Author Archives: MssngrDeath

Themes: Epicurean

I’ve divided themes into three categories: occupational, where a character continues in their pre-adventuring job, heritage, where a character’s bloodline gives them power, and “other”. The third category is a catch-all for lifestyles, philosophies, places of origin, and mostly anything … Continue reading

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Themes: Celestial

There are a few ways to manifest an extraplanar background in Pathfinder, and they’re all kind of weird. For example, say you want to play a celestial. You can be a sorcerer or bloodrager with a celestial bloodline, but that’s … Continue reading

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Themes: Farmer

I figure if I’m going to introduce themes as “what if you want to play a farmer?” pretty universally, it’s only proper for that to be the first theme I post. A few things to keep in mind throughout these … Continue reading

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Themes: Rules

I have a few key points to keep in mind as I work on themes: They can’t be too strong. The point is not to give players a significant power jump or suddenly allow new game-breaker builds. Themes must be … Continue reading

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Themes: Introduction

So what, exactly, is a theme? D&D and Pathfinder make a clear difference between PCs and NPCs. PCs are heroes, the stuff of legend, several cuts above the average person. PCs are stronger, faster, braver, and all around better than … Continue reading

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NaNoWriMo

November is coming, as it does, and that means National Novel Writing Month again. I really like NaNoWriMo for what it is: a measurable, attainable, structured kick in the pants for people who want to be writers but can’t seem … Continue reading

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Occult Adventures

Speaking of class design. I knew I was going to get Occult Adventures as soon as Paizo announced it. I figured it wouldn’t be the same as the amazing Heroes of Horror, but I’d hoped it would be in the … Continue reading

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On the Vigilante

I’ve been spending some time on the Paizo subreddit since one of my players told me I was on it and, in doing so, that it existed. For the most part it’s very similar to the Wizards boards I frequented … Continue reading

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Splitting the Party

I have a guilty pleasure when it comes to DMing. In fact, I probably have several, but one came up recently as I was browsing the Pathfinder Reddit: splitting the party. Splitting the party is generally considered A Bad Thing™. … Continue reading

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On Unearthed Arcana: Variant Rules

After I spent all that time gushing about the variant alignment systems for Pathfinder, it’s only fair to point out when Wizards does something similar. The latest Unearthed Arcana (not to be confused with Unearthed Arcana or Unearthed Arcana) dropped, … Continue reading

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