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So I'm playing in a Hell's Vengeance game sometime in the near-ish future. Usually when making a character, I pick a class, make the most optimized build for that class in whatever particular campaign I'm playing, and then make up RP elements from there. For a change of pace this time, I'm trying to do it in the opposite order and could use some help. Since Cheliax has always had an Italian vibe to me, and since I like old mob movies, I want to make a wise-guy PC named Furio Serafini. So far on my build, I'm going with a Scout Knife Master UC Rogue who uses dual balisongs with spring-loaded wrist sheathes in order to get a ridiculously high sleight of hand check to conceal weapons, giving him the visage of a legitimate businessman who definitely isn't armed... that's for sure. Beyond that, I don't really have any thematic ideas and could use some help with turning RP into mechanics. I'm open to changing any of the ideas I've already put down, that's just what I've got thus far.

So I'm thinking about building an assassin-themed character for a Hell's Vengeance campaign, and in fleshing out the details of the build, I like some of the thematic effects but am curious about a few of the mechanical benefits. I'm thinking about making the build as a Scout Knife Master UC Rogue, with the focus being on attacking from above (DFA) and concealing weapons (currently thinking about doing TWF balisongs). My question is, while I get that concealing a weapon is just a sleight of hand check, and that it's good for niche cases where you need to go somewhere and appear unarmed (a fancy party or something), but does it have any other mechanical benefits? Can I use it to initiate a sneak attack or something? As far as action economy goes, I imagine I would use a swift action to release one knife from a spring loaded wrist sheath, a free action to open the butterfly knife, and then move/attack, doing the same thing on my follow-up round in order to draw the second knife.

So I'm running Strange Aeons for my group as my first full AP as a DM. We initially started running this as the books were being released, but had to stop with ~one session left in book 1 due to time constraints. Now that we're resuming (should be finishing book 1 tonight) I've spent some time reading outside material, both Lovecraftian and other horror material, in preparation. I've found that while this AP is definitely geared towards eldritch horror and is generally written very well, the Pathfinder system seems to be the major limit on how spooky this adventure is able to be, particularly in regards to my group as we tend to goof off during sessions. The limitation I'm referring to is in Pathfinder's (and most pen/papers in general) focus on combat when it comes to mechanics. While this is great for most uses of the game, I've mostly been of the opinion that the more you're able to fight and understand a thing, the less unnerving or scary that thing is. While I could just use that reasoning to through in some super high CR encounters that the PCs are supposed to run away from (Bokrug's encounter, basically), that's really best done as a one-off and not a recurring theme, otherwise the group gets into the groove of, "Oh, we know that it's a high CR monster and we can't kill it, guess it's time to run again" which is more frustrating than scary. So to get around this, I'm trying to come up with some ideas for what I could do to really add some horror elements to the AP and would appreciate any help with that, the more immersive the better.

So far, my main idea is to add a few SCP entries since my group is already familiar with the concept of SCPs (though not necessarily the specific instances that I'm adding) and they're already pretty well written. The way I plan on using any of the SCPs will be in keeping the theme of their concept, so they won't follow the rules of the game, they will almost entirely have nothing to do with combat, and the PCs should never fully understand them, since lacking understanding is one of the biggest reasons that they're spooky. The two SCPs I currently have in mind are:

SCP-087: Can be used to keep players out of areas where they aren't supposed to go (or where they're not yet ready to go). I'm planning on playing it out pretty similar to the tests described in the SCP entry, having any illumination show only 9 steps in either direction, having the child-like whimpering and pleading start to be noticeable after the 27th step, and (should they continue) have the face appear after the 50th flight of stairs. If they reach that, I'll have them make a will save to avoid getting a lesser madness, compel them to run back up the stairs regardless of the save, and have them become exhausted for the rest of the day.

SCP-1879: We have a recurring theme in some of our games with one or two characters that are sometimes found in town selling magical items (these characters are genie-binders in our games) but the items are generally cursed (the DM just rolls a random curse). This SCP fits well with that theme and I'm thinking of having him (naming him Ahgi by the way) randomly appear in a closet or behind some other door ~once per book. He'll initially offer a player something moderately valuable (nothing game-breaking of course) and for a decently low (preferably comical) price, so that the players are compelled to trust him. After one or two of these transactions, the price of whatever item or service he offers will increase oddly, trading them for "just their soul". If they accept, that player will lose all skill ranks in Perform skills, or if they have none, will never be able to put ranks in those skills (we don't have a Bard so it's fine). Eventually the price will reach a point that they can't possibly accept it, so after declining him 2-3 times, Ahgi will inflict some terrible affliction upon the declining character, starting them on a side quest to cure what ails them. Closing the door on Ahgi will cause him to disappear from whatever closet or small room he was in, but if the deal wasn't completed, he'll reappear somewhere nearby soon after.

Anyone have any other ideas that might work well to bump up the spookiness.

So I'm going to be playing in a Hell's Vengeance campaign in a few months, and my DM has agreed to work with me on homebrewing a class. He would prefer if it was just an archetype to make things simpler, but for what I want to do, I don't know if it would be simpler to do that, or just create a class based loosely on a few currently existing classes.

So what do I want? Well it's Hell's Vengeance, so naturally... I want to play Dio Brando (part 3's Dio, specifically). Now obviously playing a full-powered Dio would be mind-numbingly OP. But so long as I can still convey the essence of Dio's character, along with the concept of a Stand, I'll be happy getting as close as possible while maintaining relative balance. I know many people will say that a Stand is similar to a Spiritualist's Phantom or a Summoner's Eidolon, but there are significant enough differences that I'm not really happy just re-flavoring either of those classes or making small changes to them. To that end, I tried my best to create what I think is a relatively balanced (though I just made it ~2 hours ago and haven't tested it) class feature that I believe best represents a Stand. Taking that, I then added and edited several class features from other classes (mostly Monk) in a way that I think does a halfway decent job, but that's for you to decide. So I'd greatly appreciate any comments or suggestions regarding balance, concept, or other alterations I should make, as this is my first attempt at homebrew.

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BAB: Full

HD: d8

Saves: Bad/Good/Good

Skills: 2 + INT - Acrobatics, Bluff, Craft, Diplomacy, Escape Artist, Fly, Intimidate, Kn. Arcana, Kn. History, Kn. Nobility, Kn. Religion, Perception, Profession, Sleight of Hand, Stealth, Survival

Spellcasting: None

Class Features:
Armor Proficiency:
The Stand Master is not proficient with any armor or shields.

Weapon Proficiency:
The Stand Master is proficient with all Simple Weapons

Stand (SU):
A Stand Master begins play with the ability to summon a Stand, a supernatural being which serves the Stand Master, and acts as an extension of him. Summoning the Stand is a swift action which does not provoke an attack of opportunity and requires
no effort on the part of the Stand Master though he must be conscious to do so. The Stand may be summoned in any square within 5 feet of the Stand Master so long as that square is unoccupied, though the Stand may be summoned in the Stand Master's
own square. Once summoned, a Stand lasts until the end of the Stand Master's turn. Though a Stand manifests corporeally, it is not its own creature and is in all ways an extension of its master. The Stand may be targeted while it is summoned, and any
attacks or effects which target the Stand resolve as though they targeted the Stand Master, meaning all damage, healing, or other effects which target the Stand affect the Stand Master instead. A Stand Master may take any action with a Stand that he would normally
be able to take himself, using the same action resource and time. A Stand Master who uses a Stand to attack may do so as many times as the Stand Master himself is able to attack, using the same action resources and time (EX: At 6th level with a BAB of +6/+1, a
Stand Master can make the first attack himself at a +6 and a second attack with his Stand at a +1, or any similar combination. Each stand has its own weapon, and may only use that weapon for any combat purposes. Effects which increase or decrease the Stand Master's attack, damage, or combat maneuver rolls also increase those rolls for the Stand, so long as the Stand can use them (EX: a Stand with Unarmed Strikes as its weapon would not benefit from the Stand Master having Weapon Focus (Dagger) because it can only use Unarmed Strikes, but it would benefit from the Stand Master being affected by Haste or having Improved Unarmed Strike).

At 6th level, the Stand can be summoned in any square up to 10 feet from the Stand Master so long as the square in which it is summoned is unoccupied.

At 10th level, the Stand Master may choose to let the Stand stay summoned until the beginning of his next turn.

At 12th level, the Stand Master may summon his Stand as a free action on his turn, instead of a swift action.

At 3rd level, the Stand's attacks are treated as magic weapons for the purpose of overcoming DR and affecting incorporeal creatures.

At 6th level, the Stand's attacks are treated as cold iron and silver for the purpose of overcoming DR.

At 9th level, the Stand's attacks are treated as having the same alignment as the Standmaster for the purpose of overcoming DR.

At 15th level, the Stand's attacks are treated as adamantine for the purpose of overcoming DR and bypassing hardness.

The Stand Master's Stand is selected when he begins play and cannot be changed at any point after.

Cult of Personality:
The Stand Master's sense of self-confidence and charming personality cause his enemies to question their every attack. When unarmored and unencumbered, the Stand Master adds his CHA bonus to his AC and his CMD. In addition, the Stand Master gains a +1 to AC and CMD
at 4th level. This bonus increases by 1 for every four Stand Master levels thereafter, up to a maximum of +5 at 20th level.

These bonuses to AC apply even against touch attacks or when the Stand Master is flat-footed. He loses these bonuses when he is immobilized or helpless, when he wears any armor, when he carries a shield, or when he carries a medium or heavy load.

Unarmed Strike:
At 1st level, the Stand Master gains Improved Unarmed Strike as a bonus feat. The Stand Master may make Unarmed Strikes with his hands full, and applies his full strength bonus to his attacks. Additionally, the Stand Master does increased damage with his
Unarmed Strikes, treating his damage dice as that of a Monk two levels lower (minimum 1d6).

Bonus Feat:
At 2nd level, and every 4 levels thereafter, the Stand Master may select a bonus feat. He must meet all prerequisites, however he may treat as class levels as Monk levels for the purpose of meeting bonus feat prerequisites.

Stand Pool:
At 3rd level, the Stand Master gains access to a pool of points equal to his CHA mod + his Stand Master level. Once per round, the Stand Master may use a Stand Point to activate his Stand's Stand Power, or another ability which uses Stand Points. Upon reducing
an enemy to less than 0 HP, the Stand Master regains one Stand Point, though such an enemy must be no lower than the Stand Master's level - 2. The Stand Pool is replenished following 8 hours of rest, though the hours need not be consecutive.

Weapon Training:
At 5th level, the Stand Master can select one weapon type (EX: daggers, unarmed strikes, star knives, etc.). He receives a +1 bonus on attack and damage rolls when using that weapon. This bonus increases by +1 for every 5 Stand Master levels after the 5th. This feature is treated as the Fighter's ability of the same name for the purpose of meeting feat prerequisites and other effects which involve Weapon Training.

Available Stands:
Za Warudo:
Stand Power - Toki yo Tomare!:
At 3rd level, a Stand Master may spend one Stand Point to make an extra attack at his full BAB as part of a full-attack action, either with his own attack or through his Stand.

At 12th level, a Stand Master adds a second extra attack at his full BAB - 5 in addition to the first when he activates this ability.

Stand Weapon - Unarmed Strikes

So my group just finished book 5 of Legacy of Fire last night and our DM is allowing us to spend some time in the City of Brass in order to spend the gold that we've been amassing since module 4 (it's been two modules since we've had any opportunity to spend any money). While I know that Kineticists don't have many items that they really need, I'd hate to just let the money sit and do nothing.

Current gear:

• Headband of Mental Prowess +2
• Amulet of Elemental Strife
• Cloak of Resist +1
• Mithral Chain Shirt +2
• Healer's Gloves
• Ring of Protection +2
• Ring of Chameleon Power
• Belt of Mighty CON +2
• Handy Haversack with miscellaneous adventuring gear

Items I want to buy/craft:

• Boots of Speed (craft)
• Regular Kineticist's Diadem (craft)
• Upgrade belt to +4
• Upgrade cloak to +2

With a base gold total of 64,167 and after factoring in crafting the boots and diadem (the DM decided that's all I would have time to craft), purchasing the items listed just above would leave me with 13,167 gold. After then selling the items that get replaced, I would have 20,667, still a considerable amount. So are there any essential items I'm missing? The only other things I can think of are upgrading my chain shirt or going all out and getting a belt of CON +6 instead of +4.

So in the aftermath of the protests (both peaceful and otherwise) at UC Berkeley over Milo Yiannopoulos' planned speech as part of his US college speaking tour, I wanted to get the opinion of the OTD forum users in regards to this story, as well as the overall topic of protests pertaining to speaking on public college campuses. For me, it's a tricky issue that pulls me in multiple directions. For starters, I'm a staunch supporter of allowing for competing (often ridiculous) ideas to have their chances at being presented so that not only can people make decisions for themselves, but also so that they can learn from being exposed to both good and bad ideas. On another hand, while free speech generally protects you from the government punishing you for trying to publicly promote your ideas, I'm not sure that it necessarily extends to guaranteeing your use of public facilities to do so (I say I'm not sure because I don't know if that's ever legally been decided before, and being sick makes lots of online research a somewhat undesirable prospect at the moment). So I can both see and not see why the protesters feel the need to oppose speakers like Yiannopoulos and Shapiro (who was probably the biggest individual disappointment of 2016 for me) to the point of wanting them to (most commonly) banned from holding campus-hosted speeches. When in doubt, I tend to lean towards the "let them do it" side, so that's where I'm currently at on this issue. Thoughts?

So I'm working on build #17245896 and I wanted to make one that focuses on grappling. I've never really used grappling before (not on purpose, my characters just never tend to be geared towards it) and while going over some ideas, I've thought about altering the build and would like some input. So the build is currently looking like it'll be MoMS Monk 1/Strangler Brawler X, with my two style feat chains being Grabbing and Snapping Turtle (the reasoning being that it would allow me to have some variety, being a threat through the SA damage from grappling, and giving me increased grapple mobility to make it easier to throw people into Wizard-generated pits or whatever). I was noticing though, that the Shield Champion archetype is compatible with the Strangler. So beyond the obvious question of "Does anyone have any grapple-related suggestions to make me more dangerous?", would it be worth it to sacrifice my CMB bonus from Maneuver Training in favor of having a little more versatility and AC through Shield Champion, or should I just try to get that elsewhere?

...and why is it Charisma? I know that most people go to CHA when they need a dump stat, but to me it will always be (for weak and entirely opinion-based reasons) my favorite stat in the game. You can use it with so many different things and it's an integral part of what is probably the most GM-discretionary aspect of the game: Diplomacy/Intimidate/Bluff checks.

As some famous guy probably said one time, "the best fight is one you can avoid". While there is more than one way to avoid a fight in PF, I find none to be quite as satisfying as talking your way around an entire encounter, defeating a whole group of bandits wielding nothing but a silver tongue (and dashing good looks). Adding on to that is its malleability, being able to be used in place of other stats for knowledge checks (Lore Oracles or Bards), AC (Lore Oracles again), saves (a bunch of classes), and even to-hit/to-damage (Desna's Shooting Star feat), among a host of other crap.

tl;dr: CHA > INT = DEX > CON > WIS > STR

So I've never really dabbled in any of the shape-shifting areas of Pathfinder and have mostly just played humanoid martials and one Kineticist, however I've always like how the dragons (aspects and lesser) were portrayed in WoW. After looking briefly looking at the Druid and sadly noting that Wild Shape only allows for Animal-type forms (which I don't think dragons fit into), I'm curious. Are there any classes/archetypes/feats that consistently allow a PC to take a dragon's form (yes I'm aware of the Form of the Dragon 1/2/3 spells) BEFORE entering the mid-late part of a standard AP (level 7+)?

Questions That Don't Deserve Their Own Thread

I haven't seen a thread for this, so I figured I would start my own. Ask advice-related questions here that are maybe too short or simple to really require their own thread. I'll start:

I'm wanting to do the typical weeb build and make a character from Ruroni Kenshin (it'll be one of the following four: Kenshin, Hiko, Sojiro, or Hajime Saito). Since katana use + Slashing Grace is a feat-intensive path, would it be better to take one level in Kensai for the free proficiency + Weapon Focus, which would allow me to have Slashing Grace at level 1 (as a human with the bonus feat for Finesse) before going into whatever my main class ends up being (which is a separate question since there are a lot of "meh" choices but not a lot of great ones)?

So I'm trying to make a Samurai-themed character (almost certainly going to be based off of one of three characters from Ruroni Kenshin: Kenshin, Hiko Seijiro, or Sojiro Seta). In looking through class options to see what would be best, both in theme and in mechanics, I started reading a bit more into Vigilantes (particularly looking at the Serial Killer archetype for a Kenshin vs. Battosai dual personality type of thing) and noticed that there doesn't seem to be any built-in repercussion for having your identities exposed as belonging to the same person. So as a hypothetical, if I used my Kenshin/Battosai example with Kenshin being the social identity and Battosai being the vigilante identity, would there be any inherent mechanical punishments? Obviously that would have some RP impact, subject to the DM's whims, but would it do anything mechanically? Also as a side request, any ideas on making one of the three character concepts I mentioned would be greatly appreciated. Currently I'm liking Swashbuckler, but I'm open to suggestions.

So I'm wanting to make Revolver Ocelot for a campaign (don't know which campaign yet, but most of my group's campaigns use the same rules regarding firearms so it should be fine) and in making the build I have a few ideas and I wanted to get some input on them. Obviously the first build that comes to mind is a full-on Gunslinger. While I like the Gunslinger (and will probably take a one-level dip in it no matter what), I can't help but think that there are better (maybe less accurate RP-wise) choices. Because of how expensive revolvers are to fire (metal cartridges cost 15 gp a piece) I'm almost certainly going to need a wand of Abundant Ammunition (unless there's a better way to get continuous ammo) which in the early game will mean that I probably want to take the Rich Parents trait in order to buy one right off the bat. Why get it at level 1, you ask? Well assuming I'm not misreading anything, if I took a level of Battle Host Occultist, I would be able to choose a weapon (with no written restrictions that I can find) and be given a Masterwork version of it for free when I begin play. That means I can have a 4300 gp masterwork revolver starting at level one, with enough ammo to actually use it (Abundant Ammunition wand), and have the ability to buff it through taking the Transmutation school at 1st level. What I'm having trouble with is figuring out the order of things. I'll most likely want to take a level dip in Gunslinger for the free proficiency, Deeds, and Gunsmithing, but when should I do it? If I do that at level 1 and then go Battle Host at level 2, would I get the free gun from Gunslinger AND the free gun from Battle Host, or would I only get one of those? Also, what would be a strong progression after those first couple of levels?

So I'm currently playing in a group that's near the end of module 2 of Carrion Crown (no spoilers in this thread), but unfortunately my Cleric RIP'd in our last session. Due to the enormous cost of reviving the character and removing the negative levels, and given that we are only level 6 (about to be 7) and without a huge amount of spare gold, I've decided to make a new character. With the party being a Paladin, a Spellslinger Wizard, an Investigator, and an occasional Amnesiac Psychic (he has to miss sessions on fairly regular occasion), I was thinking about making a Transmutation/Evocation Battlehost Occultist (current build can be found HERE), that would take Conjuration as my 3rd implement at level 10 so that I could pick up the Cure (X) spells. Are there any issues or shortcomings with my build, or any suggestions for a better choice with this party comp? As much as it would probably be useful, I don't want to play a dedicated healer, and I'm saving my Bard for a different campaign.

So I'm going to be playing Hell's Vengeance with my group some time in the not-so-distant future, and since this is an evil campaign, my DM is a little more open to us going full on goof-troop with our builds, so I'm trying my hand at a Synthesist Summoner. Now I'm aware of the imbalances present with the archetype (I've never seen a Summoner in action, let alone a Synthesist, but having gone through my build so far it's easy to see) but I'm a fan of min-maxing both in RP and mechanics so it seems like a perfect fit. I have my current build HERE (forgive the mess of a character sheet, I'm using one of my templates that's currently a work in progress). The only hard restriction is that each of us is only allowed to use one splat book in addition to the major hardcovers (anything with "Ultimate" in the title, CRB, anything with "Advanced" in the title, etc.). I haven't chosen mine at the moment so I'm open to suggestions on that. My overall plan is to dip into one level of Unchained Monk (Unchained isn't considered a splat book for us) at level 2 for the free Improved Unarmed Strike, increased Unarmed Strike damage, AC boost, free feat, and of course for FoB. Since I'm starting with 4 claws (can only make 3 claw attacks at the start, but that'll increase with levels) and since I'm getting the dip into Monk, I'm thinking about picking up a Flaming AoMF relatively early (it helps that I don't need to spend much on gear early on) since I'll have 5 attacks during a full attack (1 unarmed + 1 from FOB + 3 claws) and Flaming will apply to them all, giving me a potential +5d6 of damage on top of my already considerable 2d6 + 3d4 + (STR * 5) potential damage at whatever level I'm able to get the amulet). Beyond that, I haven't really decided on anything else that I want to do with the build and would love some suggestions. Overall I'm going for getting the biggest damage numbers I can get, but I'm open to cool mechanical tricks as well. Thanks!

So I'm currently playing in a Carrion Crown campaign (no spoilers in this thread) as a Cleric of Sarenrae and for a variety of irrelevant reasons, I've been given permission by the DM to majorly revamp my character for significantly reduced retraining costs/time. My goal is to create a CHA-centric Cleric (still worshiping Sarenrae, but also throwing Desna in there for soon-to-be obvious reasons) that acts as a competent fighter, decently strong healer, and party face (which has already been pretty decently established, I just need the skills to back it up). What I've built HERE is a level 7 version of what I believe to be a decent, working build (we're currently level 5, and the retraining will happen between modules 2 and 3, so level 7). Given the intricacies of the build though, I'd appreciate some general input regarding what people think I've done well/poorly, since I have plenty of time to make changes. Don't mind the messy look of the document, I'm currently trying to build my own character sheet by Frankensteining a few templates from other people (appropriate credit given at the bottom right of the Stats page) together, along with a bunch of macros and custom functions that I wrote.

Some build info:
- Each person in the party is limited to one splatbook in addition to all of the PRG books (mine is Divine Anthology for Desna's Shooting Star)
- CHA to hit and damage is coming from using a starknife with Desna's Shooting Star
- CHA to AC and Reflex is coming from the one level dip in Lore Oracle
- 15-point buy
- Using the Background Skills rules
- Sun and Good domains (Sun for those sweet anti-undead spells and the bonus to channel energy damage, and good for Touch of Good and the ability to add Holy to weapons)
- Party consists of: Paladin, Amnesiac Psychic, Investigator, Spellslinger Wizard, and me

Thanks in advance for any helpful ideas. Just let me know if you have any questions about the build or how my character sheet is getting its values.

I run into this a lot, not just here but also in my Pathfinder group. What are some of your favorite things in Pathfinder that most other people seem to not like (class, race, mechanic, rule, etc.)?

For me, it's the Kineticist. Obviously not everyone hates the Kineticist, but I do see a lot of moaning and groaning from people here and one or two in my group about the class being underwhelming, too complicated, or any other number of things. Being that it's currently my favorite class that I'm playing/have recently played, I don't really get that. They have at least decent utility depending on their chosen element, great mobility (they can fly indefinitely starting at level 6 as an aerokineticist!), and despite popular opinion have respectable (and most importantly, consistent) damage output. Oh yeah, and they have some pretty sick RP and fluff potential (don't mind me, I'm just over here altering gravity or throwing lighting at that guy AT WILL).

So I'm going to be playing in a Hell's Vengeance campaign and am thinking about rolling a Mindblade Magus, both for thematic and cool mechanics reasons. The trouble I'm trying to help lessen is probably the biggest problem inherent with the archetype, the +10 defensive casting DC bump from casting spells as psychic spells. I have a high INT (we're doing a 15-point buy and I'm human, so it's an 18 total) and I took Combat Casting with my level 1 feat, but even with that factored in, I would have to roll an 18 just to defensively cast 1st-level spells at level 1. That's clearly not a good thing for me and while I know that's built in to the archetype to keep it from being even more ridiculous than it already is, I'm wondering if there are any other good ways to mitigate this issue, particularly at early levels so I can avoid having to Spellstrike + 5-foot step every time to avoid defensive casting.

Edit: I also forgot to mention that I took Magical Lineage - Shocking Grasp as my non-campaign trait, so I can use the Intuitive Spell Metamagic to ignore the thought component for specifically that spell, but none of my others can get that for (almost) free.

So when the PCs enter the House of Night, the house is listed as being in pitch black darkness, both in flavor text and mechanically. My question is (as a first-time GM) with the party having only one member with Dark Vision and no magical or other external source of light that I know of, how mechanically is their traversal through the house going to go? Are the non-Dark Vision PCs blind for all intents and purposes, suffering massive penalties on perception, attack, and AC? Bear in mind, my players are basically Kuthites IRL and when I asked them if they wanted the opportunity for hand-waving to exist, they told me that whatever happens happens, and they are perfectly accepting (for now) of the chance that they could wipe and have a really hard time in what should be a 2-3 session module.

So I'm a relative novice to Pathfinder and similar RPGs. I just finished my first AP (Council of Thieves) last night and am currently about halfway through a Legacy of Fire campaign. I am a fairly big Lovecraft fan and am therefore VERY excited for Strange Aeons, so I thought that it would be a great way to introduce myself to DMing my first AP. Since it is still 3-4 months away, I wanted to run a standalone module or two with the players I'll have for SA so that I could get some DM experience in a more relaxed setting before doing the full-blown thing. *Possible spoilers ahead*

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With the description of Strange Aeons that we've received so far focusing a good amount on the PCs experiencing amnesia, I had a thought. What if I ran a module where the players play the characters they plan on playing in Strange Aeons (possibly at a mid-high level) and then at the beginning of Strange Aeons, revert them back to 1st level due to the loss of their memory? If I did this, what would be a good module for me to run, thematically and mechanically? A few possible issues I foresee are: we don't know much about the amnesia afflicting the players so I'm not sure how well my plan would interact with that, I don't know whether to have the players create backstories for their characters or not, if it's only short-term amnesia would my level 1 reversion make sense and would the players all already knowing each other work? If this all ends up not working, I suppose I could have the party from this stand-alone module be a group that the SA party comes across, maybe alive or dead in the asylum or as kidnap victims in module 2?

Thanks in advance, all help is appreciated!