Messages

526

Role Playing Public Radio Podcast / Re: Patrick's Going to Run a Skype Game

« on: December 29, 2010, 09:53:49 PM »

I think it's going to be a little weird listening to myself, but I also think it's going to be worth it...

Listening to recordings of yourself is one of the oddest things, and it takes a lot of getting used to, I find. Unless you  naturally have an awesome voice, which I don't.

527

General Chaos / Re: What Vidja games are you playing?

« on: December 29, 2010, 06:47:08 PM »

L4D2 is pretty great. 'Specially Versus, which is a goddamn blast.

Got in on the 'box, my computer can barely handle pong, much less modern fast paced games like L4D2.

 : (

I'm a whore when it comes to my PC...

Thats why I don't own a console or any games.

I've always been a PC gamer.

Just bought the Napoleon Total War expansion...

Yay!

Don't blame you. There's a lot of awesome PC exclusive stuff.

Like Civ V, which I quite enjoy. Nothing like watching my Egyptian Horde overwhelm THAT BASTARD MONTEZUMA.

528

General Chaos / Re: What Vidja games are you playing?

« on: December 29, 2010, 06:28:44 PM »

L4D2 is pretty great. 'Specially Versus, which is a goddamn blast.

Got in on the 'box, my computer can barely handle pong, much less modern fast paced games like L4D2.

 : (

529

Role Playing Public Radio Podcast / Re: Patrick's Going to Run a Skype Game

« on: December 28, 2010, 06:39:17 PM »

Hoo-wee, lookit 'dis thread move.

530

RPGs / Re: EXP Free is the way to be...

« on: December 28, 2010, 04:19:07 PM »

Very cool.

531

RPGs / Re: EXP Free is the way to be...

« on: December 28, 2010, 02:59:15 PM »

I know what you mean with the 3.5/PF thing. I am running a Pathfinder game but it's really more of a blend of 3.5 and Pathfinder. I still allow alot of Feats and Prestige Classes from 3.5 Subject to my approval.

I dabbled in Character Optimization for a long time so I can usually see broken before it hits the table.

Luckily my friends are not all that interested in being OP so it doesn't come up too often.

The last time I leveled them it was because they found a unique way of temporarily defeating a 20th Level Vampire Lord (ECL 32), as level 3 characters. I was so impressed that they were able to get rid of him that I gave them 2 levels.

I'm glad to see I'm not the only one who tends to blend a lot of 3.5/Pathfinder.

Also, that sounds awesome! How'd they manage to put down the uber vampire lord?

Also also: Did he mention that men were nothing but miserable piles of secrets?

532

RPGs / Re: EXP Free is the way to be...

« on: December 28, 2010, 02:51:38 PM »

Pathfinder did away with those things and implemented a system I have been using for a while.

More gold is usually the answer, but also my players tend to not craft items magic items, but when they do I usually make them make a Spellcraft check as well as pay an additional GP investment. We rarely play to such a high level that anyone gets spells with XP components.

I never really liked the XP cost for making magic items to begin with so I started toying with ideas from the start. Most of my other group members have picked up my style.

Out of the 4 of us who switch off DMing none of us use Experience Points.

 

Good answer. Even though I mostly use/play 3.5 as opposed to Pathfinder, we inevitably end up using PF's rules for magic item creation. I'm a *very* big fan of the Master Craftsman  (I think that's the name) feat, which allows people with a ton of ranks in Craft: Armorsmith (or weaponsmith or blacksmith or so on) to substitute their rank in Craft for spellcasting to make magic items, provided they, of course, take the necessary feats to do so.

My Flind Knight, who apprenticed with a dwarf, has spent much of his time in the current 3.5 game I'm in working up the party's magic weapons and armor, to the point where the rest of the party has practically set up an account system, passing him tons of gold in exchange for enchanting/reforging their stuff to make it better.

And all without having to spend levels on doing it, which means our GM, who likes to pit us against unintelligent menaces (lots of home-brewed abominations and the such) and so on doesn't have to worry about giving us weapons and armor appropriate for our level and so on. It's a change I very much like.

533

RPGs / Re: EXP Free is the way to be...

« on: December 28, 2010, 02:39:30 PM »

How do you handle when spellcasters cast spells that require an XP Component cost, or want to make magic items, which also entails XP drain?

534

General Chaos / Re: The Late-Night Thread

« on: December 28, 2010, 02:52:23 AM »

Today has been a beautiful day. I don't mean the weather. That has been cold and unforgiving, with winds blowing hard enough to rock cars on the road, making my apartment creak and groan in tune with the howling.

Not the town I live in either. A small village of about 2000 people, with nothing bigger than a Food Lion up on the hill by way of amenities, and even that isn't as well stocked as I would like or am used to.

Not my sleeping habits, as evidenced by me being awake at nearly 3 in the morning to type this.

But, as I sit in my computer chair, the soft light of my monitor casting shadows in the room, and sip an 18 year old scotch (Glenfiddich), like liquid amber in a rocks glass to use a cliche'd phrase, I realize my only pressing concern, the only thing that weighs on my mind. . . is that my glass is almost empty.

535

Role Playing Public Radio Podcast / Re: Patrick's Going to Run a Skype Game

« on: December 27, 2010, 10:53:08 PM »

That sounds pretty awesome.

536

RPGs / Re: Anecdote Megathread

« on: December 27, 2010, 04:20:06 PM »

Player logic is a grand thing, ain't it?

537

RPGs / Re: Anecdote Megathread

« on: December 27, 2010, 01:24:46 PM »

...which initiated combat as all of our characters were good and would be honor bound to avenge his death. . .even if he deserved it.

Most of my group would be like "While he is intimidating the Dragon I leave." "You can't make it all the way out." "I use the Run Action to get as far away from this as possible."

I've seen many Good Aligned characters who would do this.

That would have been a good idea! But then we wouldn't have gotten a small mountain of treasure and the MacGuffin. Including an iceberg of ice that never melts! I think we ended up giving that to a desert-princess as a present, easily trumping everyone else's puny gold and silver. :smug:

538

Role Playing Public Radio Podcast / Re: Who is Petro Sarkis?

« on: December 27, 2010, 01:22:09 PM »

You know, I never got why Pelor put up with this shit. I know Pelor is D&D Jesus and therefore the church of Pelor has to be D&D medieval church, but being catholic never gave medieval paladins laser powers. This especially true for paladins, since, last time I checked, they have to be the same alignment as their patron god.

Then again, other than the blurb about torture, Petro seems like an okay guy.

The deity usually does not directly grant the cleric their powers.

As for the whole having to be the same alignment, i never really believed that, nor do i think ross does, as i'm pretty sure his cleric of pelor from NWG was pretty evil in his actions.

Sarkis isn't a cleric - he was a former paladin of Pelor though. In 4E it makes a point that clerics don't have to strictly obey their god's doctrine to retain their power.

Well my point was that if the gods didn't grant the clerics their powers, there was probably no way the paladins got their powers from the gods.

And thank you, i've been wondering about that but couldn't find any statement other than the character builder saying clerics can't be of alignment opposing their god, which i think is bunk.  The whole good intentions in the wrong way kind of deal, could still be considered evil after all, it also all comes down to others opinions.

Clerics and Paladins DO get their powers from their god but they don't have to strictly adhere to the tenets of their faith to keep them.

Bah.

539

General Chaos / Re: The Late-Night Thread

« on: December 27, 2010, 12:03:33 AM »

Right now, I'm working on some Revel Stoke. Spiced Canadian Whiskey. It's nothing incredible, but it's very pleasant. To its credit, it manages to avoid being too sweet.

540

Role Playing Public Radio Podcast / Re: Who is Petro Sarkis?

« on: December 26, 2010, 11:22:17 PM »

You know, I never got why Pelor put up with this shit. I know Pelor is D&D Jesus and therefore the church of Pelor has to be D&D medieval church, but being catholic never gave medieval paladins laser powers. This especially true for paladins, since, last time I checked, they have to be the same alignment as their patron god.

Then again, other than the blurb about torture, Petro seems like an okay guy.

The deity usually does not directly grant the cleric their powers.

As for the whole having to be the same alignment, i never really believed that, nor do i think ross does, as i'm pretty sure his cleric of pelor from NWG was pretty evil in his actions.

Nah. The Church of Pelor is more like the Church of Jesus - Pelor is a deity who asks that his people treat others with kindness, turn the other cheek, treat their neighbors like their brothers, heal the sick, take care of the wounded and so on. He also asks that they deal with evil succinctly - whether this is by obliterating them via holy means (See the origin of the Sunfly Swarms) or by diplomacy and good intentions, he doesn't really care, so long as it is done right.

St. Cuthbert would be a better analogy to the Catholic Church. Their primary concern isn't being a good, kind, loving person (which is totally where Jesus was), but following the rules necessary to get into heaven and avoid being cast into the hells/abyss. St. Cuthbert cares that his followers follow rules - that they evangelize *a lot*, and that they *annihilate* evil whenever it dares rear its ugly head.

Not because Evil creatures hurt and kill and maim others. Because they're the ones who break the law the most often.

St. Cuthbert is very much like Old Testament God, whereas Pelor is more Jesus-y.

At least, this is how it is in 'vanilla' Greyhawk. While Pelor can be stern and wrathful as any good deity can, he is portrayed as being a bit gentler in his treatment of evil creatures, with redemption highly considered. St. Cuthbert is more 'Beat them over the head until they stop moving.'