Corvus

Yeah, if you are really desperate for running a non rules based RP, go ahead and start one, its just that they have a habit of dieing, like the last rules free RPG that I remeber died on page 1. Really the only reason I didn't start one personally is that the Tavern tends to descend into competition and Rules free games require compromise to work, which does not happen like the entire superconductor physics incident, so it would end up getting bogged down in those issues. As has been stated over and over for better or worse: The tavern plays and discusses what the tavern likes even if it should be elsewhere.

Personally, I would agree that FATE seems like a fairly good system for the Tavern, though the Savage Worlds system (The official basic overview of the rules: Savage Worlds: Test Drive V6) is another potential option.

I have no desire to act as a Judge over a game, as I do not enjoy doing it. If The Tavern players decide that they instead want someone to play the role of a Game Master, a person who runs the game rather than merely presiding over it, then I would consider doing so. I would be adverse to Pathfinder, but other games would be fine.

tl;dr : Just hop in and learn by playing. The general method of learning how to play PnP roleplaying games is generally just to start playing a game with an experienced group using a pregenerated character (made specifically for you by the GM[Game master/Dungeon master/Storyteller/etc. The player who act as the judge of what happens in the game, runs the cast of characters surrounding the other players, and makes the setting where all the actions take place] or another player, or made by the game publisher) in order to learn the basics of how the game works. Side note for the general complaint about not starting a character with a character entirely of their choosing: letting a first time player fully make their own character is one of the worst things you can do for introducing them to the game, as it exponentially increases the barrier to entry. This is a result your average person interested in learning a new game will very much not want to be deadweight for the experienced players, and will tend to think they need to know every last portion of the rules by heart or go through every possible option to make their desired character the most useful character possible (and incidentally not the character they themselves want but what they think everyone else wants them to be). Additionally providing them with a character helps you provide them with characters that are easier to learn, for example: The new player thinks that they want to play a wizard, instead start them for a session or two with a cleric (introduces the concept of preparing spells without dealing with learning spells, the benefit of being able to swap for cure spells on the spot, and being decent in direct combat means that bad choices in spells are only an inconvience and the game is still fun, as opposed to playing a character who cannot contribute anything useful) while they get used to how the game works. Regardless, Introducing an inexperienced player to a game starting with an hour or more of just paperwork is not the right way to go about things. The publishers of many commercial PnP game systems realise that they need to provide a way to get new players into their game system, generally through sample characters and adventures for use, though the specific methods used vary wildly from publisher to publisher. The major issue with the beginner's products for the Dungeons and Dragons type games we tend to run here in the Tavern(Tavern specifically is into the D&D 3.X and Pathfinder type), is that there is a tradition of making them a 'discount' set of everything for a group of totally inexperienced players to just start playing out of the box (D&D does a Red box/basic set with pretty much every edition, and Pathfinder is releasing a similar product in october), though they also do free samples (heavily advertising new products to the Players and GMs) occasionally which require a GM who knows the rules. If you have any specific questions about the game and how it works, feel free to send me a message asking (I do not suggest asking in here, as rules questions tend to turn into discussions about simply making things more powerful.)

The summoner can only sacrifice permanent HP to prevent the reduction of the Eidolon's HP if it would be dropped to 0 by that source of damage. As a whole the entire Archetype is cloudy in terms of how the rules work, which results in it being an absolute mess requiring GM rulings constantly in order to function which is why I would never allow it or suggest someone else to allow it. Though the worst inconsistancy is that depending on interpretation of the rule the Eidolon can end up effectively having double the hitpoints its actually supposed to have.

Retech, The general rule of rules Precedence takes effect in this situation, As there is no overriding rule, though due to the rather stupid technicalities using restore eidolon on a synthesist Summoner heals the Summoner's hitpoints (the Eidolon and the summoner are considered one target, so the spell targeting is allowed, its just that the healing is provided to the permenant hitpoints of the summoner) and further technicalities say that the Eidolon is prevented from dieing by temporary hitpoints(but not actually healed). As a whole the Synthesist summoner is not a rule I would ever consider letting a player use or suggest a GM to allow, unless major official reworking is done due to the litany of inconsistancies and unreasonable conclusions that result. The Swallow whole quote is from the Eidolon Swallow whole 3-point evolution rule in the PRD.

"Swallowed creatures take damage equal to the eidolons bite damage each round plus 1d6 points of bludgeoning damage" a bit of setup: While not explicitly stated (the intent in the rules is fairly clear), the Synthesist Summoner's Eidolon Shell Does not have its own pool of hitpoints as these are converted into temporary hit dice for the caster. The Synthesist Summoner's Shell cannot be healed by any Standard rule or ability. Anyone who says otherwise does not understand the Concept of general rules and should make sure they read the general rules involved before even deciding to answer a question, as the Shell's hitpoints are Temporary hit points, Which cannot be healed except through the application of the general rule of rules precedence (a more specific rule overrides a general rule, so if there was a spell that specifically heals Temporary hit points provided by a Shell, it would work). To be specific any valid healing spells would only heal damage that the synthesist had taken prior to activating the shell unless the shell would have been reduced to 0 temporary hitpoints (Temporary hit points are seperate from regular hitpoints and are always removed prior to removing regular hitpoints with the exception of the fused link ability)

Well, Symphonic metal is a somewhat varied genre, such as I personally like music along the lines of Symphonic Power metal (as opposed to Symphonic Goth metal and Symphonic Death metal) and its parent genre Melodic Power metal. And since I am posting on the subject of music ,I guess I may as well include a bit of MLP:FIM themed Eurobeat: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bn7uMwXYU9U

Well, that is not exactly a perfect analogy, but meh its not worth argueing about the analogy. I was just answering the question "I want to know a game that my computer will have problem running", and I provided a 'game' that your computer would have problems running (specifically its not possible for any computer to actually run it).

Well duh, that's because the installer doesn't work properly, it leaves out one file. Umm... No, that is just an implimentation of Conway's game of life. Conway's game of life in its actual specifications would require unlimted memory to store an endless 2 dimensional grid

Well, there is only one 'game' that I can think of that you certainly cannot run at actual settings, however its fairly obvious why you can't Run Conway's Game of Life at its actual specifications. EDIT: it would certainly not be in system requirements lab's list. Besides System Requirements lab doesn't actually tell you if you can actually max out a game in the first place.

Is the maintenance of Clan Citadels a constant ongoing need to prevent the loss of features (as opposed to just a form of points to buy upgrades and get the XP bonuses), and if so how will the loss of features be dealt with relating to customization of the Clan Citadel? Will Non-paying members be able to access the clan Citadel of the clan they are in, in any form (i.e. restricted activities, specific areas, or full access)? Will Clan Citadel's be using the recently introduced instance worlds, be restricted to a single world, or exist separately in all worlds? Will the changing of the Clan Citadel require entering a separate mode similar to Construction's building mode or can it be performed while other clan members are present, and what sorts of controls are there for setting who can modify a Clan Citadel? Can Guests come to a Clan's Citadel, and if so what ways will a clan be able to control those who are allowed in (either allowing everyone or no one in, allowing people in on invite, only those currently in the clan's chat as a guest, friends of members of the clan, etc.)? Also, if guests are allowed into Clan Citadels will it be possible to restrict which portions of the Citadel they can go to? What will happen to the Citadel if a clan no longer has any Paying members? EDIT: Will the requirements for Citadel upgrades be the same for all clans, or will they scale with the size of the clan (or the number of paying members in the clan)?

Yeah... Fair use does not protect that in any way imaginable. If you do not believe me take the advice of YouTube, the undisputed master of Video hosting with Daily experience in dealing with International Copyright laws on the sharing of media: YouTube Copyright Center (I would suggest looking at the Copyright education section, particularly "Using copyrighted material in your video" which discusses Fair Use)

... yet again... :roll: Can you please take this discussion about Team Fortress 2 to the Team Fortress 2 thread in the appropriate place, as if I wanted to hear a debate about Team Fortress 2 I would be reading it as opposed to the Falador Tavern Off topic thread. For your convience: [TF2] Medieval Mode, what's not to like?

Sunday works better for me as I have to leave in like 10 minutes

The second was already a problem (Lucien Alliance attacking), Rush made it worse (dialing Destiny instead of Earth). The third was always a problem to access (the one to access it always dies), they didn't solve it but they worked themselves halfway around the problem (using a buffer to slow down the connection to a billionth of its intended speed). The fourth was a problem right away (unstable wormhole), though there are only two possible reasons for the problem (improbable; unstable power supply, probable; wormhole loops through solar flare and back to the past). I am not very well versed in the subject but wouldn't it be far easier to solve all the problems using the Magic of Friendship? Put Directly, why on Earth are you having Fanboy debates in the Tavern? Especially when trying to use real world logic to explain works of fiction ends up not working as demonstrated by this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=muVfidujxRg&feature=player_embedded

Are you talking about an email or a forum message? As Tip It does not send out Emails under most circumstances, and if you really are suspicious of a message you should bring it up with a member of the Staff (I am not exactly the right person, but I could forward it on to the right people) or bring it up in the forum Updates and Suggestions Forum where it can be properly dealt with

Yeah, I am sure everyone is Tired of the endless debates between us on Pathfinder rules (I know I am), So if you really need me to read that FAQ post and the clarifications by the Author to you, PM me about it. You obviously aren't finding the Winter Witch Archetype on the System/Standard Reference Document, because: 1) Winter Witch is a Pathfinder Campaign Setting item and Therefore does not get featured in the SRD. 2) The book featuring the Winter Witch Archtype does not come out until next month.

With the actual Context information of the Request I can actually answer the question: RAW - Eidolons cannot use Shields RAI - Eidolons can use shields in addition to weapons, if they become proficient with shields I assumed you were power gaming, as Lacking Any Context , I figured It pertained to a character Race (Everyone has one) as opposed to an uncommon class ability, and based on my knowledge Multiattack qualifing Creatures are almost Universally not appropriate choices for PCs. If you want me to not instantly assume that Obscure or borderline rules questions are not for use in Powergaming, you need to provide the context in which it is intended for use, as without such a context it is almost impossible to provide an accurate ruling. (though there are certain standard assumptions in place, such as being a Humanoid of small or medium size) some random over the top examples: Player - Is it acceptable to use stealth to hide behind Shipping Crates? GM - Yes. (using Standard assumptions) ... Player - I use stealth to hide behind one of the Shipping crates to set up an ambush. *rolls* Gm - What on earth do you mean you are hiding behind a shipping crate, That is patently absurd. Player - But You Said I could before we started. GM - And I assumed You Weren't playing as a Huge Green Dragon. Player - Can creatures of the Animal type use rings? GM - Yes. ... Player - Okay, I give my snake the ring of invisibility and he sneaks into the base to strangle the Bandit lord in his sleep. GM - Your Snake cant use a ring of invisibility. Player - But you said Animals can use rings, and my Snake is of the animal type. GM- Snakes are an exception to the norm, They do not have many of normal magic item slots. And besides your snake would not be able to activate the invisibility effect if it had a ring slot Going to the GitP forums is not a nice thing to do as a player, but atleast you are not going to the experts of Powergaming.

I am not personally familiar with any 3 armed creatures intended that make reasonable character. The subject isn't really covered anywhere that I know of so all I can tell you: Atleast in the case of Thri-Kreen the only race that I am aware of that has more than 2 hands and is intended for player use, they may use two 2-handed double weapons taking multiweapon penalties for 1 light weapon and 2 standard weapons demonstrated by the Gythka Racial Exotic weapon, which are not reduced by Two-weapon fighting multilimbed creatures can use shields, though additional shields provide no benefits. Effectively, the exact outcome of the Situation is Obviously an edge case and dependant upon the DM's decision of whether a penalty is incurred, Though is it really neccessary to powergame using Questionable areas of the rules?

I guess I may as well share the list, with it ranging from the super popular to minor ones which would almost certainly be viewed as odd by many... In No Particular order: Name Game, Critical Miss, Stolen Pixels, Darths and Droids, Order of the Stick, Death and the Maiden, Skin Deep, Addictive Science, Dr McNinja, and XKCD EDIT: in particular Addictive Science is the most 'Odd' one so if you want no risks, dont goto that one.

Hmm... I guess I may take a look at drow tales, though I really dont need more webcomics to follow as I am already up to 10 ongoing Webcomics which makes following the update schedules a bit crazy. (1 updates on Sunday, 2 updates on mondays, 5 updates on tuesdays, 2 updates on Wednesdays, 2 updates on Thursdays, 4 updates on Fridays, 0 updates on Saturdays, and 2 webcomics that update with no particular schedule)

A summary of attacks under Reduce person effect (held = in use or carried on person): Melee(continously held): damage as appropriate for 1 size category less Melee(non-continously held): inappropriate weapon size penalty, or use as comparable weapon one rating higher(light->one handed->Two handed[Two handed weapons always suffer inappropriate size penalties]) under reduced size category Thrown(continously held): regular damage calculation Thrown(non-continously held): inappropriate weapon size penalty Ranged(continously held): damage as appropriate for 1 size category less Ranged(non-continously held): inappropriate size penalty, or use as a 'larger' weapon type (ENTIRELY GM choice to allow this, essentially a logical extension of the rules to allow for example an larger size category light c'bow as a heavy c'bow of the smaller size category Projectile(continously held): Regular damage (Generally 0 damage) Projectile(non-continously held): inappropriate size penalty or unable to be used (logical extension of the weapon size rules, as projectiles do have size categories, its just that they mechanically act the same within the core resources.) Magic(spells and weapon enchantments): damage as normal Yeah, one of the things about 3.5 OGL games is that they work excelently if no one is trying to break the game system, and when they do break the game system everything breaks.

Well, I guess I have to say thanks Retech, as I did not notice how horribly broken the monsters as PC rules were in Pathfinder (just glancing through almost everything not listed for PC Use has between -1 and -8 LA). A demonstration of this is how using the Pathfinder system a (wyrmling) Silver dragon has a Starting Effective Character level of 6 (despite actually having a character level of 7), as opposed to the 3.5 method of monsters as player characters which has the same creature with an effective character level of 11 (Pathfinder grants it -1 LA when 3.5 grants it +4 LA). Largely the issue here lies with a core issue in the CR system, as CRs are intended to be a Moderately challenging Foe for 4 PCs at that level (Which makes the very concept of using the CR as ECL absurd), however generally the CRs of Creatures tend to be far off on all but the most iconic creatures making the CR system more or less unuseable as intended (Generally I just make encounters Party ACL + 2~3)

Okay, I guess I shall have to explain things: [spoiler=Damage] In order to properly Use an item, The Size must match, so for a small sized goblin you would need to use Small weapons especially with firearms logically. However the effect of Reduce Person reduces the Size of all items carried as well, making it into a tiny double barrel pistol, which being a projectile weapon deals damage as Tiny weapon even though the Projectile is small when it hits: 1d4 damage base (1gp per shot) Next you need to work out the bonus damage from Thundering shot. The damage bonus of Thundering shot is normally 2d6, However this following standard convention is damage for Medium Thundering shot, but being a weapon The standard size damage rules apply requiring adjustment to the Damage for small thundering shot which is 1d10 (they do not explicity state that the damage changes for ammunition, because the ammunition in the core book have no individual traits that apply damage bonuses besides magic, which is uneffected by size. Think of it using the example of alchemist's fire, a Tiny character would use a thimble sized amount as a thrown weapon but would result in the same damage as a fairly large flask) 1d4+1d10 damage base (100gp per shot) Sneak attack damage would only apply against opponents who had not yet taken an action, unless you were to only make 1 attack per turn (Sniping requires an move action to perform the stealth check, restricting the actual attack to a standard action which can only be a single attack even when fighting with 2 weapons or your attack bonus allows multiple attacks). [spoiler=Mage Hand] Okay, you seem to be really missing how the ability of the Hand of the Mage item works. The Hand of the Mage is a continous effect item granting the spell Mage Hand at will. However what is being misinterpreted is the Spell being at will. the At will descriptor signifies that an ability may be used infinite times per day, and in this case that you may cast/activate the spell Mage hand as per magic item activation rules Requring a standard action (normal magic items require a standard action to activate and the spell effect does as well, so either way it takes a standard action). Then As per the Mage hand spell rules, the duration is concentration, which means that unless you perform a Standard action to concentrate on the spell on each subsequent turn the spell ceases to function at the end of the turn. Therefore in order to use 2 Mage Hand effects you would need 2 standard actions per turn in addtion to 2 move actions, which if my memory serves me right is only an ability of the chronotyryn. [spoiler=Natural reach 0] Vitally important actually, as Arrow slits do not stop melee attacks or prevent threatening squares, they only provide cover, so most attempts to attack or flee by the character provoke attacks of opportunity (ranged attacks provoke attacks of opportunity, and melee attacks require entering the opponent's space unless using reach provoking attacks of opportunity) (also as a fun fact a ranged touch attack while using the fireball spell bypasses the improved evasion provided by the arrow slit due to line of effect rules) Reduce person effect: "Melee and projectile weapons deal less damage. Other magical properties are not affected by this spell. Any reduced item that leaves the reduced creature's possession (including a projectile or thrown weapon) instantly returns to its normal size. This means that thrown weapons deal their normal damage (projectiles deal damage based on the size of the weapon that fired them)." (Unless you threw the gun, the projectiles were fired by a tiny weapon, as that is based upon the Current state of the weapon that fired it) Retech, CR DOES NOT ever equate to level adjustment, directly equating the 2 causes issues such as a Random example is that Silver Dragons have negative level adjustments. Your example of using templates is a perfect example of trying to game the system. Reduce person targets 1 humanoid, anything that loses contact with the humanoid returns to its normal size instantly, however this does not change the damage dealt by the projectiles as the weapon that fired it is still the smaller sized weapon, with the exception of damage effects of the projectile themselves which return to the normal size category. As a whole Firearms are incompatible with the Game system, unless they are made the primary weapon of choice for most characters.