My experience is that most don't 'plan' their character out. They see them doing or being certain things, but didn't seek the path to get there, and as a result, become very dissatisfied when they don't perform at the beginning of play. I am guilty of doing the same thing, struck by a great theme, but it doesn't have a 'start' point.
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For a serious campaign, I do a 1-20 table on a spreadsheet, yes. I used to use paper but it's easier to copy the spreadsheet page and make changes. I estimate timing of weapon/armor upgrades and magic items based on the wealth per character. I do: HP, BAB, primary wep atk/dmg, AC(all), saves, # and DC of spells if applicable, SQ's.
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Not that far no. I have a concept, but direct character growth as the campaign evolves.
I do some preparation in advance for my characters, but much less that in 3.5; the importance of Prestige Class in 3.5 make that preparation much more important that in Pathfinder.
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Sometimes. If I have a specific goal in mind I work towards it. Sometimes I just have a specific concept and try to level accordingly. Other times I just have fun playing a nutcase character and do whatever makes sense at the time.
As a GM is explain where we start and end to play. The GM where i Play does the same. We can build then for the specific levels. Most of the time we play form level 4-15. All players i know plan carefully and try to make a strong character.
We like powergaming in our adventures so, everybody does. Including the GM. We dont mind if the builds are a little weird when considering you don't have to play the hard low levels. We don't allow to insane things though. Works fine fo our party.
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sadly yes, I do plan to lvl 20 ahead, perhaps not every skill, feat or spell but at least the most important stuff for the build.
I miss the happy old days when ignorance was bliss and I just played my druid without thinking about things to come.
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I generally plan to about level 12. I haven't been in a campaign that got even near that point yet, so I figured it was a legitimate long-term point to plan to.
It helps that lots of guides and advice for PFS stuff goes to level 12. Though I don't participate in any PFS games, the information is still helpful.
I think I would plan all the way to 20 if my DM specifically say the intention was to go that far, though.
When I build a new character, I usually have a tight plan for the early levels, a vague plan for a few options for the mid levels, and maybe an inkling of what I might want to do at high levels.
My current Paladin, for example, I knew I wanted Fey Foundling, Power Attack, and Furious Focus for my first three feats. I wasn't sure if I wanted to bond with a weapon or a mount at level 5, because I wanted to find out how the GM felt about Leadership and the possibility of gaining a special mount that way. Given what I learned about the GM and the party, I decided I'd rather get my mount through Bond rather than leadership, so I chose to bond with a mount at level 5 and took Mounted Combat as my feat, bought a masterwork lance, and started making appropriate choices for a mounted paladin. My spell choices, gear, skills, etc. generally follow the feats.
I'm currently 10th level and here's the past+plan:
1 Fey Foundling
1 Power Attack
3 Furious Focus
5 Mounted Combat
7 Ride-By Attack
9 Improved Critical (Falchion)
11 Spirited Charge
13 ?
15 ?
17 ?
So, early levels I went with Plan A: Falchion wielding tank.
Mid levels, I split my resources to build up Plan B: Mounted Skirmisher.
High levels, I'm not sure yet!
I'll have a general idea of specific milestones along the way. Leadership, for example. If I'm playing a certain combat style, I'll make sure that I can qualify for feats in that combat style. As far as a full plan from the beginning, I have in the past, but I don't usually. It's a lot more fun to adjust to things on the fly. Take the feats you need to qualify for what you're probably going to take, but sorta let the campaign dictate how your character pans out.
Only to lvl 6 but yes every time
I usually plan the first 7~9 levels, mostly 'cause I believe by then, your character should already have everything he needs to be awesome at whatever it is she does.
If a build takes more than 9 levels to "complete" (i.e.: have all the essential feats/abilities), I'll think twice before playing it. And 9 levels is pushing its luck.
By tha level, the player also usually have a good idea about what te campaign is about and the GM's style. So picking appropriate feats is easier.
Not so much at this point, simply because I already know what I want to build. That is, I've already done 1-20 planning for every conceivable class/combination I would wish to play... so the real answer here, I guess, is yes.
There are some things that require me to rethink my "typical" plan.
*If the game is low-magic or no-magic, I may end up playing a class I usually would not, so I have to look things over.
*If the GM is bold enough to allow me access to the Book of Vile Darkness, there are several feats that replace "standard" choices.
*If there are unusual class requirements in the campaign (see the first "*," above).
Mind you, the first 10 levels are the most significant (to my mind) since many campaigns fail to progress into high-level play. So there's always a balancing act of what to put off and what to pursue...
I do. The choices are not written in stone however.
Why? --->Feats chains often make it advantageous to do so, in order to make sure you have the feats you need.
In PNP I generally have a loose plan in advance, yes.
In NWN I'll plan them out in a little more detail, since you tend to level quicker in video games than tabletop.
No. I have some ideas, but nothing too far ahead or set in stone.
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Usually, I am very detailed for the first five levels, then have a general idea of feat tree(s) I wish to follow. However, sometimes RP has a way of changing the character. So nothing is ever set in stone.
Greg
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I am in the process of working out a build for all classes and races (that I would play) I have not and will not do gnomes (can't stand them). I am almost done with the core classes (working on a dwarf wizard today). I will not do gunslingers, still questioning cavaliers. But the idea is that no matter what I may need (if I join a party mid campaign, need an npc for a game I run, or to use for a pregen or template character for new players) I have it.
Plus, I like building characters, and it helps me not go berserk when I have to deal with things from work bleeding over into my home time, as it often does.
ONly really my next few feats in advance. For my druid I know I want spell focus conjuration augment summoning and natural spell as my first three feats.
It depends on what I'm doing.
If there is a specific feat chain I need or want then I'm going to plot out the most effective and efficient way to acquire it.
If I'm going for a particular PrC, or archtype combination then likewise I'll plan that out ahead of time to minimize the "oops, i took the wrong feat/etc last level, crap" phenomenon.
(feat, rage power, spell, whatever)
If not though? if I just have a generic concept (witch! healer! or whateveR) then I don't. I look ahead enough to make sure the class/archtype i've selected will hve what i need to do whatever role I've selected and then just play it by ear.
Will i need X before Y? or Y first? or skip X and Y entirely because Z looks more attractive when it comes available?
I don't do it out of any "purist" thoughts of character gen- i just like seeing what i need sometimes rather than taking something I may not need and regretting it later.
(for example I have an oracle of life i'll be playing soon.. I'll be watching how things go to determine what feats I take as the game progresses. If i need more healing then i can do that, but if I find myself with alot of "free time" in combat then I can diverge into a light crossbow line as well.. or find ways to do both if applicable)
-S
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When you say 'do you plan your character', are we talking all the rules bits (gonna take these specific feats, buy this stuff to increase this particular stat, etc.)? Or do you mean 'who this guy is going to be inside'?
For the rules bits, no. I think a bit ahead much like doctor_wu. For the character personality development? Not often. The character as personality develops only through the experiences he or she encounters.
Of course, that sometimes means I use a character-based reason instead of a rules-based reason for picking specific equipment or feats or skills. Example: the rogue who once was decapitated after failing a Will save, who decided to strengthen her willpower and resolve. (Took Iron Will.)
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I generally try to plan so that my character is functional right out the gate rather than pursue 'awesomeness' that takes 9-10 levels of feat buying. But I tend to favor versatility over raw power.
I normally make the character, then make their max-level variant with no magic items to see how I fare at higher levels, what synergies I might have, those kinds of things.
Usually the plans change in actual play, but it helps to know what I should aim for and to get a guideline on abilities.
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I don't really. I just evaluate where I am and where I'm going when I level.
It's why I like the summoner, I can respec every time I level, by changing my evolutions.
Even the fighter and sorcerer can repick feats and spells. So it's rare I'm trapped in a bad build. Plus I have lenient GMs that let me rebuild if we discover I've taken a trap option.
I usually only plan out a few levels beyond the starting level, but if we're starting higher I tend to go a bit beyond that because I get excited at thought that we might actually hit high level play so I look up things that I thought I'd never get to use... and then never use them anyway because the campaign doesn't get there =p
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I may have a few general plans, but plan out 20 levels? Heck no.
I build a concept, and then choose the feat that best fits the concept at each level, as if the character were, you know, actually learning and growing.
While I don't "plan out" feats in advance, there are some feat trees that are pretty hard to avoid, such as the point blank shot tree for an archer.
Knowing myself as I do, even if I did plan out a character, if I actually played them, I'd never be able to stick to the plan unless it just happened to match what I would otherwise have chosen anyway.
I don't think there's anything wrong with planning out in advance. While it is obviously metagaming, it's the good kind of metagaming, not the bad kind.
I was just curious how people go about planning their characters, if they plan at all.
I am still trying to find a game to join or get my own going so I have not really ever played a game, but I was thinking it might be fun to kind of ad hock it and build my character as I go.
Guilty......
In my own defense.....It's actually because I actually enjoy the creation process almost more than the playing.
I may not end up sticking exactly to my original plan, in fact I often find reasons to change the plan as I progress through an AP....but I like having the base foundation to work from both from a mechanics and a roll playing perspective.
I plan a bit, jot down some ideas, but from 1-20? That sounds like work.
I generally plan to about level 12. I haven't been in a campaign that got even near that point yet, so I figured it was a legitimate long-term point to plan to.
It helps that lots of guides and advice for PFS stuff goes to level 12. Though I don't participate in any PFS games, the information is still helpful.
I think I would plan all the way to 20 if my DM specifically say the intention was to go that far, though.
Yeah same here. I find 12th level is a good point to build to to get things figured out nicely. I used to plan to 20, but found that:
1: Very rarely does a campaign go all the way to 20
and
2: The possible options for a 20th level character are MASSIVELY more than lower levels, so figuring out to somehting like 12 is much more straightforward and fast.
For example:
Me planning out a 20th level character completely, balancing all the different factors and everything I might want will take me most of a day (at least)
Me planning out a 12th level character to the same degree might take no more than an hour or two.
I was just curious how people go about planning their characters, if they plan at all.
I am still trying to find a game to join or get my own going so I have not really ever played a game, but I was thinking it might be fun to kind of ad hock it and build my character as I go.
Guilty......
In my own defense.....It's actually because I actually enjoy the creation process almost more than the playing.
I may not end up sticking exactly to my original plan, in fact I often find reasons to change the plan as I progress through an AP....but I like having the base foundation to work from both from a mechanics and a roll playing perspective.
Character creation is my favourite part of the game!!
I have built probably about 20 times as many characters as I have actually played.
Every. Single. Time. I plan out to the point that we think/know the campaign is going to end, including spells, feats, and skills I plan to take.
In pathfinder it's fairly important to have some forethought into how your character will develop right from the very beginning. Many feats/feat combos aren't available if you don't have the requisite attributes, and those are pretty much set in stone from day one. Of course my characters never end up being built as I originally planned- RP and group dynamics shape the character as I go.
The best part about planning out a character before you start is knowing how changes due to RP/group dynamics will affect the overall strength of your character, and being able to adjust accordingly.
Maybe five levels ahead.
I plan until lv7-10. Have yet to play in a game that lasts past lv10 as a player in PF.
I was just curious how people go about planning their characters, if they plan at all.
I am still trying to find a game to join or get my own going so I have not really ever played a game, but I was thinking it might be fun to kind of ad hock it and build my character as I go.
Guilty......
In my own defense.....It's actually because I actually enjoy the creation process almost more than the playing.
I may not end up sticking exactly to my original plan, in fact I often find reasons to change the plan as I progress through an AP....but I like having the base foundation to work from both from a mechanics and a roll playing perspective.
you too?!
I frequently will have a plan, but that doesn't necessarily mean I stick to it.
Generally I prefer to level my characters more organically. That means selecting feats, skills, and even class levels that are relevant to what they have actually been doing or practicing in-game since the last level-up.
This has the effect of sometimes altering what I had planned, but I kind of prefer it that way, it seems more genuine than shoehorning abilities in just because of a plan I wrote in a vacuum before the game even started.
I generally tend to make my characters with a theme in mind, or at least a goal for him to focus on. I then plan accordingly, and that includes all the way through 20th. Since I wanted an archer and I knew that archers are typically very feat dependent. So, I'm currently playing an archer (archetype) fighter, and most people would say will save is a huge deal, which it is, so they get the feats iron will and imp. iron will. But for my GM's play style, he rarely throws will saves at us, so I actually didn't take those feats. Which allows me to have more freedom with planning out my character, because that's 2 feats I really don't need.
As such, making a 1-20 character is typically a good idea and I do it all the time because of that, but it also depends on the campaign style, and GM style. If you know your GM typically likes high magic, or even low magic, or if you know that this time around the campaign will be in high mountain areas, you should probably figure to put a rank or to in climb. Every little bit of knowledge from the campaign and GM style helps.
It doesn't matter what you play, plan it out, it doesn't hurt. If you want to be whimsical and say "screw it, when I level I'll figure out what to do then." Fine, no problem. But understand that if you ha a set goal in mind, it will most likely not turn out as best you had hoped. Even so, if you do spend the time doing the research an looking stuff up, and what have you, that's either wasted time at the table, or just wasted time period, b/c you would be doing this 19 times. That's a lot of time wasted each time you level, when you could have spent a few hours sitting down and planning ahead, and be one with it. Things sometimes do change during the campaign, but if you have a plan for such things, you can't go wrong with your contingencies.
You don't have to do all 20 at the go, but the first 7-10 levels should probably be planned out. PFS goes to 12th, so by that time your adventures are well known, your heroes, or the known mercenaries for hire regardless of job.
Either way, knowing how well you can loose your bow, or cast a spell, is only dependent on one thing, and that is, 'how much do you want to contribute to the party or yourself?' Answering that, will let you know if you want to plan your character.
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Yes. I do it in a spreadsheet.
I find it especially helpful, when multiclassing or taking a prestige class, to figure out what order my levels ought to be taken in.
I also make 1-20 builds in this fashion for characters I probably won't be playing (conversions of past characters, weird class/feat combo ideas, etc), for fun or just to see how they'd turn out.