who is
uncomfortable responsible for resolving a problem. It’s
okay if mistakes happen. What’s important is how you
respond and move forward.
Gaming is for everyone. Never let those acting in bad
faith undermine your game or exclude other players. Your
efforts are part of the long-term process of making games
and game culture welcoming to all. Working together, we
can build a community where players of all identities and
experiences feel safe
CHARACTERS WITH DISABILITIES
A player might want to create a character with a disability,
or their character might end up with a disability over
the course of play. Work with the player to find ways to
respectfully represent the disability. Conditions such as
blinded and deafened aren’t a good fit for a character
who has been living with a disability long-term. Here are
suggestions for rules you might use for PCs with disabilities.
Blindness or Impaired Vision
A blind character can’t detect anything using vision,
critically fails Perception checks requiring sight, is immune
to visual effects, and can’t be blinded or dazzled. You might
give this character the Blind-Fight feat (page 149) for free.
A character with impaired vision might take a –2 to –4
penalty to vision-based Perception checks. Spectacles or
other corrective devices might reduce or remove this.
Deafness or Being Hard of Hearing
A deaf character can’t detect anything using hearing,
critically fails Perception checks that require hearing, and is
immune to auditory effects. They have enough practice to
supply verbal components for casting spells and command
components for activating magic items, but if they perform
an action they’re not accustomed to that involves auditory
elements, they must succeed at a DC 5 flat check or the
action is lost. It’s best to give them the Sign Language feat
for free, and you might give them Read Lips as well (page
266 and 265). You might give one or more other characters
in the group Sign Language for free as well.
A hard-of-hearing character might take a –2 to –4
penalty to Perception checks that are hearing-based.
Corrective devices for hearing are less common than
spectacles are in a typical Pathfinder world.
Missing Limb
Some magic items require certain limbs or other body parts.
It’s fine to allow an alternative form of the item, turning
boots into bracers for a character without legs, for example.
A character with a missing hand or arm might need
to spend 2 actions to Interact with an item that requires
two hands, or otherwise compensate. Using a two-handed
weapon is not possible. A character can acquire a
prosthetic hand or arm to compensate.
Someone missing a foot or leg might take a small
penalty to Speed, but can typically acquire a prosthetic
to compensate. If they have no legs, they might use a
wheelchair, a dependable mount, or levitation or flight magic.
Mental Illness and Chronic Illness
Some disabilities, such as mental illness and chronic
illnesses, are best left to the player to roleplay. Mental illness
is an especially fraught topic, with a history of insensitive
portrayal. Be careful about the intentions of the player and
the impact the presentation might have on other players
And we've all read the X card shit so no need to repost.
Sure its in the GM section, but they show up ready with the page number from reddit. Which strengthens their argument.
And yes, I will happily pull out "My table, my rules", but my point is I shouldn't have to. And I don't really like to because going full autocrat sets a bad tone at the table.
You also have players being trained up by nubbie GMs reading that crap and taking it for gospel. Again, none of this fucks with your current table but you will need new players/a new group at some point the future.
It's to me the main problem of wokeshit rules and guidelines, aside from them being wrong and counterproductive. If Wizards put something on their site as an optional download, a PDF of what to do if you and your group willingly choose to be "progressive" with your game, that'd be one thing. I could easily ignore it, and if someone wants x-cards and no races in their games or whatever, fine, that's their choice and it's not one I have to make for my own game. But they don't do that, they put the shit directly in the main books and tell you directly you're intended to use them, and if you don't go with the "progressive" things they want then you're doing something wrong. Saw a snip of pic related on 4chan from a Call of Cthulhu splat called Harlem Unbound. Checked it out myself and it's a prime example of the insanity getting into so many RPGs now.
They put their ideological talking points in the book and insist you and your players must fall in line. In Call of Cthulhu's case they're not even going with generic common sense stuff like be polite with each other or racism is bad, it's getting significantly more extreme. View attachment 2709410
There's black dudes who would hate on that pic as much as anyone else, but on the other hand there's probably no other race that generally adopts the victim mindset as black people. American Indians don't hate on whitey as much as some black people do and they had it worse than slaves did.
It's to me the main problem of wokeshit rules and guidelines, aside from them being wrong and counterproductive. If Wizards put something on their site as an optional download, a PDF of what to do if you and your group willingly choose to be "progressive" with your game, that'd be one thing. I could easily ignore it, and if someone wants x-cards and no races in their games or whatever, fine, that's their choice and it's not one I have to make for my own game. But they don't do that, they put the shit directly in the main books and tell you directly you're intended to use them, and if you don't go with the "progressive" things they want then you're doing something wrong. Saw a snip of pic related on 4chan from a Call of Cthulhu splat called Harlem Unbound. Checked it out myself and it's a prime example of the insanity getting into so many RPGs now.
They put their ideological talking points in the book and insist you and your players must fall in line. In Call of Cthulhu's case they're not even going with generic common sense stuff like be polite with each other or racism is bad, it's getting significantly more extreme. View attachment 2709410
Glad I never got any versions past number 6. It had a similar scenario partially set in Harlem (Dead Man's Stomp), but it simply said "here's a bit of context on using negro/nigger in this setting, who used it, and why. Now go play." That was fine. The authors of this new edition can go tie their dick to a ceiling fan.
Lovecraft really put the 'phobia' in xenophobia, to the point where there's a lot of speculation that it was a result of mental illness (because holy shit, some of his early life would've given ANYONE a complex).
Lovecraft really put the 'phobia' in xenophobia, to the point where there's a lot of speculation that it was a result of mental illness (because holy shit, some of his early life would've given ANYONE a complex).
Lovecraft was very likely mentally ill to some degree. His upbringing and his family history indicates he probably did have at least some mental illness.
Lovecraft really put the 'phobia' in xenophobia, to the point where there's a lot of speculation that it was a result of mental illness (because holy shit, some of his early life would've given ANYONE a complex).
It largely WAS; the dude didn't just have an insanely fucked up sense of social awareness just out of the blue, his childhood was a travesty even by the standards of the times he lived in. Whatever one says about his writing, he is the most textbook example of creative genius molded by personal pain and suffering.
He didn't 'hate' people so much as he was fear them enormously; the only person he hated was himself. It's also never stated enough that he was able to get over most of his issues towards the end of his life for the better; perhaps tragically too late before his death.
He didn't 'hate' people so much as he was fear them enormously; the only person he hated was himself. It's also never stated enough that he was able to get over most of his issues towards the end of his life for the better; perhaps tragically too late before his death.
Yeah, it's really commonly misbelieved that Lovecraft was a completely shut-in outcast who hated everyone, when in reality - though he was a shut-in most of the time - he had a circle of friends he'd hang out with and he was actually pretty funny, and according to them he had a good sense of humor that could carry conversations. He was just genuinely fun to be around outside of his occasional depressive spell. Lovecraft's pessimism and bitterness was mostly at himself because he had next to no self-confidence. Dude had some problems, he was too hard on himself, and he had a tendency to get down in the dumps, especially over the shitty state the world was in even back then, but he wasn't the misanthropic antisocial recluse a lot of people think he was.
Any fellow kiwis here got some good maps and tips for running dungeons? I recently noticed my games have been very dungeon lite thus far and Im planning on changing that in the future.
Any fellow kiwis here got some good maps and tips for running dungeons? I recently noticed my games have been very dungeon lite thus far and Im planning on changing that in the future.
I usually build my own in Maptool from base textures; they tend to perform better and as I'm drawing and dropping assets I tend to come up with ideas of more shit to do to my players. Its not a fast process though, but I'm not into TTRPG because I'm looking to be doing useful things with my time.
I usually build my own in Maptool from base textures; they tend to perform better and as I'm drawing and dropping assets I tend to come up with ideas of more shit to do to my players. Its not a fast process though, but I'm not into TTRPG because I'm looking to be doing useful things with my time.
Alright, up until now I've been mostly drawing the maps using Krita or Photoshop, but I'm gonna look into those two programs.
Outside of map building resources, do you guys have general advice as to what makes a "good dungeon"? I've read the DMG and I've taken some notes, but I'd like to hear some tips from older players and DMs as in what are the dos and donts of it
Alright, up until now I've been mostly drawing the maps using Krita or Photoshop, but I'm gonna look into those two programs.
Outside of map building resources, do you guys have general advice as to what makes a "good dungeon"? I've read the DMG and I've taken some notes, but I'd like to hear some tips from older players and DMs as in what are the dos and donts of it
If you want to hit me up on PMs I can give you some Maptool advice. Their reddit calls it the "Millenium Falcon of Virtual Tabletops" and the descriptor could not be more apt - once you get your head around it you can do you insane things, especially when you start scripting. But to get to that point you have flail around through some non-intuitive features and deal with some exposed wiring.
Once you get your assets together and organized, if I need quick random encounter I can throw one together in about 10 minutes or less. But for a good dungeon, I'll put in maybe 4 hours placing walls, shadows, and 'interest clutter'
As for what makes a good dungeon:
Now, you're asking two questions, what makes a good map and what makes a good chain of encounters.
A good map gives the PCs lots of ways to interact with the environment: things to notice, things to use. It also gives them the ability to bypass/migigate some of the dangers. But if they don't figure out this One Weird Trick, it shouldn't be too punishing. (The old 'Punishment vs Consequences of Their Own Actions')
The dungeon should be 'living' and at least make some degree of sense; one of the things I hate about the most "gonzo" dungeons is it just a bunch of rooms full of weird shit to kill.
I'd point to the lower levels Madness at Gardmore Abbey as well put together dungeon (though I handled the events differently than written) as an excellent dungeon. (Specifically encounters 28-33, with instructions starting from page 30 of module book 2; available where ever your completely legally acquired pdfs are sold)
Not that I'm worried about spoiling a 10 year old 4e module, but save everyone's scroll wheels:
Background: In the module, the PCs are on a quest to collect the cards of the Deck of Many Things, but that is largely irrelevant to those encounters.
Summary: There is a Shapeshifting demon who has gathered a group of minotaurs and a group of Gnolls. Both groups hate each other. The Demon feeds on negative emotions so the fact the Gnolls and the Minotaurs hate each other is why he keeps them around and at each other's throats. (He appears as a gnoll to the gnolls and a Minotaur to the Minotaurs)
When the PC enter the dungeon they might encounter the Gnolls or the Minotaurs first. Both of them want to kill the PCs, but they also don't want to take any causalities fighting the PCs since that'll let the other side gain the upper hand, so both groups of monsters are willing to talk instead of fight.
IF the PCs don't immediately 'Nope!' out, they will propose a deal with the PCs to go kill some of the other guys. If the PCs elimate even a single room of enemies and leave for a day, the stronger side will kill the weaker side for the PCs. If they stick it out, the PCs can convince them to fight with them.
No matter how it goes, If the PCs take the deal, their temporarily alliance ends the minute the final mutual enemy takes his last breath.
Presiding over this mexican standoff is of course the Demon, but as a Red Dragon has also set up a lair in the Dungeon and demands tribute from the demon - a price the Demon has so far been willing to pay as the Dragon keeps other creatures away and he doesn't care too much for riches (and the hatred both the gnolls and minotaurs feel towards the dragon they have to keep sending loot to only feeds him). (The Dragon has some DoMT cards so the PCs have to fight him; you could find another reason or just count on natural PC bloodlust)
This gives the PCs some latitude in how they want to proceed, while also giving you some set piece encounters that need to be fought. The PCs can pick a side, or just kill both.
They can also try to just take out the Demon and convince both sides to take out the Dragon.
That said, the maps are a little sparse, and there isn't an abundance of fun environmental effects, no real 'trick' or gimmick to them. So the Dungeon is great, but the maps could use a little work. There is also the issues of the Dragon's tribe of Kobold attendants; the dragon's chamber isn't particularly well fleshed out, especially considering the only way out is through hostile terrain.
(The adventure also advises the victorious side just occupies the area, and with no more threats responds quickly to incursions by the PCs; I gave the winning side a bit more reinforcements and their 'elites' some improved gear [becasue the PCs fucked off to town for about week])
Example: I like to put in some traps that only the "owners" know about. So when the PCs come back the area might not be fully secure. Maybe some of the other team are hurt by traps as the encounters start, or if the PCs have a good/lucky rouge, they might spot traps they can use.
I also expanded the territories a bit with some storehouses and Kobold tunnels. Didn't affect gameplay, just made the maps feel more lived in.
