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Name

Spork the King

Comment
You know maybe this one is just as simple as it sounds and I am just making it far to difficult then it really is.

So let me explain my problem, you've got, let's say, an air elemental you want to kill, and it's basically made of air. How do you kill it? Simply by hitting it with any weapon seems a little bit illogical to me - it's air and you can't kill it with a nonmagical spork... Or can you?

Gamer Forge Response:

We put the "mental" back into "elemental". DCR says:

1. Seek alternative solutions. What sorts of things can you do to air to neutralize it? Carry a bellows as part of your standard adventuring gear. Just suck that air elemental into the bellows and throw it wherever  you wish. Use Teleport Without Error to transport it directly into the freezing vacuum of space, where air doesn't exist. If you wanna go extra "meta", freeze the room to zero degrees Kelvin. Now you have the molecules frozen completely solid and the air elemental good and truly trapped.
2. Magic weapons are the more practical solution. As it is mostly incorporeal, magic weapons are needed to damage it reliably, circumventing (get it, venting? Air? Har, har!) it's damage reduction.
3. Beware shrapnel. Loose objects laying about the room become instant weapons for an air elemental, and nothing is more humiliating than getting your day ruined by a shrimp fork to the eye.

Gamer Forge Listener Email:

Name
Harold Johnson

Comment
I’m unsure how poisons work in Pathfinder.

For example: black adder venom. From the frequency of the poison, am I required to make a saving throw per minute for every six minutes? Each time I fail a save, do I take 1d2 str damage? Or do I take all the strength loss once all failed rounds are finished/frequency is over? It just looks like quite a chore referencing each round for ability score drops and I am really unclear on the rules.

If I succeed at rolling a saving throw, do I no longer need to check? And to remove the poison effect (strength loss) I will need to be cured through the various tools offered?

Another type is this:

Sting—injury; save Fort DC 10; frequency 1/round for 6 rounds; effect sickened for 1 round; cure 1 save.

I just really cannot seem to figure out how poison works. Does this sting/sickness stack each round I fail a save?

Gamer Forge Response:

When picking your poison, DCR says:

1. Yep. The poison runs its course through your blood for the length of time stated on the stat block. So each minute, you make a saving throw against it. Each time you fail, you take the strength damage indicated. If you lose all your strength, then you die. If the poison says it's cured by making even one saving throw, then that's when it ends. Your body is strong enough to fight of the effects.

2. Reality check: The venom of a Black adder is <expletive deleted> deadly! The only reason you get a chance to survive it is because your character is exceptionally tough. Heroically tough. Count your blessings for being heroic.

3. The great equalizer. The benefit (or gamble) of using poisons is twofold. Success means you've crippled a stronger opponent and made him/her flush for the kill. Failure leaves you vulnerable to counterattack. More so, venom can be a cost effective way for a cutthroat to do his job. Simple venoms and toxins can be crafted from plants and animals. Rattlesnake venom and mandrake root are great starting points.


*Bonus XP: To give your elementals an air of extra mystique, describe them without using the word elemental. An earth elemental could be called a "golem". An air elemental can be a "will-o-wisp". A water elemental should be depicted as King Triton in "The Little Mermaid". Make the effort to not use the clinical definition so your players can be a little more immersed into the world you've created. Besides, "elemental" as a description is lame. Lame with a capital "Twilight".

DCR Gamer Forge Listener Email:

Name: Megan

Comments: Okay this may sound strange coming from a woman. However in my pathfinder game that I play in I am wanting to transition my rouge character to an assassin.
The guys are giving me crap about it because they don't believe I could play that type of character because up until this point my character has mainly just been a pick pocket and show no tendacies for violence.

My DM is asking for a legit reason for the change. I am struggling here because I really want to make this leap with my character.

background on my character she is a half elf woman who's elven mother was raped and then left for dead. Some clerics found her and was able to keep her alive but barely. During child birth she passed on. I grew up under the watchful eye of the clerics and was really pushed around for because of it.

When I turned 16 one of the clerics tried to force himself upon me and in my desperate moment I stabbed him with a dagger I happened upon. The clerics sided with their brother and threw me out. I sturggled to live but found that I had a knack for pilfering things and eventually became very good at it but never stealling more than I needed or from those that had less than I.

Then there was an event that forced me into this group of adventures that I am now with. Namely I was caught stealing from a local lord and forced into servitude to this group so that I can be free of my crime. The group has come to rely upon my skills.

So can you help me justify a legitimate change? And how I can do it?

Thank you megan!

DCR Gamer Forge Response:

When taking on the unfortunate (and awesome) role of an assassin, DCR says:  

1. Find and connect an emotional response. She's already given a good reason to want to kill someone, or at least a justifiable one. It's as simple as illiciting something mercurial, even primal, about  wanting to kill. Tap into the very core emotions in your backstory. Inigo Montoya from The Princess Bride is a classic example. He is good at killing, but for the singular purpose of revenge. Once you've got your GM/DM/Referee/Storyteller/Watcher/Whatever bought into your reason, obtaining the class of your choice is as good as done.

2. Responsibility vs. Enthusiasm. Some famous characters actually like killing. Others see it as a way to make a living. Both have this in common: they're good at it. Make sure you define this when advancing your character through the levels. This is a great roleplay opportunity for you and your group. Is it something your character sees as just a job, but feels bad about doing? Is he/she finding that killing is far more intriguing than the whole "letting people live" thing. This is character development gold.

3. This is only a definition of a talent or skill, not necessarily a chosen profession. Some people, regardless of chosen profession, possess skills in other areas. So taking a class, any class, is only a description of heightened training or talent. Characters may have ten levels of "bard", but the actual method of earning that sweet "dollah-dollah" are literally myriad. Conan the Barbarian was very good at killing people, but made money by theft. Sam and Dean Winchester are good at killing demons, but make their money by scams and pool hustling. Remember this when assigning trained skills or skill points or the like.  

*To go the extra mile, watch episodes of The Equalizer. A tv series from the late 80's about a mercenary who had the tragic knack of killing lots and lots of bad people. A recurring theme of the show examines the emotional cost of killing bad guys. Also, Artemis Antreri from the Legend of Drizzt novels is excellent for examining interest in killing others for money and embracing that skill to a fault.