Braxon's page

Hello Everyone,

We actually played!

My wife's sorcerer became my sorcerer (I am the DM too) at least for a little while. She can now run her Pally and "become" her. The Sorcerer's name is Ron, well if she takes her over for the 2nd and 3rd module the kids will find out it is actually Veronica who is in hiding. =) Ron's roll is to give the party some arcane magic abilities, buff the other characters, and fade into the background (until "he" becomes Veronica that is).

All of the melees in the group are Opportunistic Gamblers so they love his Touch of Rage. Wow is an Oracle with a reach weapon and Combat Reflexes dangerous against brain dead skeletons who lack self preservation instincts. 12AC is not so good and I need to figure out how to correctly fire Acid Splash into melee combat. So far, so good.

Thanks for everyone's help!
Braxon

Everyone,

We actually played!

My wife's Pally is working well but it has not been able to shine as much as the kids (that is not 100% a bad thing). Enlarged Oracle with a reach weapon and 3 AoO on brainless skellies is quite awesome. 1/2 Orc Rouge with TWF, Orc Double Axe, and bite is quite cool too. Both the kids had quite a few high rolls.

She does have TWF, sword and board, but should couldn't connect with anything. Her 20AC let her take point but I am not sure she realized how nice that can be (she did go unconscious just like the rogue). =)

I did end up putting a Want of Mini Things in each of the backpacks. I also printed out what gear they ended up taking and it was listed. They have even mentioned the Wand of Mini Things but have yet to take it out and examine it. /bog

I did become a Roll20 subscriber and I put all of the maps of Crypt of The Everflame on it. The dynamic lighting is just SO cool. I also love that they can't see the map until they are there "in person". It is such a simple thing but Roll20 also speeds up battles so much. They got hit with a wave of 9 skeletons. I went ahead and gave every skellie its own initiative. With Roll20 I had no issues quickly tracking mob HP and turn order. That was worth it alone! I always hated trying to remember which pawn went to which HP on the dry erase board.

I put all of the maps into Roll20 and defined the dynamic lighting boarders for each one. I also bought the Bestiary 1 pdf and Photoshopped transparency for each monster they ran into so they would fight a "real" pawn. It took quite a while to do all this prework, but in the end I got the entire Crypt of The Everflame module into Roll20. WOW, it sure speeds up gameplay! I think I am sold.

Thanks everyone for all of your help!
Braxon

Hello Everyone,

We actually played!

My son's 1st level 1/2 orc rogue turned out to be very fun for him. He has an Orc Double Axe and has bite. The only thing he loves more than a Full Round Action is his little sister who is a Rock Hound (think Fighter BAB, Fighter # Attack, Magical, Bodyguard Companion, that blinks and stone walks). She often blinks right behind the bad guy for flanking attack. He really feels he shines on dishing out the damage.

Wearing only Studded Leather he is a bit hesitant about pulling scouting duty and it make his very edgy but that is most of the fun!

Thanks for everyone's help!

Braxon

All,

We actually played!

Crystalfire the 1st level Oracle was a blast for my daughter to play! The Sorcerer enlarged her and her reach weapon along with Combat Reflexes for AoE when fighting mindless skeletons was a hoot! I was also neat watching her forgo battle to heal an unconscious teammate. Good stuff.

I want to thank everyone for all your help! We have a good plan until level 8 or so. Now we can just play.

Regards,
Braxon

Zebbie,

PS. Now I just want to figure out a way to make a Digital DM Screen, so I can have a second screen to show pictures via powerpoint, such as handouts, as well as highly visible initiative counter as opposed to my boring cardboard wall.

I just subscribed to Roll20 and I do just that! I used 2 accounts. DM Eric on one Chrome tab (DM control tab), DM Eric logged in as Player on the flat battle map TV on the table on a Chrome Incognito tab, and Player Tonya on a Digital DM screen in Firefox on a large info TV where I show handouts, pics of monsters, and the like.

It works very well,
Braxon

Hello Everyone,

My family is just getting started playing Pathfinder (I have been a purchaser of Pathfinder for a few years now). We have a smiting Pally (Mommy), TWF Bite Brute Rogue (3rd grader), Enlarging Battle Oracle (2nd grader), and a buffing Orc-blooded Sorcerer (NPC me).

My 5 year old really want to play with our family. She is only starting to get numbers up to ~15 and can't read, however she has a great imagination and really loves hearing about our Pathfinder stories.

If I can find a way to help her play, I may just get nominated for Papa of the Year from her. Help me help her! =)

I was thinking of a character that was super simple, harder than heck for the baddies to hit, did low damage, and had a good story as to why sometimes she was in the group or out of the group (early bedtime).

I was thinking maybe a rock dog? It moved via stone meld (like burrow) with no AoO (as long as on stone?). Its bite did 1d4 damage. Its AC was 19 (aka full plate) with a DR 1// (to help her get better with math). It was sentient (albeit young) ((almost like a preschooler)) but could only bark and growl. Once the rock dog found the party it "adopted" them. With them, and only them, it is able to talk to them in their heads (kind of like the Message spell). It had 20HP (2d10 max) and therefor doesn't have to worry about dying in battle much, just run around and attack the baddies. As the others level up, she may or may not get small perks. She is known to run off at times (early bedtime) but she can always find them again when she wants too.

I don't want her to "overpower" the party's encounters but I don't want the others to have to worry about her either.

Thoughts?
Braxon

Hello All,

Thanks again for all your help. I finally got some time to work on the Sorcerer that my wife was going to play. It ends up, I will play him for at least the 1st module. He is a farmer that has worked all his life in the fields, hence his STR. The only thing he has going for him is his common sense (I will use this to nunge the party if they don't quite see what they could do next). He has always had some odd sense about himself and he finds out that magic is coursing though his veins.

After Act I, if she wants, she can play her Pally and this Sorcerer if she feels she can have fun having two characters. "He" may just so happen to be a princess on the run for her life and be in disguise for Act I. =)

Build:
Human Buffing Sorcerer (let others shine)
As the DM will at least be playing him for Act I, he can't be the party's face character.

Orc Bloodline

Abilities:
STR: 15 (Ant Haul to evac party on wipe)
DEX: 13
CON: 13
INT: 12
WIS: 10
CHA: 18

Traits:
Reactionary
Berserker of Society (Houserule: will work on Touch of Rage)
Unnatural Presence

Attribute Plan:
4: STR (to get to +3 Mod for Intimidating Prowess @ lvl 7)
8: DEX

Feet Plan:
1: Improved Initiative and Toughness
2: -na-
3: Dodge
4: -na-
5: Combat Casting
6: -na-
7: -----??Please Help??-----
8: -na-

Sorcerer Plan:
1: Touch of Rage
2: -na-
3: Fearless
3: Burning Hands (sp)
4: -na-
5: Bull's Strength (sp)
6: -na-
7: Intimidating Prowess (Add +3 STR to Intimidate)
7: Rage (sp)
8: -na-

Spells:
Buffing spells (no idea)

Skills @ every level: (4/lvl)
Intimidate +1
Spellcraft +1
Knowledge: Arcana +1
Knowledge: <insert others here> rotate until all have 1 rank

Gear:
Armour: Armoured Kilt
Weapon: -----??Please Help??-----
HP: 10
AC: 12 (15 w/Mage Armour)

At least now I have a place to start. I am starting to look at spells now. As this character may only get to lvl 7 or lvl 8 I don't know how I would effectively use any Metamagic feats but I need 1 extra feet at lvl 7.

I would love you hear your thoughts,
Braxon

Hello All,

Thanks again for all your help. I finally got some time to work on the Sorcerer that my wife was going to play. It ends up, I will play him for at least the 1st module. He is a farmer that has worked all his life in the fields, hence his STR. The only thing he has going for him is his common sense (I will use this to nunge the party if they don't quite see what they could do next). He has always had some odd sense about himself and he finds out that magic is coursing though his veins.

After Act I, if she wants, she can play her Pally and this Sorcerer if she feels she can have fun having two characters. "He" may just so happen to be a princess on the run for her life and be in disguise for Act I. =)

Build:
Human Buffing Sorcerer (let others shine)
As the DM will at least be playing him for Act I, he can't be the party's face character.

Orc Bloodline

Abilities:
STR: 15 (Ant Haul to evac party on wipe)
DEX: 13
CON: 13
INT: 12
WIS: 10
CHA: 18

Traits:
Reactionary
Berserker of Society (Houserule: will work on Touch of Rage)
Unnatural Presence

Attribute Plan:
4: STR (to get to +3 Mod for Intimidating Prowess @ lvl 7)
8: DEX

Feet Plan:
1: Improved Initiative and Toughness
2: -na-
3: Dodge
4: -na-
5: Combat Casting
6: -na-
7: -----??Please Help??-----
8: -na-

Sorcerer Plan:
1: -na-
2: -na-
3: -na-
4: -na-
5: -na-
6: -na-
7: Intimidating Prowess (Add +3 STR to Intimidate)
8: -na-

Spells:
Buffing spells (no idea)

Skills @ every level: (4/lvl)
Intimidate +1
Spellcraft +1
Knowledge: Arcana +1
Knowledge: <insert others here> rotate until all have 1 rank

Gear:
Armour: Armoured Kilt
Weapon: -----??Please Help??-----
HP: 10
AC: 12 (15 w/Mage Armour)

At least now I have a place to start. I am starting to look at spells now. As this character may only get to lvl 7 or lvl 8 I don't know how I would effectively use any Metamagic feats but I need 1 extra feet at lvl 7.

I would love you hear your thoughts,
Braxon

My wife and I watched Gamers: Dorkness Rising, and it was great! Thanks for the heads up, we didn't know anything like that even existed.

Regards,
Braxon

I'm not sure why you are looking for a video. Is it to see how other people play the game? If so, I don't think that is the best way to play Pathfinder. Everyone has their own take on how to role-play.

It is to show my wife how others play the game and to learn how to be a better DM for myself in the process. You can learn a lot from watching others. I think a group of aliens would play football much better if they not only had the rule book but if they also watched a few games before they tried to compete. =)

Are you looking for a video to actually teach them how to play the game? If so, I would recommend picking up the Pathfinder starter box, as that gives a simplified version of the rules. The introductory adventure does a great job of highlighting how to play the game as you can just pick it up out of the box and start playing within 15 minutes (using pregens).

No, we have done that. We are just looking to watch the flow of the game. My wife has come from the world of computer RPGs. You are limited quite a bit by a cRPG when compared to a pen and paper RPG in most all interactions with the world. When I tell her she can (try to) do anything, it is a bit challenging for her to wrap her brain around "anything" when coming a world where you can only talk or attack. =)

Regards,
Braxon

Thanks Guys,

So far it looks like:
Hidden City Part 1
A God Unleashed Part 1
One of DawnForgedCast's 1000+ videos.

That should get us going, =)
Braxon

Maybe this will help?

Thanks Ravingdork, I guess my searches were a bit too specific. I see a few videos just on the front page of that search.

I was also looking to see if there were any Pathfinder videos that the experts (you guys) thought just rocked to show off good gameplay.

Regards,
Braxon

I would suggest picking up the Pathfinder Beginner Box; the booklet is a really good introduction to the system, and will likely be more helpful than a video. Also, check out the Pathfinder Society; if there's a PFS game near you, that's an ideal way to learn.

Thanks spectrevk. We have had the Beginner Box for a couple of years now (I finally graduated school). We have played Blackfang around 5 times now. We are getting ready to start the Crypt of the Everflame. We just wanted something to jump start our play. Watching others sounded like a good idea.

Regards,
Braxon

Don't think that you will find a very serious session video. Humor has always been part of the game, most people expect their sessions to play like Lord of the rings but it is often closer to Monty Python's Holy Grail from my personal experience.

To be clear, we are not looking at anything too serious. We just wanted something with a bit more play and a bit less banter. It would also help if it was actually Pathfinder so as DM I could pick up any tid bits.

There are some good videos explaining how to play pathfinder tho, but not a live session as far as I have seen.

I know Paizo has a short transcript of play in their Beginner Box. That helped but I would think it would really behoove them to do a video of actual play. I would help new players to understand the flow of play. If they did it right, they could pick experienced players and a great storyteller as the DM. That would put their product in its best possible light.

Just a Thought,
Braxon

I searched.
...
<found DnD Next>
...
I searched for Pathfinder.
...
<found nothing>
...
I posted.
...
I searched for Pathfinder again.
...
<found Hidden City Part 1>

I still would love to see what videos you guys think are good.

Regards,
Braxon

DawnForgedCast channel

Thanks I will check it out!

Braxon

Hello All,

I am itching to get a game going for my family, but it is taking much longer than I would like. We will get there, it is just slow. In the process my wife is getting more and more excited to play (WOOT!).

I played ADnD 2nd long, long ago, just a few times, but I am considered the Pathfinder expert in the family. I wondered out loud to my wife if maybe I should find a game at local game store and watch (or play) it a few times. She was receptive. Not only that but she had the good idea that maybe we could watch a youtube video of a good Pathfinder game. That is even better as we live about 1.5 hours away from the nearest game that I could make time/date wise.

We found this 2012 PAX DnD game. It was very funny but we both think it might be better if there was a game that had a bit more seriousness to it for us to learn from. Even after watching that she did feel better about asking questions. She was afraid that everything should be in rollplay and 3rd person questions like, "What do I see on the table?" were not good. I had no idea she felt she was doing it wrong. Once I found out her concern I assured her she could ask those types (and others) of questions. I think if we could find a good Pathfinder game to watch it would be very good for us.

Q1] Does anyone have a good Pathfinder video of example play that they could recommend?

Thanks!
Braxon

Braxon --

I see that you will be running the sorcerer. Have you decided on your bloodline or archetypes yet? I'm curious about what you chose.

Hmm

Yesterday I was able to get the Rogue all planned out. We then started working on the Oracle. Today I worked with the kids and teaching them electronics(Arduino). I was not able to get to the Sorcerer this weekend. /sigh

Thanks for asking,
Braxon

Hello Everyone,

Minion Dax (3yr) decided to hit Grandma's 40" plasma TV and it has a 1"x3" black spot on it. Grandma now has a new TV and we are the proud owners of a "free" 40" TV that only set us back $500. =p

I just got the TV out of the shed and it looks like I was wrong on 3 points.

1] It is a 42" TV
2] It is an LCD
3] It has no big black spot on it! WOOT!

/bog

Off to look more into Roll20 and Fantasy Ground.

Thanks Guys,
Braxon

I recommend replacing the homebrew broken wand with a 50 charge cure light wounds. Make them do resource management. When it runs out either drop another wand or suggest they buy one with party funds.

I understand your comment about making them do resource management. For their first campaign I want to go easy on that until I see how they do with everything else that is new.

I did mean to ask what you meant about "homebrew broken wand". It was not my idea. I got it from a Pathfinder group in my city. I thought it was a great way to keep action flowing but I would like to hear your thoughts.

I would think that a 50 charge cure light wound wand would effect much more than just downtime as it would effectively allow healing in battle and alter the balance of power.

Regards,
Braxon

In my case im the, really, big/old brother and sometimes my parents do not really like my "educational ideas" but hopefully they will see my point when they see my sis having fun and learning.

It is good being Dad. =)

Good Luck,
Braxon

Hello Everyone,

Minion Dax (3yr) decided to hit Grandma's 40" plasma TV and it has a 1"x3" black spot on it. Grandma now has a new TV and we are the proud owners of a "free" 40" TV that only set us back $500. =p

I would love to use it for our Pathfinder games. Everyone is in the same house. I see it being used in one of two ways.

Way One:
Put the TV at the end of the table and show representations of bad guy faces, monster pictures, scary woods, and the like. This would be ran from a laptop with some display software.

Way Two:
Lay it down, put a sheet of glass right on the TV screen (watching heat), and use digital battle maps on it. The absolute best feature would be to hide the entire map until the players open all the doors (fog of war along with light layer). I feel this would really capture the sense of exploration and increase the sense of adventure much more.

Questions:
Q1] What is the best software to use for Way One?
Q2] If you know of any great ideas with Way One, would you please share?
Q3] What is the best software to use for Way Two?
Q4] If you know of any great ideas with Way One, would you please share?

I have looked at quite a few of them on the net, but I would love to hear from you guys what works, what you use, and how.

Regards,
Braxon

Hello Everyone,

Let's see if I can multitask.

Myself and my family are new to actually playing Pathfinder. I have had many of the books for quite a while, we just have not played much at all. That is changing and I think we are all excited to begin playing.

I am running my family's first set of modules and I am almost done making a character plan for all four characters. The party will ran by two kids, Mom, and Dad (me).

When the kids are in bed my wife and I thought it would be fun to run another campaign. She will run all the characters in the party. That is probably not advised but we are both willing to give it a shot. She needs a party, and that is where you all come in.

We don't want to use the exact same party as the full family campaign, but we are ok reusing some of the classes or maybe part of the builds. With what classes we think we want, and the effect of our house rules, what other classes would be simple and effective to fill out the party. (please no party of 5 summoners) =)

House Rules:
Wand of Many Mini Things: Unlimited charges of 1hp heal (if you can live though the fight, you can go into the next fight at least at full HP)
No Flying: Maybe 1 or 2 baddies every blue moon will require ranged attacks but in general everyone will be on the ground

1] Battle Oracle: STR Melee Reach, Enlarge, Buffer
2] Rogue: STR Brute TWF
3] Paladin: STR 2H?
4] Sorcerer: Buffs the Melee

5] ?????? {5th slot so a bit more flexible}
--a] Maybe DEX Archer specialist?
--b] Maybe Ranger DEX Archer/TWF?
--c] Maybe Barbarian STR 2H?
--d] Maybe 2nd Sorcerer blaster?

5a] Pros:
-------- Nice damage because many full round attack
-------- No need to move as much as other melees
5a] Cons:
-------- 1 less front line means 1 less to absorb hits

5b] Pros:
-------- Do fair at either range or melee when needed
-------- Able to be on front line when needed to absorb hits
5b] Cons:
-------- Maybe not as good as damage as archer specialist?

5c] Pros:
-------- Great damage
5c] Cons:
-------- ?

5d] Pros:
-------- Blaster is fun
-------- RotR has much magic?
5d] Cons:
-------- Squishy

Thoughts:
-She won't need as much healing as normal groups.
-To balance out her lack of experience she gets a 5th character. This should help with the action economy, damage output, and damage absorption but will slow things down.
-Do RotR parties really benefit from particular classes? (is she missing it?)

Questions:
Q1] With these general guidelines what would you pick for the 5th class and why?
Q2] If you would tweak one of the 4 other characters what would you do and why?

Thanks All!
Braxon

ElterAgo,

That was a great story! Thank you so much for sharing. Once we get this first story arch done I hope that the kids take off and build their own characters while weighing all the various pros and cons of each build.

That was very encouraging,
Braxon

I have to ask. Is it absolutely necessary to have her play 2 characters? If she's so new to the game, why double her burden? Can't you as the GM lower the risk to the party, or start them with more goodies, higher point buy, etc?

I see nothing wrong with having a party of 3. IMHO, the game will flow so much more smoothly. If the party is lacking something (disabling traps, healing, a knowledge check, etc)...introduce a friendly (or evil with a plan) NPC that can assist. Nothing permanent, mind you, just helpful for the time.

Good question. When we started out I was 100% against her playing two characters. When they 1st played Blackfang in the Beginner Box there was only a total of three characters and all went well.

... time passed...

I then started looking at their 1st mission, Crypt of the Everflame. I ran across a spot that required magic to find something and thought, well that this party can't do that. I felt like I had three choices, change the modules, change the character's abilities, or add the missing abilities in a 4th character.

For time sake, and the fact that I am new, I didn't want to change the modules. I am much more of a plan and prepare than a wing it sort of guy. Once I get good at the rules, I will feel better about winging more things. I did the next best thing, in my eyes, and added the missing abilities to their characters. To make it simple on the kids I just added to my wife's character. Now her Barbarian would now be a Barbarian/Sorcerer buffed up a bit. Off to research I went on gestalt characters. After all the research we spent a weekend creating new characters and . . . It was horrible for her. =/

... time passed ...

I decided against the gestalt as the 1st lvl 26HP Raging Barbarian gibbed every and all goblins in the Beginner Box Blackfang mission. /sigh

... time passed ...

Next up was 1 character per "simple" roll. My wife qualified for 2 characters even though I really, _really_ wanted her to play a single character so she could "be" her. I ran into some trouble on the Sorcerer build and I started these Family Time threads.

... Enter Brad McDowell ...

Great idea! She doesn't have to run the Sorcerer, I will. Well, I will for at least story arch part 1 of 3. After that it will be her or I.

I have not got the backstory done but he will be an old farmer that knows farming and common sense. Odd things happen around him over the years but it was not until his 65th birthday that he realized magic coursed though his body. He is not really a fighter, but he is willing to aid his companions via buffing spells. I have the loose idea of a buffing Fizban. (Of course if she ends up playing "him", "he" will really be a princess in hiding just playing the old forgetful man as a cover.)

My wife and I talked about it and she is good either way. Because my wife has played computer games over the years she is sometimes stuck in the computer simulation of Pathfinder. She often says things like, "Oh I didn't know I could do that". The common sense farmer will be able to take a back seat until they get stuck on a high balcony needing to get down. He will say something like, "Well, if we could only find a place to tie our rope we could climb down to the lower level." If I do it right, I should be able to gently guide the party but keep low profile enough that any wins are their own. I would normally otherwise hate running a character in a party for any length of time.

Thanks,
Braxon

I really wouldn't suggest summon monster for those still learning the game. it does really slow things down.

Thanks for the advice, no summon monster story arch 1.

Thanks!
Braxon

What? I don't approach everything a teacher...

Let me go out of order. I can't say how _strongly_ I agree! =)

Have you considered giving the 8-year old feat choices at level-up? It would impact the power, but how cool to say, "your character levels, so you can pick form these three abilities. You can always pick one of the other later, but which one seems most fun, right now?" At eight he's totally ready to make choices and see how they work out in play.

I will have to think on that. We first played the Beginner Box's mission Blackfang. Then we played it 3-4 more times to anchor the rules down. The oldest wants to play a Summoner but I don't think he is ready for that just yet although he has read all about the class.

My goal for their first story arch is to have a fun time. For right now I feel that includes fast play even though the rules are new to all of us. However it wouldn't slow things done really at all if he were to pick from the feats that are all ready in his build. Great idea, I will have to ponder on that. Maybe if he read up on all the feat choices he would qualify to pick them when he levels up. /evil grin

Thanks,
Braxon

Braxon: Do I get the idea that your wife is more of the "build me a character that does X, I want to get to the playing ASAP" type? If so, I understand. I have been there/done that before.

That is where she is right now but I see the spark for grander things later. We have played Baulder's Gate and EverQuest together so she has a good foundation and interest in RPGs.

Typically once they are hooked on gaming they develop an interest in building the character eventually. If she isn't that type, I agree with Hmm. We want to say hello to her. You should have her make an account on the forums so she can post. :) Just tell her we are pro's at taking the scariness out of the multitude of options.

I think she would also have fun talking to others about Pathfinder but I can only suggest. We are working on it. I just need to get a game going! =)

I can't speak for everyone but I can tell you that Hmm, myself and several others are parents of children that we game with. Sometimes I know it is helpful to get advice from people who have been where you are at now.

When I was much younger I listed to a lot of Anthony Robbins. One thing I remember is that success leaves clues and you could accelerate your journy by modeling others that have the success you desire. Sign me up, I will be asking many questions here! =)

Regards,
Braxon

The stat boost that Just a Mort was referring to is the one gained at every fourth level due to leveling.

Can item attribute bonuses qualify characters for a feat as long as they wear the item?

Braxon

Thanks Lune,

Your guy's suggestions are _very_ helpful.

This week has been a bit busy. We had a birthday party and our furnace went out. (same day) I figured out what was causing the furnace issue (motor capacitor) and we celebrated Minion Grace's 4th birthday.

I just found out my kids are doing Hour of Code next week so I need to get their new Arduino kits broken out so we can mess around a bit this weekend. Once that is done it is my goal to get all four characters done before Monday.

Regards,
Braxon

Question for the dad, how you compelled your lil kid to play pathfinder? I have 2 liltle sisters and im planning to teach them pathfinder in a couple of years but I cant yet figure out a way to lead them to the game

Hmm, interesting question ElementalXX. I have been blessed by being able to go to school to become an Electrical Engineer. Problem solving, thinking outside the box, and imagining new solutions to old problems are tools that help me in my chosen career and in my home life. I have many jobs as a dad and a very important one is to teach my kids to have an active imagination.

They read 20 or more minutes every day. Every night they ask us what to dream about. We tell them things like, puppy dog island, being the captain of the Jolly Roger, design a 4WD go-kart, or you are going on an adventure with a gold golem. I make a big deal out of Pathfinder being family time and I try to be a good storyteller. They eat it up. I get to spend time with them. I eat it up. Good times.

All kids are different, but my kids are really getting Pathfinder starting with 2nd grade (3rd grade math and 4th grade reading). They are able to quickly add and subtract and they have a feeling for how numbers compare to each other. (Bigbrainz rocks!) Before then help them imagine fantastical things. Find out what _they_ like and tell stores about it. Make sure they know it is all pretend, but once they do not even the sky is the limit. Many of our drives into town are in a lava submarine trying to avoid various colors of dragons.

My preschooler wants to play but she is too young to play a character, however she is a very good DM's assistant and can roll a mean d20. =) In a few more years she will be ready to go.

A fertile imagination coupled with solid math and reading skills is an amazing gift to give a child. I feel Pathfinder is a great tool to achieve that and at the same time a blast to play. If you have any further questions feel free to ask.

Regards,
Braxon,

PS. I know I talked a lot about imagination but I also use props to spark their interest. Anytime they get treasure they get to open a treasure chest and see that they got. Maybe I will create a new post about some of the props I use to get them excited about Pathfinder. /ponder

It is definitely a more pricey option but for ideas you may want to take a look into Alea Tools. If you are a handy person you could make them yourself.

Very cool Lune.

Thanks,
Braxon

Why go Sorcerer for a dedicated buff character? Bard seems like a better choice, and simpler to run in many ways to boot.

To keep things simple I felt they needed 1 of each "type" to get a feel for the game. I tried to keep classes to just core classes, but you can see how well that went. =) I don't like that Wizards and Clerics must lock in their spells each morning. I could have either house ruled that they were spontaneous casters or used Pathfinder's prebuilt spontaneous casters. In addition to that I know nothing about a Bard. Well, I guess I do know a tiny bit about the Bard in DnD 2nd Edition.

For now I think it will be good for everyone to see "basic" classes (if there is such a thing).

Regards,
Braxon

10 con is a baaaad idea for someone doing frontline work, lay hands or no.Lots of monsters like pally head trophies esp after you smite them. Some pally codes also state you have to be the first to go in, last to retreat.

Noted. I will try and find 2 points for CON.

Why not run something like this:

16 str, 14 dex, 14 con, 10 int, 10 wis, 14 cha

Use stat boosts to bump dex for twf. Combat reflexes is not so useful for her as she does not have the reach to make use of it.

The reason why I am pushing for TWF is for the fun or fluff of it not necessarily the crunch. Hmm, stat boosts? Is that like a DEX magic item or something? I am not sure what you mean.

self buff is generally divine favor. Later litany of righteousness for more smackie!

Nice. I am not sure she will be able to use Litany of Righteousness as they will probably only get to level 6 or maybe 7 before switching characters. That is another reason I am OK making them a bit more powerful as the characters won't get high enough to see their full potential.

Thanks,
Braxon

Also, if you haven't discovered it already, www.d20pfsrd.com is a great resource for seeing what all these other archetypes, classes, feats, etc are that we are mentioning. I still am a proponent of buying the books that you find a lot of these resources in, but this allows you to see what resources you want to buy the books for. It is a great business model, IMO.

I use www.d20pfsrd.com all the time. I also have many (12) hardback Pathfinder books. I think that is quite a bit considering we haven't really "played" Pathfinder much. =) The art is amazing and something is just awesome about a high quality book in one's hands to read.

Regards,
Braxon

Mellok, Deadmanwalking, Lune, and Hmm,

Well I think I will be looking into Slayer for sure. It sounds like what he is wanting to do. When I build one I look at your guy's advice and report back on what I come up with.

Thanks so much!
Braxon

Put post it notes under the figures, so that threatened areas are visible. It'll help a lot when teaching about AO's

Wow, another great idea. I was trying to thing about how to show how things change when they use Enlarge Person for their size. I was thinking of putting a 10'x10' card under them.

I like the threatened area cards too! I had not thought about that. Hmm, maybe a balsa wood outlines like these spell templates would work too. (I enjoy doing crafts with the kids too) We also go to the living room to act out actions and the kids love it. However, as of yet we don't have 5' squares on the floor. =)

Thanks,
Braxon

The defense is more offense. Bring grappled with armor spikes is just auto damage. Punish them for trying and perhaps make them think about letting go.

Ah, I see. I am learning quite a bit tonight. =)

Thanks for clearing that up,
Braxon

Two-weapon fighting with a shield is a very feat intensive build. You have made it more attractive by allowing that huge amount of smites, but it is a challenge. I have two paladins in PFS, one an Oath of Vengeance wielding a greatsword, and one is a standard paladin with sword and shield, but not two-weapon fighting. Both handle combats very competently, and I do really like both high strength and charisma on my paladins.

Thank you DesolateHarmony. I may just take her CHA down a bit and bump up her CON while seeing what I can do with her STR. /ponder

Thanks,
Braxon

A lot of people frown on calling Pathfinder characters "toons"; there's other threads that talk about it. People who ask you what it means are usually being polite about it - they likely already know.

Subculture's do's and don'ts. Interesting...

Reactionary is considered one of the best traits in the game.

Pathfinder is deep, but you'd be surprised how quickly some people can pick it up, even (and maybe especially) kids if they're digging their teeth into it. People bounce rules off each other all the time as well, augmenting everyone's system mastery. Don't be afraid to let them jump into something that seems complex if they seem to think they can handle it.

I may get only 1 shot at this so I would prefer to error on faster game play even if it ends up being a tish on the shallow side vs. deep but very slow game play. After this 1st story arch, I can direct game play faster or more intricate depending on the players preference.

Thanks,
Braxon

Silenced Adamantine Morningstar "Master Key"

THAT is amazing! haHA! The kids will love it...

Braxon

PS. I hope to foster them thinking outside the box via the parenting tool, "Pathfinder for Parents". =)

There's a lot of fun bloodlines out there. Do any of them appeal to her, flavor-wise? Given that this is your wife's alternative character, there is a very good chance that a buffer sorc will be forgotten except when needed in battle, unless you guys work together to make it memorable.

The Sorcerer may be forgotten, but then again that _may_ be OK. More below...

While most people would argue for the arcane and sylvan bloodlines as being the strongest, I kind of want to know if any appeal to your wife just for fluff's sake. Would she want the sorcerer to be sneaky -- umbral or rakshasha line? Would she want it to be a quasi-bard? Maestro. Think about what sort of personality you want for this character, and then select a fun bloodline to match.

To be honest this is the first time she will really "play" Pathfinder. The other times we have played it was just doing the Basic Set adventure a few times to get the mechanics down. Once we got rolling they all really loved it. I try and focus on the story telling and capture their imagination. (Often when we drive down the mountain to town we go through the Foggy Forest and we are always on the lookout for the Turtle Dragon.) She absolutely hates creating a character. I try and pull as much as I can and build something I think she will like. After this first story arch I think she will know about both melee and casters so it will be good in many ways. I tend to be a bit thorough. Maybe, perchance, I go a bit overboard from time to time. It has been 2 months since we wanted to start this story arch. (Pathfinder is not my 1st priority however, so it gets back seated often.) I still need to get familiar with the first module too. /sigh

There is an excellent guide to sorcerer bloodlines called Magic in the Blood that reviews all the bloodlines out there.

Great I will read it.

While I like touch of rage from the Orc bloodline, she could instead take Flagbearer feat from Inner Sea World Guide -- it's an always on bless that is a plus to damage and attack for the entire party. Sure, it requires holding a silly flag in one hand... But she would still be able to cast spells.

She played a Barb a bit and loved it so she might like the Rage spell. I will see which one floats her boat. Once I narrow the 1,000,000 choices she will make the call, and it will probably be on fluff! =)

I play a buffer / battlefield control sorcerer, and agree with most of DaG8Keepah's list of spells for first level. Although there are a few spells outside the core list that might be worth looking at, those are excellent choices. Try to aim for spells that go for different saves. So if you have grease (dex save) also go for silent image or color spray (will saves.)

I would go for either Sleep or Color Spray at first level, and plan on trading it out at level 4. Both spells lose potency after 1st level.

I will take a look!

I also suggest that your wife play a human, half-orc or half-elf for the human favored class bonus of more spells known as a sorcerer. The best thing you can do for a...

More known spells are great, thanks for the advice.

Thanks,
Braxon

Buffing..get her a half elf sorcerer with the orc bloodline.

Touch of Rage (Sp): At 1st level, you can touch a creature as a standard action, giving it a morale bonus on attack rolls, damage rolls, and Will saving throws equal to 1/2 your sorcerer level (minimum 1) for 1 round. You can use this ability a number of times per day equal to 3 + your Charisma modifier.

For lvs 1-4, put fcb into elf favored class for more uses of that goodness. Will make all melee dudes drool. After lv 4 then put fcb bonus into spells known (before lv 4 all you get are cantrips). If possible get all melees to take opportunistic gambler trait so the buff lasts 1d4 rounds instead.

Man Just a Mort, good stuff again! Barbarian Rage without the fatigue taht you can cast on others! NICE. Bummer it is only 1 round, but then again I could see if I can fit in Opportunistic Gambler for the win.

I see the Rogue being out of touch range often. Is there any way to turn touch spells into range spells in Pathfinder?

buff spells: enlarge person, bulls strength (before they get their str belts), haste.

fun spells: glitterdust. Oooh that guy is blind and denied dex. Sneak attack fodder for the rogue!

I have heard of Glitterdust, that sound like very nice for the Rogue.

sorcerers are also good intimidators so she can make monsters shaken by Intimidating them.

Oh, what to do when not casting spells. That sounds better than my Pally spending a round Antagonizing instead of swinging a sword/shield. More research for me. =)

I am feeling much less intimidated with the Sorcerer build. Thanks so much guys!

Nice Stuff,
Braxon

IMO summon monster is sort of okayish, but not an automatic choice as you need to take the newer versions to keep up, and sorcerers don't get all that many spells known. The low duration makes it unappealing on low levels. I'd leave it to classes that don't have to expend precious spell slots on it, to be honest. Now, Planar Binding, when you get it, is quite interesting... although these are more ritual allies and less disposable minions (though a part of me thinks this could be better from an educational standpoint).I'd say pick up one or two Summon Monsters spells or emulate them with Shadow Conjuration when you get the right level, unless you really want to go into that schtick.

Check. She will probably keep away from Summon Monster for now. Much of what you just said was also over my head (I could always do more research). =)

Generally I'd agree with Da G8keepah's spell ideas on level one, though I'd think about putting at least one damage spell if she doesn't get something from her bloodline when the enemies are resistant to control. Plinking at skeletons with a light crossbow because none of your spells do anything to them is not so fun. Enlarge is an awesome buff and I'd even suggest taking it at level 1, 2 at the latest if you don't get it via the bloodline. The LoL fan in me insists I ask that she shout "Biggify!" or "Tremendo!" when casting it and point at the object, fun will be had :)

I will have to tell her and the Oracle about "Biggify!" and "Tremendo!". That is just too fun of a mental picture! =)

Thanks,
Braxon

The dexterity can come down a lot if she switches to a 2H build. If she insists on TWF, she should probably be willing to lower her Cha a bit for extra Str and/or Con.

I think she is interested in TWF. It seems the lower CON could be problematic, but I am not sure I could find points for both STR and CON. For her build she wants to make sure her DMG < kids DMG.

With the way she is statted right now, the attribute increases at lvl 4 and 8 are poorly planned. It would take two increases to give a +1 modifier to any particular stat. She should stick with one ability (probably Str, even with TWF)

I agree but she needs to hit DEX 17 at lvl 4 so she can qualify for ITWF at lvl 7. If she waited to lvl 8 she wouldn't have the problem but I don't think they will get quite that high before "this" story is done and they move on to new 1st lvl characters.

Good Stuff,
Braxon

Take the swashbuckler rogue archetype. Proficiency with one 'martial' weapon (orc double axe) at level 1 and you can take combat trick twice.

I don't know anything about the Swashbuckler archetype. I will look into that.

Thanks,
Braxon

PS. I am going to have to make myself a list of Action Items. =p

http://paizo.com/paizo/faq/v5748nruor1fn#v5748eaic9qhd

Drawing a spare weapon from her belt is still a move action. Wouldnt slow her down any. Just as long as she's savy enough to keep a spare weapon attached to her belt. ( Who doesn't anyway?)

The funny thing will be when she gets disarmed and fly's 10' away. I don't think she has thought about what that will be like in combat.

When we gear up she will have a spare weapons, but I bet it will be put in her pack for the first time. They (and me too) are very, very green. They attacked with their weapons but forgot to pull them out while walking to the big bad cave. The next time we played they did it again (same cave). haHA! =)

First level feat should be combat reflexes to fish for aoos. Weapon mastery can come later. Armor spikes let her threaten at both 5 and 10 ft. I personally don't like dump stats, so would run the following stat array : Str 16, dex 14, con 14, int 10, wis 10, cha 14. Having a low will save at high levels is just asking for trouble.

I like the idea of Combat Reflexes 1st to get more AoO and Armor Spikes. In many ways I don't like dump stats so I will take a look at your Attribute values. If she is just buffing, then she may not need as high as a CHA bonus (someone said something like that).

Would actually choose maneuver mastery trip at lv 7 over resilency and weapon mastery, then use superior reach to create a trip barrier against all who threaten the party in melee.

Again, thanks. I didn't really know what Revelations to pick. She may like to be able to trip. I think it could work well a Combat Reflexive Rogue and a Combat Reflexive Pally.

Thanks,
Braxon

Armor spikes> spiked gauntlet

mostly because armor spikes add defense/offense to a grapple on top of not being disarmed.

I just looked up Armor Spikes. They seem quite cool. I like that she will be able to threaten at 5' too.

How do they add defense to a grapple? I might be missing something.

Thanks,
Braxon

... <neat stuff> ...

Wow, nice. Lots of neat stuff I will have to take some time and digest it all. That will give me a good place to start.

Thanks so much,
Braxon

If your wife's goal with her Paladin is more to protect the other characters than to directly defeat the enemy, it might be worth looking into a Sacred Shield Paladin with the Bodyguard feat. You won't have to worry about writing homebrew aggro mechanics because she'll be able to keep the team safe from any enemy that attacks them instead of her. If she does go for Bodyguard, consider Helpful, or another trait that boosts the effectiveness of Aid Another and possibly even Benevolent armour.

ZanThrax,

Thanks!
Braxon