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So Seeker of Secrets says that Pathfinders have to go through 3 years of training, but there are occasional, rare field commissions. In another thread, we got off topic talking about this, so I'm starting a new thread.
I think it's assumed that probably half or more of PCs are field commissions. I can't see many of the weirdo PC ideas at my tables (including many of my own) sitting still for 3 years of schooling.While it doesn't come up that often, I don't know if I've even seen a "standardly trained" pathfinder as a pc. Apparently they save those for the missions where everyone isn't going to die.
I wouldn't go that far. I have at least four PCs that I know for a fact went through full Pathfinder training. Three of them are siblings whose father was a Pathfinder. One of them was a Chelaxian slave who was freed by an Andoren Pathfinder and brought to Absalom at 9 years old. He spent the next few years working as a valet for any Pathfinder who would teach him anything in return, until he was old enough to get in for formal training.
I'll have to think about my other PCs, as I'm sure I've got a mix of formal training and field commissions, depending on the characters.
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They've moved away from the required training elements, and I don't think a lot of newer players are aware it was ever a thing.
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My only character who got a field commission is my Cavalier/Nature Oracle, who was already exploring the Sodden Lands as part of her research into the death of Aroden (having come from a long line of priests of Aroden herself).
Although to be honest, I typically only come up with personalities for my characters, rather than full backstories, so I've never really set it in stone for most of them.
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I'm like RainyDayNinja: I have personalities and a general idea of back story, but nothing so detailed as much of what I've seen.
But, considering most of my characters right now, I don't think there are any of them who wouldn't have been able to go through the three years of training. I don't design 'roided out power house characters, or PCs that openly worship evil deities, and am not someone who would play the "mysterious stranger" or "delicate flower" type of characters. My PCs are all adventurers who are well-grounded in their class and role, so would all certainly have the patience to have gained the necessary schooling.
So, if there is any kind of count being done in this thread, add 11 PCs to the "three years of schooling" column.
Yeah, I have kinda of sketchy backstory in mind for my characters. I may or may not actually write it down.
I have a personality. Sometimes a rather weird and/or obsessive personality. But that is developed.
That is sufficient for PFS and many gaming groups.
If the GM is going to use it or even if the other players find it interesting, I have occasionally come up with pages of backstory. Sometimes bizarre sometimes boringly prosaic.
So although I haven't addressed it, most of my characters could easily be seen as having gone through the 3 year training. One would almost have to have been a field commission. And one I'm getting ready to start will probably be the guard slave of a friend's PC.
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I have definitely created a few characters whose backstory includes the three-year training at the Pathfinder Society. (For PFS characters, my backstory is usually just a shortish paragraph, or at most a couple of them.) Since they tend to be young and not terribly experienced yet, often I'll make characters looking for a home where they can express their wanderlust and lore-hunger, and the Society fits the bill well.
(I have to admit, I'm surprised that wanderlust and lore-hunger aren't more common characteristics for PFS characters. Not because I think all PCs should be that way, but it is the sort of thing you'd expect for somebody motivated to become a Pathfinder field agent. Indeed, I regularly wonder why the PCs I see in PFS games are members of the Society at all. I mean, I know-- it's because that's what Pathfinder organized play is, so you have no choice. But, in-game, why would this character hook up with this Society? It often doesn't seem like a reasonable match at all. I guess the Swords have had a pretty open recruiting drive....)
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Ah ha, I knew I had seen this in a scenario before :)
Some players may envision their characters having
adventured for years before joining the Pathfinder Society,
and may not want their characters to be initiates. Others
may have already adventured several times for the Society
without having passed a Confirmation. Normally these
characters would become members of the Society through
field commissions granted by members of the Decemvirate.
Because of the pressing events taking place across Golarion,
the Decemvirate has given the go-ahead to the Three
Masters to grant field commissions to even more candidates
than usual, in addition to promoting internal candidates
early. The Masters still encourage experienced adventurers to
participate in a Confirmation experience, however, believing
that doing so reinforces the Society’s rules, philosophies, and
best practices.
Ok, the line about "best practices" made me LOL.All of my PFS agents dip a level in Martial Artist Monk to get their Six Sigma black belts.
A single level dip is only going to get your SS Green Belt. You're going to require more than that for a SS Black Belt.
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A single level dip is only going to get your SS Green Belt. You're going to require more than that for a SS Black Belt.Ok, the line about "best practices" made me LOL.All of my PFS agents dip a level in Martial Artist Monk to get their Six Sigma black belts.
I think it requires worship of Abadar, plus an auditing process by some of his inquisitors.
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as long as during pathfinder college or whatever it is okay to assume that your PC was taught things like:
carry rope
hit skeletons with blunty things
hit zombies with sharp things
have a light source
and other such durr durr things you do over and over on your pcs, then I do not care how long anyone chooses for their pc to go to adventurer school
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I have described most of my characters went through the three years of training within the lodge. I wasn't aware of the moving away from that training process but seems a reasonable choice although I'll be sticking with the idea of the years of training for most of my characters. For the perspective of my characters those years of training represent a strong dedication and bond with the society that is important to the personality of the character.
On the other hand almost all the players in my area state they have field commissions. I have seen few players go in and jump on the idea that their character went to Pathfinder College for any major length of time.
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I could see all of my characters going through basic Pathfinder training. One probably got in trouble for passing notes to the cute female trainees, one probably got in trouble for skipping class to go outside and splash in the rain puddles, but none of them are so outrageous that they would have skipped training altogether.
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I'm finding that one effect The Confirmation is having on me is that my more recent characters are far more likely to have undergone training than my previous characters.
I like playing that as my first scenario and it just fits trained agents better.
The GM babies who start actual play at level 3 or so almost all got field commissions.
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Doyle- Rogue druid.: No official training, because he's adorkably just off the boat from Hermea and three years in absolom would ruin that.
Shamus Cleric of the lantern king: Too insane to go through training. Saw a group of adventurers gathering and just got in line with one of them. Oddly enough no one questioned this. Thought the lantern lodge was part of his cult.
Fabrizio -Idiot sorcerer being led around by his familiar. Too arrogant to put up with training (Dawn is what you stay UP till. Now what you get up at). Too stupid to benefit from it really. Probably talked his way into getting out early.
Pyrite Tanky druid: Might do 3 years. He reaaaly hates the aspis. Would readily have a dish served cold.
Flutter Wild empathy druid. Worships Desna. No way she's staying anywhere for three years strait. Probably dragged some pathfinders back into town by their ears for upsetting some poor innocent mother giant spider and got hired on as a regular guide.
Argentum: Aasimar Hermean travel agent/Apsu Cleric Mystic Theurge. Would readily do 3 years of training (he's old anyway), mostly to scout out potential recruits.
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I'm finding that one effect The Confirmation is having on me is that my more recent characters are far more likely to have undergone training than my previous characters.
I like playing that as my first scenario and it just fits trained agents better.
The GM babies who start actual play at level 3 or so almost all got field commissions.
I feel the same way.
I have one I Gm fast-fowarded to 3.
The rest are pathfinder trained, some not well.
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The GM babies who start actual play at level 3 or so almost all got field commissions.I can see that, Paul. For myself, my characters who begin their careers in sanctioned modules (Thornkeep, Crypt of the Everflame, Dragon's Demand) are the field commissions.
I do it more by personality and/or back story.
My gnomes with short attention spans couldn't possibly have sat through 3 years of training, nor could the cleric of Desna with wanderlust.
Tough call on my battle oracle - he was an experienced mercenary in Tian Xia before being recruited and shipped off to Absalom, so he probably didn't need the full training, despite actually having an attention span.
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Shamus Cleric of the lantern king: Too insane to go through training. Saw a group of adventurers gathering and just got in line with one of them. Oddly enough no one questioned this. Thought the lantern lodge was part of his cult.
You are the only other person that I know of that has a cleric of the Lantern King. There was no way that Phinneous Phest would have had the attention span to go through 3 years of training to become a pathfinder. He just showed up one day and insisted that he was a Pathfinder. He even had a wayfinder and everything (actually, it was an empty can of tuna, but the power of suggestion trait can do wondrous things with a high bluff skill) so they started sending him on missions. He is now a Venture Captain with his own lodge. Go figure.
I only have 2 characters that I planned from the start as having gone through the Pathfinder training:
Zerran Zadar - Varisian Lorewarden/Investigator. I planned on him being the quintessential Pathfinder. He is a versatile adventurer who is out to advance the goals of the Society.
Jaird Sage - Half Tien, Half Ulfen Samurai. He crossed paths with some members of the Silver Crusade and they really left an impression on him. He left his home and parents in the Jade Quarter of Kalsgard and traveled to Absalom to join this organization that produced such honorable and noble individuals. He is currently just a blob of GM credit, so he hasn't had a chance to see the other types of people that make up the Society :)
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Roland: Pathfinder Delver who not only went through Pathfinder Basic, but went back for "Advanced Delver Training" before taking his first level of the prestige class.
Xan Kahlan: Wizard and eventual bloatmage who not only did basic training, but worked in the "archivist division" for 20 years before studying all the Thassalonian stuff brought back in season 4 and was prompted to finally take is confirmation test.
Tristan: A Taldan bard from a noble family that would never have the attention span to go through 3 years of training. I assume he used the last of his inheritence to bribe a field commision out of someone.
The rest of my characters backgrounds are more hazy.