Now this may sound like a stupid question (and I am terribly sorry if it is), but what is an Adventure Path?
Is it simply a book that details an Adventure you can play? If so, does it come with a map/tiles to play on or anything?
Also, what comes with it? I'm thinking of getting Iron Gods, so I'm curious.
Again, really sorry if this is a stupid question.
first of all, Welcome!
secondly my dad always told me the only dumb question is the one thats never asked, so nope, not a dumb question:)
adventure paths are campaigns designed to go from first to 15-17th level, you should only need the core rule book and bestiary or 4 to run, also notice the PRD on the right side that has all the rules online for free:)
they each have unique magic items and really well done npcs, as well as their own bestiaries, gazzetteers and other such things.
Thank you very much :)
As captain yesterday said everything that might be presented in an AP (adventure path) can be found in the PRD.
APs are full colour 100 page books, half of them are the adventure, the other half are usually articles about various things of Golarion (the pathfinder campaign setting) and/or new magic items presented in the adventure and/or important NPCs (usually enemies) that have kinda big statblocks.
APs have the maps in their pages (so you can draw them) but if you are asking if they come with flip mats to use in your table the answer is no.
APs provide story, NPCs, read alout texts (both for NPCs and descriptions), detailed rooms/locales and detailed encounters. Keep in mind that sometimes the APs only provide you with a framework or a guideline for the story and you should do the rest of the fleshing out yourself.
|
The title of the thread actually implanted a similar question in my brain - note that I am not asking as someone who's new to APs, but rather as someone who owns almost all of them, and is currently halfway through one of them.
Question is: what do people expect an AP to do? is it a gaming product that you buy as a GM to save time for yourself and you want to be able to run it "out of the box"? Is it a source of inspiration for a campaign you'll base off of it? Is it just good reading material?
Obviously no one answer is correct. I'm just curious to see how people answer such a question - what exactly do you expect an AP to be? what do you want it to be?
|
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
For me the AP is an adventure campaign outline. I just dont have the time and energy to plan a full blown campaign. I do make my own edits and changes as I feel neccesary. Its nice to have a skeleton to work with. My players love them too becuase APs have a theme and the players guide allows them to buy into the adventure. I rotate duties so I only purchase APs I plan to run at somepoint. I dont want to spoil them if I end up a player.
So far the APs are great but none of them have been perfect. I dont have an out of the box mindset when I purchase an AP. I fully expect to have to do a little work to make it right for me and mine. The APs are excellent reading material and the bestiaries make them useful even after you have run them for future ideas.
For me the AP is an adventure campaign outline. I just dont have the time and energy to plan a full blown campaign. I do make my own edits and changes as I feel neccesary. Its nice to have a skeleton to work with. My players love them too becuase APs have a theme and the players guide allows them to buy into the adventure. I rotate duties so I only purchase APs I plan to run at somepoint. I dont want to spoil them if I end up a player.
So far the APs are great but none of them have been perfect. I dont have an out of the box mindset when I purchase an AP. I fully expect to have to do a little work to make it right for me and mine. The APs are excellent reading material and the bestiaries make them useful even after you have run them for future ideas.
Hmm, how much of a campaign is the AP? By that I mean, is it just an outline, like 20% of a campaign? Do I have to edit it a lot, to the point where it would probably be better off making my own campaign (I have in the past)?
Or does it only require minor edits here and there to adjust the difficulty or something?
|
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Hmm, how much of a campaign is the AP? By that I mean, is it just an outline, like 20% of a campaign? Do I have to edit it a lot, to the point where it would probably be better off making my own campaign (I have in the past)?
Or does it only require minor edits here and there to adjust the difficulty or something?
The latter. You can theoretically run a whole campaign straight from the books with basically no changes. In practice, some tweaking is necessary (and a lot more tweaking is possible) but you've got the vast majority laid out for you by the AP.
The latter. You can theoretically run a whole campaign straight from the books with basically no changes. In practice, some tweaking is necessary (and a lot more tweaking is possible) but you've got the vast majority laid out for you by the AP.Hmm, how much of a campaign is the AP? By that I mean, is it just an outline, like 20% of a campaign? Do I have to edit it a lot, to the point where it would probably be better off making my own campaign (I have in the past)?
Or does it only require minor edits here and there to adjust the difficulty or something?
Alright, thanks.
|
|
For me the AP is an adventure campaign outline. I just dont have the time and energy to plan a full blown campaign. I do make my own edits and changes as I feel neccesary. Its nice to have a skeleton to work with. My players love them too becuase APs have a theme and the players guide allows them to buy into the adventure. I rotate duties so I only purchase APs I plan to run at somepoint. I dont want to spoil them if I end up a player.
So far the APs are great but none of them have been perfect. I dont have an out of the box mindset when I purchase an AP. I fully expect to have to do a little work to make it right for me and mine. The APs are excellent reading material and the bestiaries make them useful even after you have run them for future ideas.
Hmm, how much of a campaign is the AP? By that I mean, is it just an outline, like 20% of a campaign? Do I have to edit it a lot, to the point where it would probably be better off making my own campaign (I have in the past)?
Or does it only require minor edits here and there to adjust the difficulty or something?
I would say for me its a 50/50 thing. The AP provides me with all the tools and a great story/theme. I like to make up my own stuff and have some time to do it. The AP for me is best of both worlds. I get to make edits changes as I see fit. I also get to add some of my own ideas where I feel they work. If pressure is on I can lay off homebrewing. The subfourms are truly awesome they are a wealth of ideas and they also help you troubleshoot problematic points of the APs.
Some people run them cover to cover and you can certainly do that. In my experience people often get frustrated with plot lines not lining up or with mechanics not working exactly as planned. That's why I advise any AP enthusiast to at least view the forums to find solutions to bumps in the road.
Whatever you do, keep an eye on the forum for the AP you choose to run. People will post their custom ideas, adventures, NPCs, adjustment suggestions, problem fixes, and all sorts of other cool things for other GMs to use there.