meibolite |
So I'm running Skull and Shackles as a three man (i upped the power level of the players to help compensate) And my players make a good party, Healer in an Oracle, Tank in a Barb, and Damage in a Rogue, and I'm wondering if I should roll a DMPC to run with them from level 1, or just use one of the Prefab characters when the party gets around their level.
I know the benefits and downsides to both, running a 3-man party for a little bit will level them up faster since there are less people to divide between at first, however they may be hard pressed for the first few major battles.
Having the Prefab NPC join makes it a bit easier on the paperwork side, since I don't have to keep track of another character and I already have a character built for when they are somewhat equal in level
meibolite |
Yeah, the rogue is also the skill monkey, since that's what she really wants to play lol. I know that rogues aren't the most optimal class, and that Ninja are a better rogue, but she doesn't want to play one, and I'm trying to keep the eastern stuff out of the shackles for now.
I'm not sure i'm completely comfortable starting at level 2, especially since 2 of the 3 aren't really familiar with PF, or 3.X in general. I'm glad that this campaign doesn't have a lot of fighting for level 1 characters, and its 15 min adventure days for the first 2/3 of the first book (makes limited resources not so limited)
My main question is still should I bring in a fresh level 1 to balance them out, or have one of the NPCs that they befriend join them?
Ascalaphus |
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I definitely wouldn't add a DMPC just to beef up the group. As a player it's fun to triumph in combat through your own strength, not because the GM is obviously helping you, and it's also no fun to share the glory with an NPC.
As a GM you'd always be trying to balance the GMPC; too weak and he's useless, too strong and you're taking away importance from the PCs.
It's better to just fiddle a bit with the difficulty of the adventure, or be a bit more generous with the PCs' stats. Bertious' advice of going 25 point buy might do the trick nicely (since APs are balanced around 15 point buy).
Psion-Psycho |
Ok the easiest way, for me at least as a DM, is to figure the averages of the party and create the combat encounters off that.
Equation used: ac of individual party members added together then divided by number of party members = average ac of party. Average ac of party is the hit range of enemies encountering party.
Equation used: To hit of individual party members added together then divided by number of party members = average to hit of party. Average to hit of party is the ac range of enemies encountering party.
Using the basic formula above helps you, the DM, figure how challenging a certain mob or boss should be for the party to handle.
captain yesterday |
Wow. You can tell the NFL season just began. When I first read the thread title, the first thought that popped into my head was "Why would someone post here for advice regarding Archie, Peyton, and Eli?".
i thought it was about peyton, eli, and cooper manning (cooper (name might not be right) is peyton and eli's older brother)
Moro |
Moro wrote:Wow. You can tell the NFL season just began. When I first read the thread title, the first thought that popped into my head was "Why would someone post here for advice regarding Archie, Peyton, and Eli?".i thought it was about peyton, eli, and cooper manning (cooper (name might not be right) is peyton and eli's older brother)
Yes, that thought flickered as well. Supposedly, Cooper was the most physically gifted of the three brothers, and might have become more successful than either of the others if it had not been for spinal stenosis.
Gnomezrule |
Actually a small party is not as big a deal here as it might be in other AP at least as far as I read. The expectation is that the party befriend and recruit a number of NPCs. In large parties these characters would fade to the background but with a small group. Sandra, Rosie or Owlbear can round out the edges of the party rather than fade into the background as non-PC crew members.