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I'm interested in starting a regular Pathfinder game. I have very little role-play experience (I've only ever played Dark Heresy), but I've always wanted to get into D&D and Pathfinder intrigues me.
The amount of options are overwhelming (between sourcebooks, modules, campaign settings, adventure paths, gm screen, decks, flip maps, map packs, miniatures, etc). I wish I had two or three grand and could get everything I want. Realistically that's not possible. However, I want more than just the Beginner Box.
I'm looking for a checklist/wishlist of "must have" items to begin a long term campaign. I intend to add to the materials over time, certainly. I have a dinner table that seats six (counting the end seats) and want to present a game, give the participants what they need, and do everything in my power to provide the best experience possible.
Let's assume that I already have the core rule book, and will share it with the players. I want to spend $200 dollars on more books, accessories and supplies. How should I spend that $200? What would be a good "start up" list that not only I could use, but could perhaps serve as a "bundle" or standard list that others like me could follow going forward?
I apologize for the lengthy request, but I thank any and all for their time.
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You don't need anything fancy.
You have a CRB, but all the rules are currently listed at d20pfsrd.com for free (if you have a computer to access them).
If you want to keep it simple in the beginning, just use the CRB and the Bestiary I. As you increase in confidence, you can add in other books.
A good set of starting adventure is the Price of Immortality series (Crypt of the Everflame, Masks of the Living God, and City of Golden Death). These were all released when PFRPG hit the shelves and they're somewhat geared towards new players.
Get a generic flipmat (or 1" inch grid of some sort) and some pawns for everyone (these could be as simple as chees-type game board pieces).
You really don't need much beyond some rules references, pencils, paper and imagination.
Good luck!
-Skeld
I would start by getting the Bestiary and the Inner Sea World Guide (if you want to use Pathfinder's Golarion setting). The Inner Sea Primer is a good initial guide to the setting for players (or for yourself, before buying the World Guide).
Beyond that, you might want to check out the free online PRD to figure out which of the other hardcovers you want to get next (plus you can use it before/during games to look up rules).
Welcome to Pathfinder and to the Boards, ckenp.
The core rules and options are free and can be found in the PRD, though it is better to get the books/PDFs, d20pfsrd.com is another resource.
As for supplies it'll be more based on play style.
As some prefer the more free style combat(use their imaginations for the whole thing) or the more grid style (maps and minis are used in combat and visualization).
are you more likely to use setting material or focus more on player material.
Are you going with a homebrew Game or using either modules or Adventure Paths
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I'd push for the Beginner's Box for several reasons:
*It includes a flip battle map with a dungeon on one side and blank on the other.
*Tokens which will tide you over until you find minis you like.
*The GM Guide contains a treasure rolling chart which is really great. Hopefully, Ultimate Equipment's will be a variation of this.
(Honestly, the BB lasted two sessions before my players craved more, but I still use those 3 things)
I'll also suggest core-wise: Bestiary 1, Pathfinder Chronicles: Gods and Magic, GameMastery Guide (until NPC Codex comes out, then it's a little less important), Advanced Players Guide.
The magnetic Combat Pad is one of the best things to own. Until I bought it, I never knew how much easier it made things.
That's about all I can honestly suggest at the moment.
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Battlemat is a must have. I managed to grab a small battlemap for $18 online a couple of weeks ago.
If you have a printer, you can use powerpoint to make paper minis. Much better than chess pieces and allows you to accuratly portray players/mobs. $.20 a page
If you are playing at home or have a book reader/tablet, consider buying the PDF version of the books. While not as nice as real books, they are still decent. Until then, use the online rules. $10 a book.
Dice: a must have, invest in some decent ones. $10 a set.
An active imagination: priceless.
What's helped me is setting $X aside each paycheck towards pathfinders materials. I chose $50 usd. So each paycheck I can get the CRB and a couple minis,then next paycheck a battle mat and some minis, then next paycheck APG and minis, etc.
+1 to suggestions of getting the CRB, Bestiary 1 and battle mat first. This is really all you *NEED* for first encounters. And some sharpies to draw on the mat with. Minis are awesome to have but not absolutely necessary until money is available for it. APG is awesome but again, if you're not experienced and your players aren't either it would probably behoove you to stick to the Core.
Check out any of the various beginner DM/GM threads on these forums too, lots of good advice.
There's a lot of stuff you can grab for cheap.
1) background music can be had for free, find a good spooky Pandora channel, or look through CDs you already own. Soundtracks are often great.
2) You will benefit from a map and pieces. See what you can find on Ebay for cheap board game. Something like an old Sorry! game will give you several pawns of multiple colors. Othello will give you two colors of pawns and a battlemat.
3) Things like player handouts can be done with a word processor and a cheap printer. Find a good handwriting font, those can be free as well.
4) Battlemat terrain can be expensive, but it doesn't have to be. I use lego trees (they're the right size) and rocks I found on the ground outside my apartment.
5) Office supplies. You can make a GM screen out of two 3-ring binders and a binder clip. If you're lucky, that's in your house right now. Otherwise, a cereal box and some packing tape will do the job.
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Finally, it doesn't all have to be the GM's job. You can ask your players to lend what they have, it could be quite a lot.
assuming you have the CRB already, i recommend a physical APG and Bestiary 1. between the CRB and APG you will have most of the classes that matter and the Bestiary has the most iconic monsters.
i also recommend picking up the other major books in pdf form since they are $10 each that way. these are entirely optional ofc but i would at least get Bestiary 3 as a pdf, the 2nd one is quite as strong in my opinion.
paper minis are a great cheap alternative to platic or metal minis. you can find a good selection for free at One Monk. htere are other sites you can find just google fantasy paper minis. some card stock, a little glue and some time will give you quite a nice collection.
for the battle map you can either buy one for around 15-30 i believe or you can get creative. i found an old whiteboard that i drew a grid on with permanent marker. i then bought a clear shower curtain for about 2.50 cut it down into a couple sheets and clip it on top.
just a couple of ideas but have fun and good luck.
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I had a sheet of graph paper laminated at Kinkos
Physical copies of the Core Rule Book and Beastiary I are the only Must Have, IMO, plus a nice combat grid (I used just a few sheets of paper with 1 inch squares drawn on them 'til I got a very nice vinyl grid) and a reliable set of dice, of course.
Later on, get the APG. It's a wonderful book. The other beastiaries would be nice too.
I also recomend getting the .pdf of the Game Mastery Guide, it has many useful tips and advices for GMs. It was actually my 1st PF book, as its order arrived before the CRB and Beastiary I. Luckly, a friend of mine already had them.
Ultimate Magic and Ultimate Combat are nice, but they can wait. So can the Advanced Races Guide. I'd suggest getting UM before the others mostly 'cause I love the Magus class.
If you just want all the information, all you need is http://www.d20pfsrd.com/. If you want the experience of flipping through pages and pages of books, here's what I would suggest in order of importance:
1. Core Ruleboook
- It's got all the basic rules in it. This alone is enough to run a campaign if you've got a lot of creativity.
2. Bestiary 1
- Makes life a lot easier, as it has more than enough monsters of each level to keep you occupied and save you the time of making all your monsters up.
3. Battlemat + wet erase markers
- Thank goodness it's 2012. The days of using our imaginations to figure out complex room traps are over. But seriously, having a mat brings an entirely new tactical factor into the game. If that doesn't do it for you, consider this: it enables you to use the feats and abilities created under the assumption that you're using a grid. Get one! If you're not sold on the price (~$30), but one of those papers grid rolls, and try that out for a while.
Once you've got these three things, you're ready to run a robust campaign with all the real power the game has to offer. Everything else is just additional flavor and rules for obscure circumstances based on personal and party preference. If you lack imagination, or are new to roll-playing in general, you should buy a module. It will help you get an idea of how the game is meant to be run, and it will expose you to the variety that the game offers. When you're ready for more, I'd pick up:
4. Advanced Players Guide
- This gives you access to new rules for races, classes, and traits. It also offers some new base classes, prestige classes, feats, spells, and magic items. I would say pick this up when you start feeling restricted on material.
From here, it's all just based on what you want to know more about. All of the splat-books are just a matter of preference and curiosity, so don't feel like you need anything else.
Good luck! I hope this helped.
If money is a problem, look for used bookstores both online and off. I find a lot of out of print stuff that way. I picked up 2 copies of the CRB and the Beginner Box because I like to have two copies of certain things. The core rules is one of those things.
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Just the beginner box ONLY
play 2 or 3 times
see how it goes
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Lots of great advice so far. Here is my list of must haves with links.
0. Dice (the kind with easy to read numbers) These dice are on sale until 8/13/12 for $3.15 per set.
1. Core Rulebook $49.99 / PDF $7.49 (on sale til 8/13/12)
2. Bestiary $39.99 / PDF $7.49 (on sale til 8/13/12)
3. Basic Flip Mat $12.99 (you'll want to add more as you can afford them)
4. Dry Erase Markers $6.79 for 6 chisel-tip
5. Miniatures (see section below)
6. Dry Erase Board, Combat Pad or Index Cards to track initiative and HPs.
7. A few paper towels or white board eraser and some pens and pencils. I use a plastic 3x5 index card box to hold my blank index cards and GM dice in a dice bag, along with some mini poker chips. I use the lid as a dice tray when the box is open - you need to get a box where the lid opens flat.
8. Inner Sea World Guide + Map Folio $49.99 (on sale til 8/13/12, for the price of the book alone you also get the huge poster map)
For a low cost alternate consider the Pathfinder Chronicles Gazetteer $17.99 (It is listed as a 3.5 product, but it is 100% compatible and has a lot of useful info. It is also a lot more portable than the World Guide. I keep it with my traveling GM kit.)
9. Not necessary, but if you want it: GM Screen $14.99
Miniatures
Ultimately you should work toward a healthy collection of actual minis, but this can be a very expensive endeavor. I suggest you check eBay for low cost sets. I recommend plastic pre-painted over unpainted metal. They come painted and are usually more durable.
For a free start, scavenge your old board games for pawns.
I recommend getting some adventurer minis here and here. This is a great place to get your players to help out by bringing their own minis for their PC.
A low cost option, if you have a color printer, is Battle Studio paper minis or Pathfinder Paper Minis. But I strongly recommend using actual minis for the adventuring group if at all possible.
For monster minis try the Bestiary Box $34.99. You get a ton of monster pawns for a moderate initial investment. If you have the cash, check eBay or the links above for plastic monster minis and build your collection over time.
That's it for the initial investment beyond some professional adventures perhaps. Below are additional items I would get as PDFs if you have a tablet, laptop, or a decent phone on which to view them.
10. Advanced Players Guide $39.99
11-12. Ultimate Combat / Ultimate Magic $39.99 ea
13-14. Bestiary 2 / Bestiary 3 $39.99 ea
15. Advanced Race Guide $39.99
16. Ultimate Equipment $44.99
I don't recommend the Beginner Box $34.99 if you know you want to play with the full rule set, already have the Core Rulebook and plan to spend about $200 as an initial investment. It has some pawns and a good flipmat and a set of dice, but you wouldn't need the rest, which means you'd be spending $18.85 for the pawns when you could use that money on other minis instead.
Some free stuff:
1. Bonus Bestiary PDF
2. We Be Goblins PDF
3. First Steps Scenarios PDFs
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There have been a lot of great suggestions thus far, but I think the number one investment/requirement has kind of gone unsaid:
1) A latptop of netbook computer. You most likely have one already, but it makes the entire enterprise SOOOOO much more streamlined that I consider it worth mentioning it anyway as the only thing more indispensable to the modern game are dice and an imagination.
2) These two links:
http://paizo.com/pathfinderRPG/prd/
http://www.d20pfsrd.com/
I personally find the first one quicker and easier to use, because it is laid out exactly like the books, however the pfsrd has a lot of additional material which is also useful and makes a great secondary reference.
3) Core Rulebook and Bestiary
4) Some kind of battlemat and minis (lots of good suggestions on this already)
That's the bare minimum I would recommend to start. Honestly, you get almost everything you need in the Beginner Box - it's a fantabulous deal as a starter and a great place to expand from.
Battle Map $15-30
Glass Beead Bag 100 for about $10
Print toner for PC Printer ....Way to much
Markers $8-15
Thats it.... Use the Core Rules on online if you game where there is YFI.
Use Free stuff that one line here. Copy Past and use your word progam and advance your monster or not as needed.
Buy mods or AP till you feel comfortable makeing your own.
DO NOT BUY Beginer Box to learn one set of rules play them for few weeks then to only go on to buy the real Rule set.
(Do not go off tell me it simpler rule set than the Core rule set... Realy the Core rule set is written for 5th grade reading level. How much more do you want dumb it down.)
I wasted my money on the Basic box for D&D that I bought in 1978 played for 3 month in summer and when school got back found out every body else at school played AD&D. And had to start all over saving my money or bought book cause there was no Internet then free stuff. With said look at the sales Core vs Basic Box I bet it like 10 to 1 in total sales. So for every 1 basic player there is 10 core players to play with.
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The beginner box is $35, which is worth it for the dice, flip-map, and cardboard minis alone. It's by no means a waste of money, and the rules are basically the same, minus a few options. It comes with a simple starter dungeon to learn the rules on, character sheets, and enough stuff to keep you going for several low-level sessions, and is easily supplemented by the free online PRD and the SRD until you choose to invest in the full core rules and any other associated books.
