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My players have been making their character concepts for RotR. This is the party so far:
- Gnome gunslinger
- Half-orc rogue
- Aasimar Sorcerer
- Aasimar Ranger
- Player A ??? (melee)
- Player B ??? (likely arcane spellcaster... likely to miss several sessions, has schedule complications due work)
Player B was supposed to take Oracle, but after some disagreements over what racial spells his undine could take (he wanted access to all of them as an oracle... to which I said no), he decided to do something else, most likely another sorcerer... I still haven't had his definitive answer. I asked Player A if she would play a healer and I got a definite no. Player A will likely be another front liner... a fighter or a ranger.
I'm just worried about the squishiness of the party in general and how well are they doing to hold up later on even if they will be 5-6 on any given time.
Can you get Player B to be a Bard or a Witch as an arcane spellcaster?
They might do well to replace the healer without having to focus a lot on healing.
The sorcerer probably will have a high charisma score, tell him to max UMD so they can use wands in low levels and some status removal scrolls.
The rogue, if he has not dumped charisma, could help with UMD too.
You can provide them with a healing wand to heal out of combat from low levels, there they can retry failed UMD attempts.
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I'm not going to hold my breath on what Player B chooses because he usually has trouble making it to the game. So he will be 'in the background' or not at all.
Yeah, I was thinking on the CLW wand with the Rogue, Sorcerer(s) and the Ranger. Is this still doable for later parts of the AP? Half of the players are fairly new to pathfinder so I don't think they will min/max.
I was going to start them with Point Buy 20... now perhaps even 25?
While it can be done, there are two problems
1. Divine spell casters also have the status removal that is difficult to do without.
2. It becomes increasingly expensive buying wands. You could be burning through a couple a day at higher levels easy.
Status removal can be done via scrolls and healing wands are easier to afford as the party levels up.
The lack of combat healing can be an issue.
Giving them a higher point buy might be a good idea. Also, you might want to increase their wealth a bit so they can easily afford magic items as a compensation.
Make them know that the AP will be more difficult if they don't have a balanced party so they know. If it gets too difficult for them some of them might rethink the idea of playing a healer. If they don't, it means they are enjoying anyway so not big deal ;-P
Scrolls and wands will be fine unless your party is especially reckless.
I don't understand... there is only one spell available to Undine Oracles specifically in the Advanced Race Guide; Marid's Mastery. Did he think he should get Nereid's Grace, Nixie's Lure, and Undine's Curse despite them not being on his spell list? If that is really the only reason they aren't an oracle, you could consider allowing them to research those spells during their downtime... or consider pointing them towards one of the arcane healing classes/archetypes such as the Witch.
I have had parties with little to no healing in the past. It can be really hard, and RotR is a fairly deadly campaign already. It isn't impossible for a party to survive without a healer. But working around the lack of magical healing tends to increase downtime significantly. Heal checks and Rest can get even mortally wounded barbarians back to full health in just a few days.
My first suggestion is to sneak lots of healing potions into the loot by giving every enemy a potion or two (when appropriate) in addition to whatever they normally carry. So that you don't break verisimilitude, have them use one now and again too. Just don't forget that consumables are more valuable in the hands of NPCs because they don't have to plan for the long-haul, they either die or defeat the party, either way its game-over for them. Keep track of how many potions the group has: once/if the party has a stockpile of potions, cut back on how many you sneak into the loot.
Honestly though... the party is gonna need a Healer that they can rely on actually being there. If player B can't be relied upon to attend, somebody else should fill that role... Preferably Player A, or one of the other players instead of a Gnome Gunslinger or Aasimar Ranger.
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I don't understand... there is only one spell available to Undine Oracles specifically in the Advanced Race Guide; Marid's Mastery. Did he think he should get Nereid's Grace, Nixie's Lure, and Undine's Curse despite them not being on his spell list? If that is really the only reason they aren't an oracle, you could consider allowing them to research those spells during their downtime... or consider pointing them towards one of the arcane healing classes/archetypes such as the Witch.
I have had parties with little to no healing in the past. It can be really hard, and RotR is a fairly deadly campaign already. It isn't impossible for a party to survive without a healer. But working around the lack of magical healing tends to increase downtime significantly. Heal checks and Rest can get even mortally wounded barbarians back to full health in just a few days.
My first suggestion is to sneak lots of healing potions into the loot by giving every enemy a potion or two (when appropriate) in addition to whatever they normally carry. So that you don't break verisimilitude, have them use one now and again too. Just don't forget that consumables are more valuable in the hands of NPCs because they don't have to plan for the long-haul, they either die or defeat the party, either way its game-over for them. Keep track of how many potions the group has: once/if the party has a stockpile of potions, cut back on how many you sneak into the loot.
Honestly though... the party is gonna need a Healer that they can rely on actually being there. If player B can't be relied upon to attend, somebody else should fill that role... Preferably Player A, or one of the other players instead of a Gnome Gunslinger or Aasimar Ranger.
I have had issues with player B before because he is one of the few in the party who actually min/max his spellcasters to the extend of breaking the game.
The other players are married with their concepts and backgrounds already... so there couldn't be lots of changes from there. I guess If things start getting serious I might as well suggest them into hiring a cleric NPC.
This is pretty simple. If the party doesn't have a character with healing as a primary class feature, then you (the GM) are going to have to deal with it. The options are in the responses above - give them extra magic items, encourage them to devote character resources to "fake it" (UMD, and so forth) give them higher point buy, and have enemies change tactics to avoid spells and affects the party cannot counter. Later in the AP these things are going to be harder and harder to accommodate when they'll be built into NPC and trap designs, "dungeons" are further and further away from civilization, etc. It can be done but if a player won't take on the challenge, then the burden will fall on you.
Another option I didn't see above (and if I missed it I apologize) - later in the campaign one of the pc's could take the leadership feat and add a cleric cohort.
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My group is just getting up to end of book 3 and they have been facing a double handicap: no divine caster (hence no healing) and no arcane spellcaster.
Sure, they have a paladin, so some limited healing that way.
They also have an alchemist, who in theory could have some healing, but he has chosen to pursue other paths, and is in fact a frontline combattant.
How do they survive? They buy and chug endless loads of healing potions, and turn to NPCs for any other healing they need - status removal, etc.
I have been somewhat kind to them, and when they do good deeds, they often receive healing potions and such like as rewards.
Of greater concern as they advance to the tougher parts of the AP, is the absence of an arcane spellcaster. Thanks to the death of a barbarian, they now have one sorcerer, but his understanding of magic tends to be limited to blasting, so IMHO he hardly counts as a true arcane spellcaster.
But you know what? It's all good. They have a great time. And if someone dies, perhaps they will get some caster to fill the gaps in the party, as recently happened with the barbarian turned sorcerer. And they will surely keep hitting the shops to buy more endless streams of healing potions. I've toyed with cluing them in on the cost effectiveness of healing wands, but decided to leave it in their hands when or if they start asking for those.
So I don't see these lacks as any sort of a problem. If characters die, that's tough. If they suffer a TPK, perhaps they will re-evaluate their choices. So, to the OP, don't sweat it. Let the chips fall where they may. That's all part of the game.
This said, once past 7th level, the feat Leadership could certainly help fill such gaps - especially with the right hints from the DM. Also remember that you can have various NPCs adventure with the party from time to time (assuming there aren't too many PCs already in the party).
You can always allow a cleric companion. I allow the Leadership Handbook in my games so the players can augment their party with any missing party roles.