We started our first campaign using the Pathfinder RPG rules. I had GM'd a few sessions a few months back using the beta rules in a homebrew campaign setting, but we got sidetracked so we started a new campaign.
This is also our first campaign in the Golarian setting. I am going to run these guys through the Curse of the Crimson Throne adventure path, updating it as appropriate to the new rules.
Every one has been excited all week about playing their new characters. I think the new abilities and choices for each of the classes has made people look forward to advancing their characters even more so than before. I was getting a couple emails each day over the past week from the players asking about potential character choices both for starting out and about how things would work with abilities later on.
We started the new campaign in the new world last night. The PCs were able to defeat Gaedron and return to Zellara's home by the time we ended our session.
The combat was very appropriate for the level. Seeing as how NPCs with class levels are now CR equal to class level -1 instead of straight class level, I went through and increased each NPCs class level by one to maintain the CR level. This worked out very well, making the combats last a little longer and making the enemies a little scarier, but not to the point of potential deaths. (Giggles as a 2nd lvl fighter with Power Attack and cleave did knock out one PC in one good shot and had the party a bit scared, but they took care of him.)
There was a great deal of nonlethal damage getting done to the PCs, from the drain spiders doing 1 nonlethal per hit to some falling damage here and there. I liked this especially at this level, as it keeps the PCs on edge but isn't likely to kill them off, which has always been a concern at 1st level as one good crit from a javelin chucking kobold could take out a low hp PC. The extra negative hitpoints available for most PCs due to a decent Con score also provided a nice extra cushion.
The battle with Gaedron was probably the most exciting 1st level fight I've been involved in. Gaedron through out some good insults and had the PCs boiling mad. On the first round of combat Gobblegut climbed out of the water and chomped the half-elf rogue/archer, dropping her to negative hit points and had her in his mouth. He would have taken her down in the water to die had the Paladin not critted the croc and dropped it in one shot! Gaedron then shot the Paladin, staggerig her (she had a lot of nonlethal damage from elsewhere). The Fighter almost cut Gaedron down, but Gaedron got a succesful feint off and sneak attacked the fighter, dropping him to negative hit points. At the end of the fight, 3 PCs lay unconscious and two were close to it, but everyone survived.
One of the PCs kept saying "Man this is intense!"
All in all it was agreed that this was the best 1st level adventure we've had.
Finding Zellara's severed head also made for a great twist. The Sorcerer player's jaw literally dropped when I told him what he found in the hatbox!
Just wanted to say thanks guys! The rules look like they are going to be working out great, the Golarian world looks very fascinating, and the adventure was very well designed with good fights and good plot. We are all very excited about playing Pathfinder and in exploring Golarian further!
Here, Here! Always great to hear good Pathfinder experiences!