The Next Game Master Pt. 01

Mother wanted me to test you with all of them. See how you handled them. Especially after the first one. I loved the idea because I love how your mind works."

He smiled, "Level one snapdragon."

She laughed, "I still do not see your fascination with that spell."

He looked at her, "Before you answer that question on mine give us something like a road blocked encounter, we can see from a few hundred feet away and I could show you."

She looked at him, "Just tell me."

He sighed, "It is one of a handful of spells that can be used in the second round and every following round as a move action. Someone gets close you hit them with a quickened or cantrip, as a swift action, snap as a move action in the second round and beyond, and then a standard action spell. The second round any other spell you have that is a standard action including a second snapdragon.

At my level, I have one casting in the first round. Next round I launch one as a move action and cast a second as my standard. For several rounds, I use my move for one and my standard action for the other. Right now, I can target something hundreds of feet away and potentially dazes them.

I can have the dual effect going for 4 rounds either targeting them at that range or targeting them as they approach. I can also use it as a move action. 'Casting' a standard action spell and a swift or a cantrip.

I can get off 3 spells in a given round if I want to go full bore caster and depending on the range of the group and range of the targets. If I am in a ditch I could have them run along the ditch fly around in the sky and land inches in front of someone's face.

While doing the other in the other direction down that ditch or ravine. Now they think they have two casters firing this shit at them and they go to 2 separate locations where I am not. It is a great utility spell for long-range.

Misdirection, hell even hunting. If you want to drive a deer toward you have it go off to where it runs toward your location. The signal flare is another use that I demonstrated."

She nodded, "It does not do a lot of damage but can annoy the hell out of your targets. Draw them where you want them."

He nodded, "Yes great synergy if you can get a rouge in position for great backstabbing. Or you are behind a line of fighter types and they have to go through them, over them or try and go around to get to the caster in the back.

That is what I can do at this level, except for the quicken, those are coming. I could also have a quickened casting going off."

She looked at Raven, "I will allow it because it shows how to be creative with spells and will help you with your training of Ersa. She was the weakest in the group and she is coming along much better with your guidance.

She is on par with the others now. You were right about testing her. I will tell her I approved of your plan for her. However, her last 5 levels have to be in the caster type she likes best. She chooses one."

He smiled, "The fighter and Stalwart?"

She nodded, "It matches his play style. Talk with the others and work on their characters for when they level up.

I will be willing; once they get to the second inn, to let them redo some feats to move into a prestige class for then or later. Like the Shadow Dancer, you nailed where she was going. You saw her doing that role.

You are correct she is the next most knowledgeable character. Lirana is in third and you have 4 that are new to the game."

He sat there and held his daughter and looked at her, "This will be harder for me than you. You can see her all the time. You could always tell her about some of the crazy things I have done to surprise you. Like snapdragons or the assassin ambush. Highlighting my work with the other arcane and rogue. Even pushing the paladin to control the rest of the group."

She nodded. "That goes to the task I wanted you to do tonight. I want you to meet with 30 children. You would call them high-school age seniors."

He sighed, "I will do so if I can show them the discussions I had with the players about their character. Also, the reason why I was chosen to do this. I destroyed the world. If I had been female, I would have been made a goddess. I would not go into the fact of how I did it. Just that it happened."

AO arrived at this point in the dialog. "I do not see a problem with that. No images from the other world."

He looked at her, "I want the image of me in that cell. Working on my background based on the instructions in that fucking note."

She looked at me and sighed, "Technically you were not on the world at that time. Based on that I will allow that. It drove your character background and it is relevant. No images but if you are politically correct, you may discuss the beginning with them.

I have come for your daughter. Yes, I know what her name means and it is beautiful and unique. Make yourself ready and say goodbye to your daughter. I have a group of goddesses without worlds watching your interaction in-game and here. Except for my arrival and what happened after, all of that has been blocked from everyone, forever."

He smiled, "You mean I cannot re-watch our little fuck session?'

She laughed, "No. Your imagination is good enough and you have another night."

He gave her a smile. He gave Myssara a hug and a long passionate kiss. "Two nights from now will be busy. First us and my two minxes with you at the inn. Then you and AO back here in the dreams."

She shook her head. "We will do the one with AO when we have both calmed some over the loss of our daughter."

He kissed her again. "But soon. The first night we get back on the road at the latest. I know we'll be spending time trying to sell and buy stuff for the party from the treasure we have collected. I am hoping you will reconsider the NPCs only if we add people. I am sure you have a couple of new players who are having an issue adjusting. We need to add a true healing cleric in order to get Flar engaged."

She looked at him, "I have a couple of your days to think that over. I want to see what you do for the other characters first. The paladin, cleric, and barbarian."

He nodded, "I will get with them at the cleric's wagon as we are moving. The Paladin and barbarian are best as pure classes but I will talk with them. The cleric is easy. Brewmaster. I can put my raven on scouting from there. I believe we are through the worst of it but I know there is at least one more encounter in order to get the others to level 5."

She got up and AO left with their daughter. Myssara looked at him, "We need to go talk with these kids."

He sighed and nodded. He walked into a room and then a long corridor to what looked like a Greek amphitheater. A small one and the kids looked like high-school or early college students. They looked over and recognize Myssara.

They all kneeled and she looked at them after rolling her eyes, "Please take a seat. This is an unorthodox meeting. I have never done this before but we have someone who is new to our world but is essentially a master level gamer. I will let him tell you his story."

He looked at the group. "I am Sarrion "The Raven" Black. Unlike you, I was not born in this world, or even another world in this universe. I was born on a planet called Earth. This world is important to your world as they created the rules you use.

There are many sets of rules. You are learning rules for the gaming system called Pathfinder. I was a gamer. I was a Game Master on many occasions. I ran and played with many rulesets you will never experience. I set the rules I was the god for the game if you will.

I was looking for a group to run with. On my planet gaming is a hobby. Here it is your life. The rules are set by the goddess of the world you are on. Show them how I came into this world."

Raven stood there and watched it because he had not seen it from a third-person perspective. There were gasps at his appearance. They watched his body change as he wrote. He looked at them, "You will be asked to write a background. This is not your life your writing about but the life of the character you are going to portray.

I would like to see a show of hands from you who wishes they could be a goddess for a world and have control over hundreds of lives and generating the stories behind them. Forever."

He saw 3 females and 1 male whose hand went up. He looked at Myssara, "Add their names to my list of those to watch. To the one male, you cannot be a goddess. You can be a master of the game.

You saw how I came in. This is my body in this world. My other body destroyed in the transfer. I can never return there. This is the body of my first playthrough. I never died. I did manage to destroy the goddess and the world she controlled.

IF I had been a female, I could have become a Goddess. I was not. Therefore, I am here. Now Myssara had to tweak my numbers. Reset me back to the beginning of a new game. I look just like this in-game. I did not complete a playthrough in the other world so they had to take my backstory.

I bring up my backstory because it sets the stage. I would like the four who raised their hands to come up here. I do not need to know your birth names. The goddess knows them. For now, you are alphas. On Earth males in charge and wants to take charge often called Alpha-males.

There are alpha-females but I have 3 of you so let me see if I can narrow this down. Have a seat if you are unable or uncomfortable with the following. Throwing a fireball into the middle of a human party trying to and potential for the purpose of killing them."

Two of the girls sat down. He looked at them, "Here is our alpha-female and our alpha-male. The reason I asked the question is to be a goddess you have to control the good and the bad in the world. Think of it as a piece of parchment you have. The side that looks great and the other that has some of the most devious things you can think of.

To become a Goddess, you have to be willing to challenge and potentially kill them when they fuck up. Please show them the group you set me up with. The party wipe that they first had and the last one. Number 84. They watch the grizzly scenes. "Now show them what I was able to do these characters in this life. Show them the battle that got them to their farthest point, the one you were so proud of this group for doing."

He waited as they cringed and watched the gore.

He looked at them, "That is a part of this life, just like sex."

He looked at the alpha-female, "Are you attracted to boys, girls or both?"

She looked at Raven, "Just women."

He nodded, "That would make you a lesbian, it would likely disqualify you from becoming a Goddess because procreation is needed."

He looked at the boy, "The same question."

He looked at Raven. "I like women but I wonder at times what would it be like with another man."

He looked at him, "That means you are bi-curious but heterosexual. But for the moment you like ladies. I had special permission to have an in-depth conversation with my group. I am actually only halfway through it. Show them the discussion I had today from when I rode down to talk with them until I called time to eat."

They watched the discussion they had. "By the way, I do not have answers to those questions and probably will not get them until I have finished talking with all 6 of them. I have paths set for 3. One was already on this path. In the 2 separate party wipes and over the course one player was identified as the weakest.

Her character's name is Ersa. She is one of my lovers in this life. In fact, she and Shia the rogue are carrying my children. The Barbarian is pregnant from Gardner. Though she has enjoyed the company of every male in the party except Marshal. You saw my discussion with him.

This game is your life. You were born here. As such you need to understand that you are a native-born player. When you step on the field that is not you. It should not be you. It is an aspect of your personality. But you have to change other aspects to play a character. My alpha-woman, can you climb that wall back there?"

She looked at it "No."

He looked at the alpha-male, "Different question can your character climb that wall?"

He looked at Raven, "It would depend on the character but I could have a character who could do it."

He looked at him, "Now could you the player stab someone in the back. If I gave you the daggers to do that?"

He shook his head and he looked at the girl, "Could your character be a sneaky little backstabber?"

She smiled, "Yes."

He looked at her, "But can you?" She shook her head. "That is called role-playing. You are essentially in an interactive play to have fun, to be challenged to learn, love, and live.

The girl looked at him, "Those were the words from the grave in your backstory."

He nodded, "Because, like you, I have to accept this fate. I might as well have fun doing it. Love when I can and learn to live my life here."

She nodded. "When you build a sneaky little backstabber, you have to ignore those feelings for that playthrough. You find aspects of your personality you want to use and write in new ones for the rest. Now you have your character. Play the dragon attack on the Wagon Master. From the attack all the way through me going through its carcass."

They watched it and Raven asked, "Everyone who was in a position to attack did what they could and we worked as a team. I would like to go back to the assassin attack that was the furthest they had got. They could not get past and show it first from Marshal's eyes and then from Ersa's eyes.

He looked at the girl, "Why did I show it to you from Ersa's eyes?"

She thought, "Because she was the weakest in the party but she was doing her fair share and not even getting injured this time."

He looked at them, "When you build a party or join one. You have to figure out which aspects have synergy with your character. Some work out really well. Others are not as strong. You saw my discussion on that."

They nodded. He called out, "Show them Ersa's last fight from a view behind her so they can see her and what was going on around her."

They sat and watched her fighting 4 wolves alone. He looked at the boy, "Why did I show you that?"

He looked at me, "Because she kicked ass and didn't die on her own."

He nodded. "I asked the goddess to do that test on her. I wanted the goddess to see what I saw in her. I wanted a very unorthodox build in a prestige class from another ruleset and after that test, she agreed to let her do it. The build she is getting is considered extremely powerful.

In my hands, I could crush the enemy. In her hands, it is a table full of exotic foods. She gets to try them. To figure out what she likes and what she does not like. When she is done with this playthrough she will have a working knowledge of two caster classes. She can mix that into another build like my arcane archer, or a blade singer. Magic with melee, magic with ranged. Stop focusing on just the beginning.

You start by figuring out what you want this character to be like at level 20. Then you write your background to reflect on how you started on your way. Include things you could not stop, something heroic you might have done. Or something pathetically silly. Someone hunting you and why. Define the skills you want to focus on through the story. Mine likes to craft. I will be doing some of that when I get to the inn. More arrows."

They chuckled. "I complained to the goddess that the training these guys received was inadequate. Part of the reason she has me here now. That is changing in the field. I am training an Arcane, a leader, and a cook."

That got a laugh. He smiled, "There are mundane things that people have to do to survive, cook, hunt, track, split wood, ride horses, and drive wagons.

Those are just a few. You have to expect some of those mundane tasks will fall to you. All of you. Learn to cook BEFORE you set out on the road. Be sure you start having ideas of what you want your character to look like at the end of that playthrough. It is my understanding these characters are not wasted.

Every character that you get through is a character you can use when you enter a world where epic levels are done. Let me talk about my character for a moment. I will be an Arcane Archer when this is done. First, I chose which prestige class I wanted to be major.

I then asked, 'Do I wish to be archer focuses or more ranged focus? A sorcerer or a wizard?' I chose wizard; I like having a lot of utility vs being a battle mage. For that, I would likely go sorcerer. I wanted the best base attack I could get, with four attacks in a given round. I wanted to get to have 8th level spells at a minimum.

My final configuration is 8 Arcane Archer, 6 Eldritch Knight, 5 Wizard, and 1 Ranger. 1 Ranger, 5 Wizard, 3 Eldritch Knight, 8 Arcane Archer, and then 3 more Eldritch Knight. This is what I am doing for 4 attacks with the base attack bonus of 17 and an effective 16th level caster, all saving throws in double digits.

I could have been more eldritch knight going 10 in eldritch knight and 4 in arcane archer. Been an 18th level caster with tier 9 spells. But then I would miss out on all of the cool abilities that level 5-8 of the Arcane Archer.

Now you are asking why do I need to know where I want my character to be at when I get to level 20? The answer is it influences what your first set of levels are going to be and what feats you select to open those prestige classes. As players here, you know what your stats are for the characters you are running.

Out there you do not have access to those. Your skills are not based on where you place a number on a piece of parchment. They are based on your story and what you do in-game. I have more skills in hiding, knowledge nature, if there was a skill called creative thinking it would be maxed out for my level."

They laughed. "If you want to improve your skills use them. I have riding, acrobatics, and tumbling skills I have worked on. My riding should not be maxed out yet because I have not ridden into combat or fought an opponent on horseback. What I did with the dragon I GOT OFF the horse to do."

They laughed as they recalled his flying leap from the horse. "I used the horse to get me closer and because of all my time in the saddle." He stopped and rubbed his ass and they laughed again before he continued. "My skill at riding is strong but I do not have the numbers.

I do not have an exact number for any of my statistics. Those are all veiled from me. They will be for you as well. The numbers are not as important. As a wizard or a sorcerer, you can get a very good idea of what your intelligence is set to, bonus spells. Same for clerics and paladins for wisdom. You can get a rough idea of strength by carrying things. Another way is things like this. Show them the event of going over to examine the bows from one of our treasure collections."

They watched this short interaction. "I determined that the bow was set to be drawn by a strong player. The barbarian could use it as well if we could ever get the two-handed sword from her hand. She is a rage fighter as you have seen." They laughed. "The only other time I have seen her that aggressive without the sword was when we had sex together.

She is an aggressive lover. But you are all too young to see that unless they start showing some of my escapades to you in your dream state. There are a lot of things here that are different than my world; at least so far. The time for a pregnancy to run in this world is way shorter than in my world. Ladies do not instantly go back to their pre-pregnancy bodies.

All of that aspect I actually like. As should all the woman. I have made a request that when you graduate you will all know the proper way to handle a virgin. You do it wrong it can be a scarring experience and you generally only have that once in your life. But your characters when they enter the world will all be virgins again.