The Transformative Properties of Pain (Delving Into Zon-Kuthon, Slaanesh, and Others)

There are things that exist in our favorite fictional universes that can leave our skin crawling, and our minds rebelling. Things with mutilated flesh, who are seemingly unbound by moral precepts, and who are a dark mirror to many things we hold dear. They are not just monstrous, and not just evil, wicked, or blasphemous... they are alien. They are so removed from our experiences that the only way we can categorize them is to say they are insane... that only the mad would see logic in what these things are, and the actions they take.

Despite that, though, many of us feel drawn to them. We want to see more, to understand more, to experience more... and this is both the power of these things, and a cornerstone of what makes them what they are in many ways.

Because to desire, to want, is the gateway. And even if what lies beyond that threshold is pain, we will endure it precisely because of the want that made us open the door in the first place.

Come... I have such sights to show you...

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Pain and Transformation

Zon-Kuthon. Slaanesh. The Cenobites. The Godhand. Even my own god Tensa found in Gods of Sundara (available for Pathfinder as well as DND 5E). Our fiction, and our games, are full of creatures shaped by alien forces and impossible desires... things that corrupt you, twist you, and which bring their followers to the other end of madness.

And while that works well enough for antagonists in a story, things and people we want to see as cold, alien, and unknowable, it doesn't work as well for our characters. Because we need to understand them, and we need those around us to understand them. Which is why it's important to think of desire, pain, and the transformative nature of the experience that comes with these things.

Consider for a moment seeing someone in middle school or high school who is in their first official relationship. You've never seen anyone that happy, riding high on a fresh emotion that has them walking on air. And then when they have their first break up, it is devastating for them. They bawl, they kick, they scream, and they might even break things. To adults looking on, it seems so petty, and unimportant, because most of us have gone through this process many, many times before. We might remember what it was like when we went through this when we were children, but it's so far removed from who we are now that it often feels like it happened to someone else.

Going through that pain, and recovering from it, changed us. We shifted something in ourselves. Some of us heal, and some of us limp, but we continued on.

Alternatively, think of the original Little Mermaid. She was given legs, but every step was agony, akin to walking on razors for the rest of her life. A bargain she made with her eyes open because she wanted that so badly. She knew that to be changed would bring agony, but the change was worth the pain.

These are two halves of the same coin. On the one hand we have pain that transforms us, and on the other side we have transformations that hurt us. In either case, we will become a different person than who we were... and in some cases we may no longer even recognize what we've become. Or who we used to be.

This is a philosophical basis that can act as a starting point with characters attached to a philosophy of pain, darkness, or even depravity. However, it's important to remember that even in the case of a penitent being remade by the cenobites, or someone rising to become a member of Berserk's Godhand, the transformation doesn't begin with the dramatic final step... the transformation began down a long and winding road that led to where they wound up.

A Thousand Resurrections On The Path of Corruption

Even if you are not a drug user, you're familiar with the idea of building up a tolerance. The first time you take even the smallest dose, the drug hits your system like a freight train, and you feel it pretty intensely. And if you only indulge every now and again, that level of intensity will be your normal experience... but if you use a drug regularly, your body and mind will get used to it. You'll have to take more, and more, just to move the needle. It's why a child being allowed to have a normal caffeinated soft drink might be bouncing off the walls, while their aunt or uncle can drink 2 cans of Monster before they start to shake off feeling like they need a nap.

Alternatively, think of how muscles grow. When you exercise, you create a small tear, and when your body fills that small tear back in the muscle grows in size and power. This allows you to easily lift something that would have been far beyond your capacity even a few years ago, because you have slowly transformed yourself through regular rituals of suffering and self-inflicted pain.

And when we take these relatively mundane things, and apply them to a darker path, we begin to see how characters might walk into the shadows deliberately and with great purpose.

No one comes to sit where I do by an accident of fate...

Through a steady diet of pain, bloodshed, suffering, or even torturous rites, a character might become something new... something different than they were before. Perhaps they were seduced, as we see with hedonists who had exhausted earthly pleasures who pursued the Lament Configuration to experience the next level of sensation. Or they were told there was a way they could overcome an earthly weakness, but only if they followed the path of the Black Spiral, and reached the end.

If these characters simply swallowed a mouthful of this poison, it would kill them, or cripple them. But if they swallow a little at a time, over and over again, year after year, soon they would build up a functional immunity. This is how they might accept the early rites or requirements of these dark gods or strange philosophies, building up the tolerance, determination, and iron will that will see them through as they pass over the threshing blades that will tear them apart, and allow them to reborn anew.

Others may stare at them in horror. They may see what they're doing as an abomination, a desecration of morality, or a grievous sin. But they have not seen what the one on the left-hand path has seen. The naysayers have not walked where they've walked, and done what they've done. And while the dark pilgrim might try to explain these truths, there are certain experiences that words fail to properly convey. It is only through first-hand knowledge that one can truly understand what lurks beyond pain, and beyond the transformations it heralds.

And on a final note, those who haven't seen this article should check out my Pathfinder character conversion for the cenobite Pinhead!

Like, Follow, and Stay in Touch!

That's all for this week's Fluff post. To stay on top of all my content and releases, make sure you subscribe to my newsletter at the bottom of the page!

Again, for more of my work, check out my Vocal archive, and stop by the Azukail Games YouTube channel, or my Rumble channel The Literary Mercenary! Or if you'd prefer to read some of my books, like my dystopian sci-fi thriller Old Soldiers, my hardboiled gangland noir series starring a bruiser of a Maine Coon with Marked Territory and Painted Cats, my sword and sorcery novel Crier's Knife or my latest short story collection The Rejects, then head over to My Amazon Author Page!

To stay on top of all my latest releases, follow me on Blue Sky, Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter, and now Pinterest as well! To support my work, consider Buying Me a Ko-Fi, or heading to The Literary Mercenary's Patreon page to become a regular, monthly patron. That one helps ensure you get more Improved Initiative, and it means you'll get my regular, monthly giveaways as a bonus!

You Don't Win The Next Encounter By Preparing For The Last One

"The best way to lose the next war is to spend all your time learning how to best fight the last one."

There are a dozen different varieties of this sentiment out there, but even a brief study of history (or a look at today's headlines) proves exactly how true this can be. The introduction of the crossbow in large numbers put power into the hands of people who didn't need decades of training, and it allowed them to pierce even heavy armor. Infantry and cavalry charges had been extremely effective for centuries, but sprinting across no-man's-land during the days of WWI meant that huge numbers of exposed troops would be wiped out by machine gun fire. Tanks, and then fighter jets, were each considered huge threats on the battlefield in their day, but these days they're often no more than big, expensive targets for drones.

What does all of this have to do with RPGs? Well, because many players will kneecap themselves by looking backwards when it comes to their PCs' mechanics and abilities, instead of looking at what might be coming next.

All right... let's see those goblins handle this!

Before we get into the nitty gritty this week, don't forget to sign up for my weekly newsletter to get all my updates right in your inbox. Also, if you've got a bit of spare cash that you'd like to use to help keep the wheels turning, consider becoming a Patreon patron!

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Look Forward, Not Backward

Let me paint a scenario for you. It's a Pathfinder game, and you're playing a ranger. You started off with undead as a favored enemy, but the whole first arc of the campaign is your party fighting goblins. You're at something of a disadvantage, but you manage to get through it with good teamwork, liberal use of alchemist fire, and a few lucky critical hits. When the smoke clears, and the hobgoblin leader lies dead at your feet, you know what to do with your class features. You've spent the past few levels fighting goblins, after all, so you decide you should make your next favored enemy goblins.

And then for the rest of the campaign you never fight goblins again. Not even once.

What the hell do you mean, "We're going dragon hunting?"

Whether it's dropping a huge amount of gold on a bane weapon for a creature type you aren't going to see again, buying up potions of cold resistance when that's not a hazard you're going to face going forward, or adding piecemeal feats because they might have helped in the past, there are few better ways to sabotage yourself than to ensure you're perfectly kitted out to fight an enemy you've already beaten, rather than the one that lies ahead of you.

And since I can hear the keys clicking in the comments, let me be explicit. I am not saying that players should metagame their campaigns. You shouldn't read ahead if you're playing a prewritten module, or beg your GM to confirm that your choices for your character are going to be useful in the future. What I am saying is that you need to look at the decisions you're making regarding your character, and weighing their practicality. Because you only have so many resources to spend throughout the campaign, and if you spend them for taking on the past, then what comes around the corner may just flatten you.

A Couple of Questions You Should Ask Yourself

While the example I gave above is for Pathfinder, this is something that can happen in any RPG with more than a creamy peanut butter ruleset. You're going to make choices when it comes to your resources, and those choices will determine what your character can do, and what they probably can't do. So before you commit to a given course, simply ask yourself the following questions:

- Does this ability mesh with my character's overall skill set?

- Does this choice require a very specific set of circumstances to work?

There are more potential questions, but we'll stick with these for now.

The first question is one we rarely think about, but which we see being ignored all the time in our games. For example, say that the greatsword fighter wants to take a level in wizard. Not because they have a plan for how this multiclass is going to dovetail into a warrior mage, or because there's a particular build that will make this combination work... they just want access to mage hand. While the customer is always right in matters of taste, that's a rather large expenditure of resources just to get an ability that doesn't really jive with swinging around a two-handed sword.

For the second question, consider how rare the circumstances are for this ability to function. Whether it's a feat that only goes off when you score a critical hit, or a magic weapon that only works against a specific type of creature, or an ability that only protects you against a specific kind of element, you need to consider how often you're going to come into contact with that situation. Because abilities you never have the opportunity to use may as well not be on your sheet, even if you paid for them.

Generally speaking, you want abilities that make your character better at the role you've chosen for them, and that they're going to be able to use often.

Because it's easy to look at your previous battles against the giant spider hoard, and to think tricking yourself out for cracking off an enemy's natural armor, getting bonuses against foes with 6 legs or more, and becoming immune to one, specific kind of poison are great investments. But if you have to switch your focus to fighting an uprising of stone giants in the north, then you've just tied one hand behind your back because you're focusing on how to fight your last enemy instead of your next one.

Recommended Reading

If you enjoyed this week's update, consider checking out some of the following articles:

- How Long Does It Take For Your Character To Go From 0-60? We often ignore how long it takes us to get up to speed, and that can be a critical factor in our games.

- Everything in an RPG is Situational... Everything Every ability, every spell, and every power has its place... the key is making sure that you're using them when they're going to be most effective.

- 5 Challenges You Have To Deal With in Every Pathfinder Adventure Path Because I've played my share of these things at this point, and all of them present you a few basic challenges sooner or later.

Like, Follow, and Stay in Touch!

That's all for this week's Moon Pope Monday. To stay on top of all my content and releases, make sure you subscribe to my newsletter at the bottom of the page!

Again, for more of my work, check out my Vocal archive, and stop by the YouTube channel Dungeon Keeper Radio. Or if you'd prefer to read some of my books, like my sword and sorcery novel Crier's Knife or my latest short story collection The Rejects, then head over to My Amazon Author Page!

To stay on top of all my latest releases, follow me on Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter, and now Pinterest as well! To support my work, consider Buying Me a Ko-Fi, or heading to The Literary Mercenary's Patreon page to become a regular, monthly patron. That one helps ensure you get more Improved Initiative, and it means you'll get my regular, monthly giveaways as a bonus!

The Difference Between "Bad" Characters and "Evil" Characters

I've been dwelling on alignment a lot recently, but judging from the reactions my article The Punisher is Evil received, it's a topic that folks are interested in seeing more of. This week, though, I wanted to touch on the difficulty of shades of gray when it comes to our characters. When we want them to have a bit of an edge to them, but to stay out of darker realms.

What is the difference between a character who's bad, and one who is evil? I don't have an absolute answer to this question, but I have found some shadowy places that I think might be of interest to my fellow players out there.

The wearing, or not wearing, of skulls is not always an indicator.

While we're on the subject, though, are there any other characters you'd like to see me do a deep dive on their likely alignment? Or any particular alignments you'd like a 5 Tips post for, such as my 5 Tips For Playing Better Evil Characters? If so, toss a comment to let me know!

Where Do You Draw The Line?

Before we go too deep into this, first thing's first. Alignment by its very nature depends on absolutes in a setting. Moral relativism does not work with alignment because it's tied to games that have literal heavens and hells, angels and demons, etc. In these worlds there literally is a divine checklist and a neutral arbiter who decides whether your actions were good or evil.

How your character thinks about those issues, whether they feel justified, etc., is completely irrelevant. Whether they believe evil is good, or good is evil, doesn't matter. The divine laws of the cosmos have decided what is good and what is evil in many cases.

If there were no absolute goods, traditional LG paladins wouldn't be a thing.

Now, with that out of the way, the first thing you need to look at are what actions are considered inherently evil in your setting. This will vary from game to game and group to group, but we're not talking about small potatoes here. We're talking capital "E" evil actions.

Some of the more common options here include:

- Murder for profit (as well as just murder in general)
- Propagation of slavery
- Deliberate casting of evil spells
- Torture

The list goes on, but you get the idea. Evil actions are inherently bad things. Whatever your reason, whatever the character motivation, whatever the end result, it's fruit from the poisoned tree.

So, the first important consideration here is what actions are evil. Not just bad, or selfish, or harmful, but things that are outright evil. Because while it is true that characters who have committed evil acts in the past can redeem themselves and attempt to change their alignment, it takes a lot more work to climb out of that hole.

And if you commit more evil actions, it just means you dug yourself back into the hole again.

What Do Bad Actions Look Like?

Our morality as players tends to vary pretty widely. I've yet to be at a table where everyone agreed completely on what is good, and what is evil. However, a useful question to ask when it comes to characters who are bad, rather than being truly evil, is to ask what damage their actions do overall? Who is hurt by the things they do?

I said git out of my forest!

As a solid example of a "bad" character, take the classic thief. Your pickpocket, your burglar, etc. These individuals steal for a living, no question. They are breaking the law (as if that ever stopped an adventurer), and they are committing an act that most of us would really rather not have happen to us.

But under normal circumstances, I'd argue that action falls into the category of "bad" rather than "evil."

Why is that? Well, at its core, theft is a property crime. You are stealing a thing (gold coins, jewels, magic items, etc.) from another person. And in the case of pickpockets and burglars, the theft is usually the extent of the act. You might break a window to get into a home, for example, but at the end of the day you took a thing. There are going to be certain circumstances where this act is made more or less problematic (you knowingly stole the last savings from someone who then starved on the side of "makes it worse," to snatching food from a cart because you were starving and broke on the side of "well, that's not so bad"), but generally speaking property crimes aren't in the "evil" category.

What else might make you bad, but not evil?

Well, we've agreed that murdering people is generally an evil act. Murder is the deliberate killing of another person with malice aforethought, meaning that you set out to kill someone else deliberately after making the decision beforehand. However, most of us would agree that defending yourself from someone or something trying to kill you is not murder. Defending someone else is also okay, and often seen as a good act. A more questionable, "bad" thing to do might be to deliberately put yourself in a situation where someone will try to kill you, thus forcing you to defend yourself.

It's not evil, because they were actually trying to kill you. They could have chosen to walk away, and not attack you. You did provoke that response, though, which is... shady, shall we say.

Tangible Harm Versus Cultural Norms

There are dozens of different actions that might be considered unscrupulous, duplicitous, selfish, blasphemous, or otherwise "bad" that never cross over into real evil. A character might tell lies to hide their own actions, or to gain rewards they don't deserve. Someone might use threats and intimidation to force cooperation from those who don't want to help them, or to force someone else to back down from a fight. Someone might rob graves, commit adultery, burn down empty buildings, gamble illicitly, break religious covenants, or commit all sorts of other immoral acts.

But at the end of the day, it's important to ask if their actions cause tangible harm. And if so, what was the purpose of that harm?

This is where that divine slide ruler comes into the picture.

Let's go back to the thief. Did they need to steal whatever they stole in order to provide for themselves? If not, was the person they stole from tangibly harmed by that theft?

If a thief was starving and took bread from a merchant, they certainly broke the law. But did the loss of that one loaf of bread do the merchant any real harm? Probably not. But what if the thief stole a noble's jeweled ring instead? Well, given that the ring serves no real purpose other than ornamentation, the result is that some of the noble's wealth is now in the thief's hands. The noble may lose some face, and have to wear a different ring, but there hasn't been any true, tangible harm done to them. And if the thief broke into a crypt and stole the jewelry from the dead? Barring setting rules that involve the dead rising in wrath, dead people don't need money. Taking it from them harms no one, as it was just sitting there in the ground, unused and mostly unaccounted for.

Again, that doesn't make these actions good. It does, however, put them into that gray area of bad.

Anytime there's a question of whether an act should be labeled as bad or evil, it's important to ask what harm comes of it, and if the action is being taken to defend oneself against harm. And if you want a character who is bad, but not evil, don't try to justify them regularly committing evil acts. Try on someone who is irreverent, non-conformist, spiteful, or who is a little crass, vulgar, or illicit.

You'll have a lot fewer arguments, and you'll have to do way fewer mental gymnastics.

Also, as a pro tip, remember what I said back in The Risen Antipaladin. You get a lot more mileage out of someone who committed evil acts in the past, and who is trying to be a better person now. So when we meet them, they've managed to plateau at "bad" instead of being actively evil. That reputation might still be following the character around, but they don't create the friction of actively committing atrocities in team-based environment when some of your companions may feel morally obliged to stop what you're doing. Even if it might solve current problems.

Like, Follow, and Stay in Touch!

That's all for this week's Fluff post! If you've used this in your games, share a story down in the comments!

For more of my work, check out my Vocal archive, and stop by the YouTube channel Dungeon Keeper Radio. Or if you'd prefer to read some of my books, like my sword and sorcery novel Crier's Knife or my recent short story collection The Rejects, then head over to My Amazon Author Page!

To stay on top of all my latest releases, follow me on Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter, and now Pinterest as well! To support my work, consider Buying Me a Ko-Fi, or heading to The Literary Mercenary's Patreon page to become a regular, monthly patron. That one helps ensure you get more Improved Initiative, and it means you'll get my regular, monthly giveaways as a bonus!

How Hitchens' Razor Can Simplify Gaming Discussions

If you've been gaming for a while, you've no doubt heard some really heated conversations over games. Not just regarding rules and mechanics, but also over the minutiae of the setting and the flavor of different abilities. Everything from whether a certain spell actually provokes attacks of opportunity, to whether or not elves can have beards or not has become a hill that at least one gamer (sometimes several) have opted to die on in my presence alone.

There is something that I've found which helps cut through these arguments, and reach meaningful understanding and compromise, however. It's a mystical artifact known by few that's referred to as Hitchens' Razor.

Which you can get at Tee Spring, for those who care.

What is Hitchens' Razor, Exactly?

As you can see on the shirt, the simple premise of Hitchens' Razor is That which can be asserted without evidence may be dismissed without evidence.

This will save you more time in arguments in general, but in gaming arguments it can be a metaphorical life saver. Because embracing this concept makes it clear that unless someone can point out something that backs up their belief or opinion (whether it's how much damage a snowstorm inflicts, or what accent the dwarven language has), then it isn't a fact, and they can't demand it be treated as such.

It's not the first time I've made such a case...

This was basically the same advice I gave in Table Attorneys Vs. Rules Lawyers: How To Be Fair Without Bogging Down Your Game. In short, if someone wants to make an assertion (especially if it's from a player to the DM), then they need to have a piece of text that backs them up on it. Whether it's showing that a spell doesn't require somatic gestures to cast, or pointing out that elves come in all shapes and colors (many of them weird, wild, and otherworldly), pointing out the relevant section in the book makes a pretty solid argument. Same as you would when using case law to explain to a judge why your particular move should be honored by the court, rather than overruled by the bench.

The human mind is a barely-functioning biological computer that's full of glitches, errors, and crossed wires. It's one reason that eyewitness testimony is actually one of the least reliable forms of evidence you can have in a courtroom, despite it being treated with such importance. And more often than not when we clearly remember something we're actually recalling text from a different game, or filling in the rules for a completely different setting (the common argument of, "Well, Tolkien said this is how it works," when playing games not set in Middle Earth for example).

So if you can't point to the relevant rule in a book, or you can't find the section that supports your statement, re-consider whether this is an argument you want to make. Because if you assert that something works one way, there's no reason for anyone else to accept that's true if you didn't bring the receipts.

Like, Follow, and Stay in Touch!

That's all for this week's Moon Pope Monday. Hopefully you found this suggestions useful!

For more of my work, check out my Vocal archive, and stop by the YouTube channel Dungeon Keeper Radio. Or if you'd prefer to read some of my books, like my sword and sorcery novel Crier's Knife or my latest short story collection The Rejects, then head over to My Amazon Author Page!

To stay on top of all my latest releases, follow me on Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter, and now Pinterest as well! To support my work, consider Buying Me a Ko-Fi, or heading to The Literary Mercenary's Patreon page to become a regular, monthly patron. That one helps ensure you get more Improved Initiative, and it means you'll get my regular, monthly giveaways as a bonus!

Dungeons and Dragons Finally Got Its Own Ted Talk!

Ted Talks have captured our imaginations, and convinced us to put our butts in our seats to listen to people talking about better worlds. Whether it's the potential of 3D printing, the changes the Internet has (and will continue to bring) to our lives, or the possibilities created through cultural exchange, Ted Talks get us to stop, and think about the world around us. They also take concepts that aren't quite in the mainstream, and introduce them to the culture at large.

And Ted Talks have finally set its sights on Dungeons and Dragons.

The fellow presenting this Ted Talk, in case you don't recognize him, is Ethan Gilsdorf. He was around when DND first hit the shelves, and he was an avid player in his youth. While he eventually grew up to become an essayist, teacher, critic, and other things as well, he never forgot the lessons he learned from his days as a player, and a dungeon master. And, though he eventually stepped away from the table, like so many of us, he came back as soon as he had the opportunity.

But what is the substance of this Ted Talk? After all, Dungeons and Dragons (and all its descendants) are great fun, but what use do they have in your day to day life?

Do you even game, bruh?

Well, what do you learn from DND? Top of the list, I suppose, is reading comprehension and the ability to do quick math on the fly. You also learn problem solving, since there's always a dozen different ways to approach any given situation, and players who think outside the box tend to come away the winners. Not only that, but roleplaying games teach us to look at character motivations, and to empathize with other people's viewpoints. It even teaches diversity, though that "D" word might as well be "dynamite" if you bring it up too blatantly in some corners of the hobby.

If you're an experienced player, then the Dungeons and Dragons Ted Talk won't shine a new light on things for you. But the next time someone asks, "why do you play that?" make them watch this video. Maybe it will help.

Hopefully you all found this week's Moon Pope Monday update of interest. If you'd like to help me keep bringing great content about all our favorite games straight to you, why not stop by The Literary Mercenary's Patreon page to toss a little bread in my jar? As little as $1 a month makes a big difference, and get you some free swag to boot! Lastly, if you haven't done so already, why not follow me on Facebook, Tumblr, and Twitter?

The Reason Rules Matter in Roleplaying Games

Normally when a Monday post rolls around I'll dig through my bookmarks and history list to find something that made me laugh, or which intrigued me, that I want to share with other gamers. You know, stuff like how a date has been set for the world's first giant robot battle, the Beyond the Barrier web series, or the Who The F#%K Is My DND Character? random background generator. This week, though, I'd like to talk about something that's been niggling at me. This weird argument that crops up again and again that the rules apply to everyone at the table... except the DM.

So you want me to make a Reflex save, but you're just going to pick whatever DC you feel like?

The Social Contract of Gaming

The social contract is one of the most common components of modern moral philosophy, and most people associate it with Thomas Hobbes, author of Leviathan. For those of you who skipped philosophy in favor of harder sciences, you can read what the social contract is at The Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy. If you don't feel like digging through text from a few hundred years back, here's the basis of the social contract; we all agree to give up certain freedoms, and in exchange for those freedoms, we expect everyone to abide by the rules of this society we have formed.

We see this everyday, and we see it in big and small ways. For example, we all know that if you commit murder, then you have broken the law. We all gave up the freedom to kill whoever we want in exchange for living in a less-violent society than a Mad Max wasteland. In the same way, we know that if you're checking out at the grocery store that you have wait in line, and that you go in order. Someone who cuts in line will feel the wrath of everyone they line jumped, and possibly the clerk and the manager as well.

That's the social contract in action, and it applies to the gaming table just as surely as it does anywhere else.

Just as we agree not to murder the DM, so the DM agrees not to murder us.

We like to kid around by saying that the DM is god, in much the same way people talk about the President of the United States as being the most powerful man in America, if not the world. In a way, this is true, but it gives the impression that both the POTUS and your DM have completely unchecked power that they can use how and whenever they see fit. If you've ever watched the news, you know that certainly isn't true for the former. It isn't true for the latter, either.

This is where the game rules come in.

Your rule book represents a social contract, of sorts. When we sit down at the table we all agree that barbarians, fighters, and rangers get a full base attack bonus progression. We agree that touch attacks ignore physical armor, and that you can't use a bastard sword in one hand unless you have the exotic weapon proficiency. We agree to build our characters according to the rules, and to give our sheets and back stories to the DM so they can be rubber stamped as okay for the game.

That is a two-way street, though. The DM, you see, only has the power to rule the game table with the support of the players. That means the players and the DM have to have an understanding; they have to be on the same page, and part of the same team. The DM may be running the villains, but the DM shouldn't be the villain. Down that path lies madness, broken games, and possibly ruined friendships.

But What About Rule 0?

We are all aware of Rule 0: if the rules get in the way of playing the game and having fun, then get rid of the rules in question. This is a great thing, and it can make games better when used responsibly. However, Rule 0 simply means that you, and the DM, can work together to amend the social contract. In much the same way Congress can amend the Constitution. Just like how the President can't walk into the Oval Office and revoke the second amendment, so, too, the DM can't just throw out rules he doesn't like or agree with willy nilly.

The players have to give their consent.

This is where we see a lot of old school vs. new school gaming clashes. In the early days of tabletop gaming, or so we're told, there were no real rules. It was theater, loosely guided by a set of principles, and directed by the man (or occasional woman) behind the screen. If the DM said you succeeded, you succeeded. If the DM said rocks fell and everyone died, then rocks fell and everyone died. That was the way it was. As games evolved into later editions, though, many of them codified what could and couldn't happen according to their worlds' rules. Dungeons and Dragons 5th Edition, Pathfinder, and a dozen other games eliminated a lot of the wiggle room, and took away a great deal of the improvisation required by older editions.

In a real sense, it was like the transition from frontier justice to the codified legal system we have in the modern day. The judge can no longer bang a gavel and sentence someone to be hanged. Now, everyone gets a representative, there is a bargaining process, and centuries of case law may be brought to bear on the current decision.

So what's the point?

The point is that Rule 0 is alive and well in modern gaming, and that house rules and home brew games are right where they've always been. However, the DM needs to remember that his decisions have to be accepted by the players according to the rules of the social contract. Put another way, if a group of gamers sits down at the table to play Pathfinder, and there have been no amendments made to the rules as they stand, then players expect everything to work the way it says it does in the books. But if the DM decides that rogues cannot detect or disarm magical traps with no spellcasting ability of their own (despite that being the language of the trapfinding class feature), and the DM decides this without informing players and receiving their agreement, then that is a clear violation of what was implicitly agreed to. It's also likely to really piss off the players with rogue characters.

There are, of course, varying degrees of violation, and the reactions to those violations will also vary. For example, a DM may state that, for this game, natural 20s and natural 1s are automatic successes and failures on skill checks as well as on attack rolls and saving throws. Even though this is a clear rule change, it may be seen more as saving a space for a friend in a line instead of cutting to the front entirely. It may make some players grumble, but it will generally be tolerated. The bigger the change, and the less effort that's made to get the players to agree before the change is made, the more volatile the reaction is likely to be. For example, changing the god a cleric worships without that player's consent for no reason is going to cause problems. Stating that the barbarian's damage reduction, or the tiefling's fire resistance, stops working for no reason other than plot inconvenience (and without any game-legal ability that would allow this to happen with no necessary rule change) is also likely to result in difficulties.

It isn't that the rules are sacred, and can never be changed. It's that, much like amending the Constitution, you need to have everyone agree to the change, and inform them of the change, in order to get support for it. By treating the players like pawns with no say, or like enemies who need to be controlled, a DM violates this contract, and may find the table is no longer willing to play the game.

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