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And so do I. Like I’ve said multiple times, much of my notes are to help me when the plays say, “I do x” and nothing immediately comes to mind. In addition, when you have time to consider things you’ll often come up with better ideas than just in the moment. I find that the quality of cool...

Perhaps because “cool” depends on context? Just because I think of something that I think might be cool doesn’t make it so until the context makes it so. At which point I share it. Nor am I saying that every tiny event or aspect is cool. It’s the collection of events, created and/or compiled at...

Agreed, which is why I've been tweaking rules like these for decades. The campaign could be considered a weird blend of Middle Earth and the published Forgotten Realms (it's set in the Realms). But in part because my impression of the Realms was set by Greenwood's Dragon articles and the...

I know, and I'm happy that you brought them to my attention. And I understand that's what he was using them for, which is why I'm using them to point out that they also apply quite well for the exact opposite. Because pre-authored material and secret backstory can still be fluid and flexible...

Or those who follow Eilistraee. In the ancient history of the Forgotten Realms, anyway, it's clear that all elves are capable of the atrocities that the drow perform, but the drow were the only ones punished for it. If all elves have the capacity for hubris and destruction on such a mass scale...

I just reread this part, and it's just not right. In D&D, evil is evil. Being evil isn't about legality. And in any good society a lawful evil creature will do a great many illegal things. It's more than just screwing everyone else over. It's that they have no qualms about committing acts of...

The opposite of what others seem to want, which is a more powerful spell. I'm fine with it as is, and like it better than the AD&D version which was stronger in comparison because of the lower hit points of monsters. I have suggested a modification to force a system shock check when used...

Although I don't agree it's a crappy PC spell, I'm OK with the assessment that it's better for NPCs than PCs. And I don't really have an issue with that being the case either.

It doesn’t equal murder but they have no qualms about it either. The mafia is the classic lawful evil organization. The boss may not commit the murders themselves, but they order it. Or to be more specific, there’s not a crime or a murder by one of theirs that they didn’t authorize, even if it’s...

Yeah, spotlighting has never really been a thing in our games. Don’t know why. My players are happy to be a participating spectator if they are killed or otherwise disabled (actually generally insist on it unless there’s a good option in the story for an alternative, and they have the power to...

I suppose when I think about it, I'm looking for the opposite. The idea that a high level wizard has a spell that would allow them to automatically kill 1 BBEG (whatever that might be, such as the 1e dragons given in examples above) is way too overpowered from a world-building standpoint. To...

So you’re expecting an instant kill of the BBEG at the start of the fight? That seems to be the exact thing that people complain about with broken spells, that it allows the PCs to avoid the encounter altogether. For a bigger opponent I think a guaranteed 100 points of damage, either at the end...

That sounds mostly like chaotic good to me. The evil portion is lacking, for example, it’s not always “cast aside” but destroyed. Evil creatures conduct too many “crimes” and their allies know too much. An evil character by definition doesn’t view murder, torture, oppression, and similar evil...

Our games level up more slowly, so from a game standpoint magic item provide different abilities and opportunities. I still use a lot of true consumable items (wands don’t regain charges, etc) so the selection of abilities changes over time too. I find this actually works better than gaining...

So what do you mean when you say “it cannot even deal with some CR5 creatures?” Do you mean to say it should be able to kill them outright without them being reduced to below their maximum hit points? I guess that’s a question that needs to be addressed altogether - if you’re not happy with...

Agreed, although I'd just reiterate that while it's easy to find ways to add loops, etc., I don't do it just for the sake of adding them. In other words, I reject the idea that linear = bad. In the context of the game as a whole, yes. Within a single dungeon, even one that lasts for a number of...

Aaaaaand there we go. You've answered your own question and the thread can be closed! The purpose of world building is so the GM can have more cool things they can't wait to share. That covers absolutely everything I wanted to say. Because I'm not writing stuff for the players to determine...

All good points. Although I’d say that there are different types of complexity, and the PF release schedule vs the 5e release schedule, especially in relation to rules rather than adventures, highlights those differences between the two. Whatever the appropriate term is, I think PF caters to a...

I think that the only thing that is clear is that Eero's post isn't as clear as you think it is. We all seem to be pretty sure that what he writes in that post is directly relevant to our perspective. The very problem he points out as the basis of his post is: "The problem When we bring the...

PF doesn’t necessarily need to do better than D&D. They just have to maintain sales to be a viable business. I think they have an opportunity to continue the 3.5e path to cater to a group that does want something different than 5e. At least some of the time. They don’t really have to compete...