Pathfinder 1E I have been asked to try this again

[GameOgre]

I have found that trying to run a game not suited to your style of DMing is a bad idea. The players are often after parts of the game that you are trying to cut out! You are much better off running a game that appeals to you.

I understand the pressure of wanting to please your players with a game they want to play but in the long run it's easier to just swallow it down and run what you find fun.

Cutting all the super crunchy bits out of pathfinder is defeating the very reasons why so many love the game.

I was running a Pathfinder game and trying to enjoy it even though it didn't appeal to me as a DM until I just got so aggravated I told them I wasn't going to do it anymore. Then one of my players totally surprised me and said he would run it! I got to actually PLAY!

Pathfinder ROCKS as a player(well,any rpg is fun if you don't ever get to play much) and I'm having a blast!

Also now that the shoe is on the other foot I'm seeing the new DM struggle with so many of the things I disliked about it from the other side of the screen. I don't give him a hard time about it though.I just try and help out with anything I can. Even when my grapple fighter should have thrown his boss in the dirt but instead the DM said"I don't think it should work like that so it doesn't" and my character got killed off in the battle I just smiled and told em to pass me a character sheet and made another character.

It really is amazing to get to play! Those people pushing pathfinder on you need to step up and run the game and let YOU have a turn enjoying the thrill of adventure.

Sometimes it's not so easy to let go of the DM screen especially after years of running games and the head rush that comes with being known as a kick ass DM but I think in the long run a DM who plays as a player under other DM's ends up better for it.

 

[GameOgre]

Sorry the first post went over my head! Talk about seeing the meaning of a post that you are wanting to see!

As a player you need to realize that the game is a lot easier on your end than the DM's and try and have fun no matter what game system it is. Now if you try it for a while and don't like it I perfectly understand not wanting to play.

If it just isn't fun to you then you have tons of options.

1-Stop playing with that group. Bad option as at least most of the time we play with our friends or the limited people we can find to play. Changing groups either isn't a option or not one we are willing to make.

2-Talk the DM and other players into a different game. Hard to do sometimes but one sneaky little way I have found around this is to buy the DM a new rpg. Cost a few bucks sometimes but the DM will more than likely REALLY appreciate it and nothing screams to the DM like a brand new kick arse game! Now the other players on the other hand......

3-Keep playing and make the best of it. Really there is nothing about Pathfinder that says you can't make the exact kind of character you might find in basic D&D. Don't like all the fiddly bits to the rules? Don't use em. Make a simple two handed great axe dwarf fighter and role play your arse off! You don't have to get sucked into the multiclass/min max race to max dpr. Just have fun! Sure from time to time you might get sundered or disarmed but unless it's THAT type of game most of the time it's just grumble curses at the long eared elf,swig down some ale and hack your way through armies of greenies!

4-Start running a game yourself. Most DM's will be thrilled to get a chance to play! Just make sure you don't step on his ego/toes and let him finish up what he is running now or run it at different times. Really asking him to let you know when he needs a break from DMing is the best way. From time to time even the best and most fervent DM's get burned out.

 

[thewok]

I play in a monthly Shadowrun game. Two of the players live down in Houston, so sometimes they can't make it because of work. On these days, we've taken to other games. The current DM of the alt game wanted to do a campaign in his world. But, he doesn't do 4E. He does 3E. Back when I played 3E, I grew to greatly dislike some aspects of the game, to the point where, when 4E came along, I switched without looking back. The DM was convinced by our normal DM to run Pathfinder. I decided that I like the alt DM's style so much that I'd bite the bullet and go ahead.

One of the things I utterly despise with 3E is Vancian casting. The Sorcerer and Favored Soul were the only casting classes that really made me not want to pull my hair out in actual play. Then, I found the Warlock, and I liked the idea of a caster that really never ran out of magic, even though his options might be more limited. So, I wanted to play that class, since the original campaign I was playing one in stopped at level 4 or so.

The Warlock, like many 3.5 classes that haven't been released in Pathfinder books, is underpowered compared to Pathfinder classes. Pathfinder is a higher power level than plain-jane 3.X. So, I went on a quest to find a conversion for the warlock. I found one that gave it bloodlines like the PF Sorcerer. But it added spell slots, which I didn't want. I found a few others, but then I found one that stuck fairly closely to the Warlock as seen in Complete Arcane, but bumped up to mesh better with Pathfinder.

http://ironbombs.wordpress.com/2010/09/13/3-5-classes-for-pathfinder-complete-arcane/

I'm sure you can find other classes modified to Pathfinder's power level if you search for a bit.

For the record, Pathfinder fixes a few things that I started hating about 3.x, but it kept some other big things, too. However, with this campaign, I'm just going to enjoy the game and not worry too much about the mechanics. I'll just spiderwalk, Fell Flight and eldritch spear my way to victory, while hoarding the party's magic items because I'm the only one who can use them besides the rogue.

 

[GMforPowergamers]

game 1, we all hate the snow (not in game either)
[sblock=characters] Dorrion Greyskull a CG Dwarven Fighter. 17str 15dex 17con 14 int 16wis 16cha with Improve Initative and Exotic weap prof Hook swords (2d4 19+/x2 crit one handed finesse able weapon with a +2 trip and disarm checks)
I have a hook sword, a breast plate, a large steel shield, and some basic equipment.
20AC, and 32hp my main attack is +4 vs AC 2d4+3 damage, once per encounter I can make 2 attacks at +2. Once per encounter I can make a concentration check (d20+level+wis mod+2) +6 vs AC if I make it my next attack deals +1d6 damage if I miss I take a penalty to hit. Once per encounter I can make a jump check easier. I can take a high guard stance that is -2 AC to add +1d6 to all melee damage rolls.
I deal +1 damage when flanking, and
I have a +6 initiative CMD is 15 and my CMB is +4 (+6 to disarm or trip)
My 4 skill points went into Intimidate, Know Engineering, Perception, and Sense Motive.

Flyn Ratkin a LE Half elf Magus 15str 17dex 12con 18int 14wis 14cha with Combat expertise.
He has a rapier, a leather trench coat with metal plate in it (Studded leather), some basic equipment, and a skate board (adds 5ft to overland travel on streets)
16 AC, 21hp and his main attack is pretty low at +2 Vs AC 1d6+2 (18+/x2) but with his cantrips he can pull off +4 Vs AC 1d6+4 (18+/x2)
He has 2 homebrew cantrips and 2 homebrew first level spells
Cantrips- Booming Blade, as part of casting this spell make an attack with your Int mod instead of Str, if you hit the target half your weapon damage is lighting damage, and if the target moves away from you they take 1d4 thunder damage.
Green Flame Blade, as part of casting this spell make an attack with your Int mod instead of Str, if you hit the target then all creatures adjacent to the target except caster make a ref save or take 1d4 fire damage.
1st level spells- Aigis of Shielding, close range (25ft+5ft per 2 levels) target is marked by your spell and knows it, if the target attacks anyone other than the caster, and hits the caster can use an immediate action to negate half the damage.
Agis of Assault, close range (25ft+5ft per 2 levels) target is marked by your spell and knows it, if the target attacks anyone other than the caster, and hits the caster can use an immediate action to teleport next to the target and make a melee attack
He has an arcane pool of 5, can spend 1 to get +10ft move and +2 dodge against att of opp


Sylion NE Elven Wizard 14str 17dex 16con 20int 16wis 17cha with Multi class rogue feat (grants +1d6 sneak attack), and an added elven Accuracy 1/encounter reroll an attack roll.
He has a weapon he isn’t prof with yet called a dog slicer that when he rolls a 1 on the dmage die it counts as a 3, it is martial 1d6 (19+x2) that is his bounded item… it is a wicked looking black knife
He has 3 spells per day and the ability to use the dog slicer to pull a 4th, plus 3 cantrips, one is a hombrew…
Scorching burst- range close (25ft+5ft per 2 levels) a small fireball that is only 10ft diameter (4 sq) that is ref save for half and does 1d4 fire damage…
13 AC and 25hp (he forgot race mods) his attack is -1 Vs AC 1d6+2 (19+/x2) he already is starting with a few scrolls…

Gorian NG human cleric with 17Str 11 Dex 16 con 8 int 18 wis 17 cha Martial Study
His god is a mix of mystra and bane a god of mystic soldiers.
He ended up with no homebrew spells yet, but he wants to craft a spell in game. He does have crusader strike 1/encounter though…
He has a handgun (I’m not sure type) and a warhammer he has a shield and chain armor
His domains are the Magic domain (Arcane special) and the War domain (Tactics special)
18 AC and 27 hp he has +3 Vs AC 1d8+3 damage
((((Note: it seems so odd to me for him to take guns with an 11 dex))))) [/sblock]
Things have gotten off to an OK start in my mind, but the DM (ross) was upset how easy we slamed his encounters.

We started in an Empirol City of Taonass. Gorian (our cleric) is there because his god has sent him dreams of the city burning. Sylion our wizard is looking to make a quick buck so he can fund his spell research. Flyn grew up in the city and is a merc looking for work. I’m Dorrion the warrior looking for the rebellion.

It was late at night, and we were all in the bad neighborhood. We heard a cry for help. The DM has us roll initiative and the highest two would come in round one and the lowest two will come in round 2. (this wasn’t popular but we ran with it)

Round 1 Me and flyn roll in and find 6 hobgoblins were attacking a woman. We engaged them pretty easy, when the other two got to go at the end of round 2 there was 1 hobgoblin left.

Something was wrong with the girl, she was human, and had a blue glow to her eyes. She rabbits, and we try to chase after her, but the DM rules no matter what we roll she got away because she was ‘supposed’ to.

This now lead to a problem that we didn’t really have a reason to stick together. Gorian decides this is a sign from his god that he is going to continue searching for her in the morning, I decided that it was someone to help, so the two of us decided to stick together. Sylion decided that he would stick with us to find out about the blue blow (arcane research) and to see if we could help him. Flyn had no reason to stick but decided it was something he could do.

We agreed to meet in the morning, but before we could there was a huge explosion just before dawn. Goran and I meet when both rushed to help people at the explosion site (part of the market and two inns blew up.) we get there and there are more hobgoblins, and they turned on us for trying to help people… witch turned into a fight none of us knew why. We decided to run instead.

SO then we meet up with the other two. There were newspaper that he assured us were magically made talking about the explosion. It claimed the rebels did it, but all the PCs agreed there would be no reason to blow up a random place.

A bunch of 11 hobgoblins broke in and accused us of being rebels and wanted for murder. They said they used divination spells on the others… so three rounds later we had killed 11 more hobgoblins, this time we decide to burn the bodies.

The DM then told us that the next fight we were going to lose no rolls, because he has to arrest us. Now we agree to go along with this and just skip to the ‘imprison scene’ where we have no equipment.

So in prison we find a group of people who claim that there is no real rebels, it’s all made up. One guy wants to stage a prison break, so we start to do that. The DM doesn’t like that we can overpower guards with d3 unarmed strikes. When I tried to explain that the problem was he made a lot of house rules that gave us more power, but was using monster man stats (well whatever pf calls there monster book)

Game ended almost the same way it started, with us having just escaped with our stuff back, and we found some guy that was glowing blue running from hobgoblins. This time we knocked him out too, and were going to integrate him and the two knocked out hobgoblins next week.