Pathfinder Roleplaying Game: GameMastery Guide

320 Pages·2010·37.262 MB·English

by  Jason Bulmahn

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Credits
Authors: Cam Banks, Wolfgang Baur, Jason Bulmahn, Jim Butler, Eric Cagle, Graeme Davis, Adam Daigle, Joshua J. Frost,
James Jacobs, Kenneth Hite, Steven Kenson, Robin Laws, Tito Leati, Rob McCreary, Hal Maclean, Colin McComb,
Jason Nelson, David Noonan, Richard Pett, Rich Redman, Sean K Reynolds, F. Wesley Schneider, Amber Scott,
Doug Seacat, Mike Selinker, Lisa Stevens, James L. Sutter, Russ Taylor, Penny Williams, Skip Williams, Teeuwynn Woodruff
Cover Artist: Wayne Reynolds
Interior Artists: Alex Aparin, Christopher Burdett, Jeff Carlisle, Concept Art House, Alberto Dal Lago, Julie Dillon,
Vincent Dutrait, Jesper Ejsing, Emrah Elmasli, Pavel Guzenko, Andrew Hou, Kyle Stanley Hunter, Imaginary Friends,
Robert Lazzaretti, Steve Prescott, Wayne Reynolds, Florian Stitz, Sarah Stone, Tyler Walpole, Eva Widermann,
Ben Wootten, Kevin Yan, and Kieran Yanner
Creative Director: James Jacobs
Senior Art Director: Sarah E. Robinson
Managing Editor: F. Wesley Schneider
Editing and Development: Judy Bauer, Christopher Carey, Rob McCreary,
Erik Mona, Lisa Stevens, James L. Sutter, and Vic Wertz
Editorial Assistance: Jason Bulmahn and Sean K Reynolds
Editorial Interns: Tyler Clark, Matthew Lund, and Patrick Renie
Production Assistant: Crystal Frasier
Publisher: Erik Mona
Paizo CEO: Lisa Stevens
Vice President of Operations: Jeffrey Alvarez
Corporate Accountant: Dave Erickson
Director of Sales: Pierce Watters
Financial Analyst: Christopher Self
Technical Director: Vic Wertz
Events Manager: Joshua J. Frost
Special Thanks: The Paizo Customer Service, Warehouse, and Web Teams, Ryan Dancey, Clark Peterson, and the proud
participants of the Open Gaming Movement.
This game is dedicated to Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson.
Based on the original roleplaying game rules designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson and inspired by the third edition of the
game designed by Monte Cook, Jonathan Tweet, Skip Williams, Richard Baker, and Peter Adkison.
Paizo Publishing, LLC
This game would not be possible without the passion and 7120 185th Ave NE
dedication of the thousands of gamers who helped playtest Ste 120
and develop it. Thank you for all of your time and effort. Redmond, WA 98052-0577
paizo.com
Product Identity: The following items are hereby identified as Product Identity, as defined in the Open Game License version 1.0a, Section 1(e), and are not Open
Content: All trademarks, registered trademarks, proper names (characters, deities, etc.), dialogue, plots, storylines, locations, characters, artwork, and trade dress.
(Elements that have previously been designated as Open Game Content or are in the public domain are not included in this declaration.)
Open Content: Except for material designated as Product Identity (see above), the game mechanics of this Paizo Publishing game product are Open Game Content,
as defined in the Open Gaming License version 1.0a Section 1(d). No portion of this work other than the material designated as Open Game Content may be
reproduced in any form without written permission.
Pathfinder Roleplaying Game GameMastery Guide is published by Paizo Publishing, LLC under the Open Game License version 1.0a Copyright 2000 Wizards of the Coast,
Inc. Paizo Publishing, LLC, the Paizo golem logo, Pathfinder, and GameMastery are registered trademarks of Paizo Publishing, LLC; Pathfinder Roleplaying Game,
Pathfinder Society, Pathfinder Chronicles, Pathfinder Modules, and Pathfinder Companion are trademarks of Paizo Publishing, LLC. © 2010 Paizo Publishing, LLC.
Second printing November 2010.
Printed in China.
tABLe OF CONteNts
Introduction 4 The Rural/Agrarian Society 154
The Cosmopolitan Society 156
Chapter 1: Getting Started 6 Other Societies 158
Duties of a GM 8 Technology 160
Tone and Maturity 10 Time 162
The GM as Host 12 The Cosmos 164
Rules of the House 14 The Planes 166
Preparing to Run a Game 16 Parallel Worlds 168
Creating a Campaign Guide 20
Chapter 7: Adventures 170
Chapter 2: Running a Game 22 Elements of Adventure 172
How to Run a Game 24 Dungeons 174
The Art of GMing 28 Planar 184
The Science of GMing 34 Taverns 198
GM Considerations 46 Urban 202
Tools for Game Masters 52 Water 214
Wilderness 220
Chapter 3: Player Characters 56
Starting Characters 58 Chapter 8: Advanced Topics 228
New Players 63 Customizing Your Game 230
The Life of a Party 64 Chases 232
Player Interactions 70 Disasters 234
Drugs and Addiction 236
Chapter 4: Nonplayer Characters 78 Fortune-Telling 238
Cast of Characters 80 Gambling and Games of Chance 240
Making NPCs Unique 84 Haunts 242
Life of the NPC 86 Hazards 244
NPC Boons 88 Mysteries and Investigations 246
Villains 90 Puzzles and Riddles 248
NPC Creator’s Toolbox 94 Sanity and Madness 250
Chapter 5: Rewards 100 Chapter 9: NPC Gallery 252
The Role of Rewards 102 NPC Gallery 254
Starting Treasure 108
Appendix 310
What is a Reward? 110
PCs Controlling Rewards 114 Recommendations 310
Random Item Generators 118 Campaign Tracking Sheet 312
Settlement Tracking Sheet 313
Chapter 6: Creating a World 138 NPC Tracking Sheet 314
World Building 140 Rules Cheat Sheet 315
Detailing Your World 142
Index 316
Geography 146
Cultural Considerations 148 Table Index 318
The Primitive Society 150 NPC Index 319
The Feudal Society 152 Open Game License 319
Introduction
Welcome, Game Masters, to a collection of advice and on creating everything your game needs, from characters,
inspiration, tools and rules, designed for a game like to settings, to entire campaigns.
none other: your own. Within the pages of this book, For adept Game Masters, this guide aims to save you time,
the Pathfinder RPG GameMastery Guide, awaits guidance fuel your creativity, and help every game you play run more
and mechanics to help you use the Pathfinder Roleplaying smoothly. Within wait not only pages of suggestions and
Game to tell the tales you’ve always imagined. Whether advice from some of the most talented Game Masters in the
you’re a new player excited to take your first steps into the world, but also dozens of random idea generators, treasure
limitless world of fantasy roleplaying or a veteran Game charts, wandering monster tables, new rules subsystems,
Master with decades of experience, the following pages and stat blocks for the types of NPCs that appear most often
offer far more than just advice on using funny voices and in Pathfinder Roleplaying Game campaigns. Also expect
inventing quirky characters—they contain a vast arsenal aids to help you keep track of your characters, world, and
of tools and techniques designed to improve the gaming campaign, tools to help you introduce new players to your
experience for both you and your players, from the moment game, and suggestions for books, music, and movies to help
inspiration strikes to the finale of any campaign. inform and inspire ever greater adventures.
For the novice Game Master, this book provides All of this lies within, organized and cross-referenced
suggestions on how to begin a game and make it as with the Pathfinder RPG Core Rulebook and Pathfinder RPG
fantastical as you can imagine, recommendations on how Bestiary to keep your attention on your stories and players,
to find players and keep them coming back, tips on dealing not on hunting through books. So turn the page—your
with player- and adventure-related problems, and details next great story awaits.
Defining the Game Master World Builder: Whether running games on Golarion,
You might already know what a Game Master is. The likely home of the official Pathfinder campaign setting, or on
definition, if you’re holding this book, is “you.” But if you a world of their own creation, GMs control nearly every
don’t know, a Game Master (or GM) is the Pathfinder RPG aspect of an entire fantasy reality. With not just one world,
player who arbitrates the rules of the game and controls the but perhaps even multiple planets, planes, or even stranger
actions of every game element that isn’t explicitly controlled settings under the GM’s direction, the more insight
by the other players. But as any experienced Game Master and forethought invested into the ways and workings of
knows, being a GM is also much, much more. locations, the more believable these become. Details on
Host: Game Masters are the unifying force behind these elements, along with considerations on societies, time,
most of the game, not just organizing a social event but technology, and more fill Chapter 6: Creating a World.
providing excitement and entertainment for those who Storyteller: Among a GM’s most important tasks is
participate. Chapter 1: Getting Started focuses on the imagining and telling engaging stories. To aid in this task,
GM’s role as a host, presenting considerations on how to Chapter 7: Adventures presents expansive discussions on
start a game, how to prepare for a session, and how to select several of the settings most common in the Pathfinder
a tone and rules that players will be eager to explore. RPG, focusing on considerations and helpful rules GMs
Mastermind: GMs work to keep a game’s momentum can employ wherever their tales might take them. In
moving in directions that entertain all the players while addition, numerous idea-generating charts and random
exploring the stories and settings they desire. To such encounter tables assure that GMs never lack for details or
ends, a GM manipulates dozens of elements, from how excitement once their stories reach their destinations.
narrative components unfold to what rules are used and Game Designer: Even with the vast range of options
how they function in every situation. Chapter 2: Running presented in the Pathfinder RPG Core Rulebook, only GMs
a Game addresses a variety of topics that help GMs handle know what threats their players might face or powers they
some of the most complicated aspects of their duties, from might come to control. Just as GMs arbitrate the rules
the details of how a GM actually performs in-game and within their games, so can they manipulate, repurpose,
frames a story to ways to create adventures and juggle the and wholly invent new rules to improve their games.
myriad aspects of a campaign. Chapter 8: Advanced Topics not only offers GMs a variety
Mediator: Just as GMs make sure all of a game’s plots of new rule subsystems and considerations for running
and rules work together to entertain, they must also challenging types of adventures, but also expands upon
ensure that the players themselves mesh and cooperate. several existing rules elements and demonstrates how GMs
From tips on handling unusual characters and common can customize the rules they already know to perfectly fit
PC problems to the delicate tasks of introducing new the types of adventures they want to run.
players and addressing the needs of several gamer Director: Over the course of a campaign, Game
archetypes, Chapter 3: Player Characters offers GMs a Masters have need of dozens of characters and hundreds
host of suggestions to help them avoid, ease, and handle of encounters, choosing and customizing each and
the wide variety of challenges that arise from both in- presenting them however best aids the overarching plot.
game characters and their real-world players. Yet creating these elements can prove a repetitive and
Actor: Through the GM, the cast of entire fantasy worlds time-consuming task. To aid in this process, Chapter 9:
takes the stage. In a given session, a Game Master might play NPC Gallery unveils a gallery of dozens of stat blocks for
a generous peasant or a conniving king, a rampaging dragon the types of NPCs most commonly encountered in the
or an enigmatic deity. Whatever the persona, the GM’s Pathfinder RPG. These characters can be used however
characters are only as convincing, endearing, despicable, the GM wishes, allowing him to focus on other, more
or memorable as the person who portrays them. Chapter 4: exciting aspects of his campaigns.
Nonplayer Characters deals with designing and depicting Regardless of skill or experience as a Game Master, it’s
nonplayer characters, encouraging players to take a vested likely that every GM can identify one of these roles as an
interest in NPCs, creating sinister villains, and many more area in which she lacks experience or confidence. This
suggestions to bring even the smallest role to life. GameMastery Guide seeks to address such needs, counseling
Patron: While GMs constantly confront their players with on challenging aspects of campaigns, contributing new
all sorts of dangers, they also serve as the source of every options and inspirations, and refreshing the game’s classic
reward the PCs ever gain, from each experience point to elements. Most importantly, the countless tools herein are
treasures of legend. Chapter 5: Rewards aids GMs in creating designed not to change games or tell GMs how they should
and managing a wide variety of rewards, and includes ways play, but rather to inspire new stories and save effort, leaving
to handle common challenges presented by character wealth GMs with more time to run exactly the adventures they and
and bring new life and adventure to old treasures. their groups want to play—or have been playing for years.
Getting Started
1
old tight, everyone. I
H
think they’re coming
through.” Steel rasped on
leather as the big sword came
off Amiri’s back.
“Maybe they’ll be friends!”
Lini offered cheerily. Beside
her, the big cat growled deep in
his throat.
“I don’t think so, little one,”
Sajan said. Beyond the portal,
glowing eyes were opening.
Too many eyes.
“Oh. Okay then.” The gnome
drew a thumb across her sickle,
blood beading on its edge.
“The ground looks a little dry
here anyway.”
From the shadows of the
doorway, a taloned arm
stretched forth.
Duties of a GM disputed interpretations of the rules. And while it’s
important for the Game Master to be fair and hear out
players’ opinions and arguments, a good Game Master
While everyone at the table plays the game, the Game has the confidence and resolve to hold firm once he’s
Master creates the world, breathing life into it in front of a made a decision.
small audience enraptured by his story. The Game Master Creator: Not only does the Game Master bring stories
works the hardest of everyone, spending night upon night to the table, but many times he is also the creator of
before each game session carefully weaving the strands entire worlds. More often than not, he spends more
of fate and plotting the course of the adventurers’ lives, time preparing for the session than the session actually
working in twists, building encounters and monsters, takes to play. When not using a published setting or
and pouring blood, sweat, and tears into his creation. adventure, the Game Master must take the time outside
To use a common analogy, roleplaying games are like of the game to create the plot, build enemies, construct
movies where the actors get to improvise and alter the encounters, develop magic items and spells, design
script as they go, working off prompts from the Game monsters, and flesh out the world of adventure the
Master. Extending this comparison, if the players are players will soon inhabit.
the actors, then the Game Master is the director—and Instructor: Not everyone is going to show up to the table
often the screenwriter, even when basing the story on a with an equal—or even sufficient—understanding of the
published adventure. While this is a generic comparison, rules. Some of these players will be young, the new generation
it illustrates some of the multiple roles the Game Master of gamers eager to enter into the ranks, and others will be
fills. The position can also be broken down into a number friends you’ve encouraged to learn the joys of roleplaying
of other duties and responsibilities as follows. games; some may even be fresh recruits at conventions
Storyteller: Weaving plots involving the player or game stores. Everyone has a different aptitude for the
characters and any number of nonplayer characters, admittedly complex rules of roleplaying games, and many
leading dialogue, and unfurling a vast tapestry of ideas, people are intimidated by them. Part of a Game Master’s
stories, and adventure, the Game Master is a storyteller role is to guide players in learning the game—after all,
first and foremost. While the game is a collaborative the majority of Game Masters playing today learned from
narrative told from all sides of the table, the Game another Game Master who was patient with them.
Master paves and maintains the road along which the Player: Despite a pervasive myth, roleplaying games are
adventurers walk. not about pitting the Game Master against the players.
Entertainer: Despite the best-laid plans and most They are not competitions, and the Game Master does not
intricate plots, if the game isn’t fun and engaging, it lose when the players succeed—rather, if the players leave
isn’t worth the effort. It’s the Game Master’s job to do the table feeling tested but triumphant, then the Game
whatever’s necessary to keep the players’ energy and Master has achieved the best possible result. Though one
interest up, immersing the group in the story through person guides the game, everyone is a player in some sense.
the use of strange voices, animated gestures, and Game Masters must be as convincing with the nonplayer
generally making a fool of himself in the most classic characters they control as the players are with their own
sense. In order to fulfill the role of every individual the characters, if not more so.
player characters encounter, the Game Master needs to be In addition to these roles, the Game Master might also
impressionist, comedian, and thespian all in one. In the fill a handful of others. Many groups maintain a set of
role of the entertainer, the Game Master is the steward of house rules for their games, and the Game Master has the
every player’s experience, keeping everyone at the table final say on particular interpretations and arbitrations of
involved and the story moving along at the proper pace. rules (though everyone in the group should be aware of
Moderator: While important in any game, the role of any house rules beforehand). The Game Master may also
moderator becomes even more important in games with act as host for the game. At the least, the host provides
new players unfamiliar with the rules, or situations an ample place to play. While some extraordinary Game
where the Game Master might be running a game for Masters might provide all materials, including books,
strangers, such as “organized play” sessions at gaming character sheets, pencils, dice, miniatures, and a battlemat,
stores and conventions. Many players enjoy the tactical groups should decide upon those details themselves. As the
aspects of the game and make the most of the rules in host for a game, it is important to provide a surface large
and outside of combat. The Game Master should know enough to play upon, a place for everyone to sit, reasonable
what each character is capable of, as well as the abilities facilities, and the desire to get a good game going. Whether
of the nonplayer characters and monsters, and should played at a Victorian dining table lit with candelabras, on
be prepared to pass judgment on any contradictory or the floor of a spartan apartment, in the library during recess,
or in the back of a van on the way to a family camping trip, story that’s more concise than a full campaign but longer
roleplaying games can be tailored to most any situation, as than a single adventure.
long as there’s excitement and a desire to play. Encounter: An encounter is a short scene in which the
PCs are actively doing something. Examples of encounters
A GAme mAster’s GlossAry include a combat with a monster, a social interaction
Listed below are a few terms with which all new Game significant to the adventure’s plot, an attempt to disarm
Masters should be familiar. These terms are mentioned a trap, or the discovery of a mystery or clue requiring
throughout the Pathfinder RPG Core Rulebook and, beyond further investigation.
those presented in the Common Terms section (page 11 of Metagaming: This is when characters act on information
the Core Rulebook), are among the most important in the that they don’t have access to, but which their players know
Game Master’s lexicon. from the real world. Metagaming comes into play when
Adventure: An adventure is a self-contained storyline players fail to maintain a divide between in-character
the PCs experience. An adventure is composed of a series knowledge and out-of-character knowledge. That could
of encounters furthering the storyline. include anything from uncannily accurate in-character
Campaign: A collection of stories weaving into an predictions from a player who’s already read the adventure,
overreaching narrative. It may be a string of published players recognizing monsters when their characters
adventures, a chain of homebrewed material, or an Adventure wouldn’t, low-Intelligence characters accessing well-
Path designed to be played as a series. A campaign may or educated players’ knowledge and talents, etc.
may not have a definitive or predefined end point. Session: A session is a single bout of gaming. Not every
Campaign Arc: A sequence of adventures that mesh session ties up an adventure; many adventures require
well with each other, usually part of a larger campaign. multiple sessions to complete. The duration of sessions varies
Game Masters often run these shorter arcs to create a from group to group, from a few hours to a weekend.
Tone and Maturity with the same group for years? Is everyone at the table
a complete stranger in a session you’re running at a
convention or a game store? Each of these different group
Players come to games to feel larger than life, and each styles requires a different performance from the Game
brings a character that has aspirations, desires, abilities, Master. Casual groups require less focus and can often
and unique ways of looking at the world. The Game Master’s be more forgiving of mistakes, glossing over problematic
job is to help guide the story and involve each character in situations in favor of hanging out and enjoying a shared
a way that makes her actions feel meaningful. This means hobby. Committed roleplayers can demand significantly
listening to the players while simultaneously keeping your more focus and attention, as each player brings a complex
own preferences in mind. No two gaming groups are the and interesting character in need of development within
same, so groups that discuss their preferences for styles the game. Some Game Masters find convention play or
of play, tone, and group dynamics are more likely to enjoy hobby store play difficult because they lack a point of
long-running, trouble-free games. reference for the newly formed group. In these cases, a bit
of small talk before the game begins often offers cues as
style of PlAy to players’ interests. Use time before play begins to ask a
Finding the right fit with a group depends on a shared few focused questions about not only the players, but also
preference of styles of play and the willingness to their characters.
compromise. Does your group prefer to focus more on
combat or roleplaying? The former style moves quickly retAininG interest
through the story and centers primarily on fun tactical Listening to your players is important not only when
situations. If it’s the latter, games should highlight looking to start a new campaign but also during the course
character development and storyline, and it wouldn’t be of the story. From your seat at the game table, you can tell
unusual to have an entire session pass without combat. who’s engaged and who’s not. The goal should always be
Most groups fit somewhere in the wide middle of this to figure out what’s going to grab the bored, distracted, or
spectrum, but knowing what your players enjoy most is annoyed players and get them back in the game (without
crucial to keeping everyone entertained. sacrificing the fun of the others, of course). If during
the last game session a particular player seemed bored
tone And settinG when it wasn’t her turn at combat, make a point to chat
Once your players decide what style of game they’re with her about the reasons why. Maybe she doesn’t feel
looking for, it’s time to consider tone and setting. A like her character is performing well or getting enough
group that’s more interested in lighthearted silliness of the spotlight outside of combat. It often only takes a
will disappoint a Game Master wanting to run a creepy slight tweak or a single encounter tailored to her skill set
horror campaign. Setting and tone determine whether to make a disenfranchised player feel like a valuable part
you’re running a complex, gritty political game in which of the group.
the PCs unravel conspiracies or a high-magic and high- Always be open to switching things up. Players
action fantasy epic involving bizarre monsters and divine inevitably throw wrenches into the Game Master’s plans,
mandates. Setting encompasses the central themes and despite how obvious a lead seems or how convincing a
tropes of your world, and tone is the feel, whether that’s hook sounds. Don’t be afraid to play off their creativity
gritty realism or fairy-tale derring-do. The desired the same way they do with yours. If you have a plot the
magic level is also worth discussing early on, as some characters are trying to unravel, and the solutions they
players like readily available magic, while others prefer it come up with make more sense than your prepared ones,
to be exclusive and rare, only finding a handful of magic try ignoring the original resolution from your notebook
items throughout their entire career. A short meeting or a published adventure and turning the story in a
before launching the campaign allows you to tailor the new direction—the players never need know about the
experience for your players, and most players appreciate original version, and you can take full credit for their
the effort to satisfy everyone’s tastes. enjoyment. Similarly, if the players keep going off track
and getting involved in events outside of your planned
GrouP styles story, that might be a sign that your players are interested
In addition to focusing on the game-specific themes and in a different sort of game than you originally crafted.
styles, consider the group of players sitting around the And even if you have great empathy with your gaming
table. Are they looking for a casual “beer and pretzels” group and give them everything they want, remember
game, or are they committed roleplayers looking for a that tastes can change over time. Remember what your
deeply immersive campaign? Have you been playing players enjoyed and try to perform in that way again, but