Now that we have completed Book One of Kingmaker, using Mutants & Masterminds 2ed, here is a recap of the events. I will describe the story events as well, but mostly focus on the effects of using another system, and how that changed things for better or worse.
Character Creation
Even from the beginning, it felt like a very different system when we set down to make characters. Using M&M for characters at PL4 or below is difficult and the number systems can start getting wonky, so I decided to start the characters at PL5. This provided a boost over the typical starting level in Pathfinder, creating a party that was probably the equivalent of 4-6th level characters. However, I did restrict certain power effects to preserve the integrity of the map encounters, primarily flight and teleportation, but others on a case-by-case basis. I plan on allowing characters to take flight and teleport as we reach the appropriate points in the campaign when those abilities would normally become available.
Another issue was how to distinguish between 'casters' and 'non-casters'. In the M&M system, all characters can have powers, but none can really be loaded down with as many powers as a high-level Pathfinder caster. There is one option, called the Variable power, but I refuse to allow that in my campaign because it is game cancer. Therefore, I decided to employ some options found in the Warriors & Warlocks supplement book.
Casters are characters who use the skill check drawback with a power array. What this means is they build a power set (for example, one called Wizardry). This power set can have a number of additional powers (spells) attached to it, but using it requires succeeding at a skill check. If they fail the check, the action is lost. The DC is not particularly high, and maxing out the attribute and skill associated with the check ends up giving one a very low chance of failure, however it is still there. Casters were restricted to an array with a maximum number of powers equal to their PL (so 5 powers in this game).
Non-casters are allowed to have powers as well, even 'magical' ones like breathing fire or such. However, they are restricted to a single power and only one additional power attached. The advantage, however, is that they do not need to make a skill check to use the power. It is more like a natural ability, or spell-like ability.
The freedom of using this system netted some characters that are less strictly defined that is typical in a Pathfinder game (or at least involved less scrambling for supplement books to allow for traits, races, and level dips to justify strange combos).
Our final party was:
-Corvinus Jelen, a human ranger/paladin hybrid who focused on using bows and channeling holy energy into arrows.
-Verrus Orlovsky, a human demon-blooded monk who could temporarily transform into a horned demonic form.
-Sevus Ilmas, a human 'dragoon' who focused on spear-fighting, leaping, and fire-based powers (his fire array used the 'caster' rules, so he would have been more like a half-caster in Pathfinder)
-Nero Aldori, a human Aldori swordlord (in training) who only took fighting feats and no powers.
-Braccus, a half-elven bard (the closest we had to a true caster, and surprisingly easy to build with the rules)
-Zhorra, an elven ranger who focused on two-weapon fighting.
The only person who could heal was the bard, and he dropped out of the game after the second session. The elven ranger had sporatic attendance, only being able to make it about half of the games. So our core group end up being the first four characters.
We did have one additional character, when someone showed up during a session. So we let him play a giant-blooded barbarian that had been captured by the Thorn River Bandits. He played during that session, but did not make it to any other games.
