"The big reveal (Pathfinder PC evolution)" Topic

So… In the group, I play a female rogue. I used an Intimidate build (+11 right now), and made her average to ugly, overweight; in essence, a thug/bully with a violent backstory, on the run from a murder charge. Scorekeeper (vengeance and payback) personality, Neutral alignment.

In game, she has been a most satisfying character to play, but after one session a couple weeks ago, I saw an opportunity to twist her ongoing story – in game she was knocked down to -9 HP by a couple of minotaurs and an NPC Cleric of Serenrae jumped in stabilized her, costing the cleric her life.

In game that became a pivotal event for the PC. Her backstory that I had crafted, she was abandoned by her patents and never experienced anyone doing anything for her, much less someone sacrificing their life whom she met two hours before. I played it as a dramatic, life-altering event for her.

Another session of roleplay (heavy on the role this time), and my rogue leveled. Since Serenrae is a goddess of redemption…

She became a newly minted 4th Level Rogue, 1st Level Cleric of Serenrae, with a new paradigm.

Pretty cool!
I love it when players pursue their PC's story arc that way… vs. just taking the best combat options.

My current PF PC is a naive and cowardly Cleric of Andoletta… who can't go on much longer without confronting his sheltered upbringing and simplistic view of the world.

Nice. It's been a long time since I have played a good RPG. Sounds like you are in a good group.

Our GM plays an "open world" sort of play style, where he has possible storylines and hooks prepared and things from our background (that may come to visit us again) BUT allows the players free to input via their PC actions how things are going to develop instead of driving a linear-storyline.

He also plays his monsters smart, using tactics, logic and sound decision-making. He's said before his monsters WILL coup de grace a downed player if and when the opportunity presents itself.

A DM and 5 players, all of us older, three of the group tabletopped for years before eventually gravitating to Roll20, where they attracted the other two and eventually invited me to join in.

There is far more time and investment spent in roleplay than rollplay.

Our GM plays an "open world" sort of play style, where he has possible storylines and hooks prepared and things from our background (that may come to visit us again) BUT allows the players free to input via their PC actions how things are going to develop instead of driving a linear-storyline.

He also plays his monsters smart, using tactics, logic and sound decision-making. He's said before his monsters WILL coup de grace a downed player if and when the opportunity presents itself.

Our GM is the same… sandbox play… meaning that not everything is 'level appropriate'… there are BIG BADS out there so we have to be careful… and remember to run away if things start going badly.
More TPKs that I've experienced in over a decade but every one of them fair and totally our own fault.
It was particularly funny when we died in our own bear trap…

We do maybe one or at most two combat encounters a 5 hour play session, but when we do – we REALLY need to be on our toes and prepare appropriately.

The minotaur encounter was actually defending a frontier settlement; with us, an NPC 2nd lev cleric of Serenrae and seven 2nd lev NPC combatants. A pair of young minotaurs had been attacking the previous three nights, charging the wall, roaring, but losing interest after an hour or so each night – but we found out they were coming in force THAT evening.

We did the sharpened stakes along the wall thing, dug a ditch just before the gate, cast some illusionary fog and repeated it nine times to hide the stakes/wall, so when they charged the wall, they got a surprise. Did the buff spells, my rogue in possession of some alchemetic fire, oil, and the lone potion of invisibility. With her dex, she hit the mark with every toss, even ones pretty far out, and got in an "invisible" backstab before getting the beat down.

NINE minotaurs. Four of them had drunk Enlarge potions. The wall was toast fairly quick. The archer/ranger in our group put the most down, followed by the Sorcerer/Cleric who went all outsider-tainted-blood-rage. It was not a blind charge they did, it was coordinated, with the monsters supporting each others attacks, trying flank us for the bonuses, etc. A tough one.

In the end, all the NPC combatants were wounded or dead, I was down to -9, two other 4th level PC's were down to 1-3 HP left.

Sometimes a full ten minutes of game time is devoted to roleplaying the Sorceror/cleric going to an orphanage and healing the kids up, purifying their food/drink stores, Mending (via the spell & prepared Oil of Mending from downtime) their clothes or shoes or broken fences/mundane whatnot that is needed on the grounds.

Damn, 9 Minos. I would've just disappeared to look for valuables around town while everyone was distracted and left out the other side.