Pathfinder does have a guide. Check out the Strategy Guide. Despite being horably mis-named, it is pretty much exactly what you are asking for.
it gives step-by-step instructions on character creation and advice on skill / feat choices. It also walks you through all the rest of the rules you need.
The beginner's Box is awesome, but it uses a watered down version of the rules. The Strat Guide uses the core rules.
It only uses the core rules, however, so there is still more to learn, but it gives you a pretty good base knowledge.
I let my players choose and run their cohorts with the understanding that I get veto on any choices.
As for controlling them, I treat them the same way I treat animal companions / familiars / etc. The player controls them until I do.
In a lot of ways, this simplification of language is in the same category as not having different coinages for every nation. It's a simplification put into the world to ease game play.
But it's also not that unreasonable a simplification (in either case).
For most of the history of the world, every country used its own coinage, but people would cheerfully accept almost everything, based largely on its weight (and purity, as far as it could be assessed). A silver coin was a silver coin, and a big silver coin was worth more than a small silver coin. (And that iconic image of a pirate biting a coin? Yeah, gold (and silver) are both really soft; if you can't dent a "gold" coin with your teeth, it's probably fake. Cheaper and easier than using the aqua regia test on it like a real alchemist would.) Even today, there are lots of spots where i've been able to pay for something that I wanted with a mixed handful of US dollars, British pounds, and Euro's -- basically, the shrapnel at the bottom of my pockets after a long trip.
I see the universal coinage as being a result of the Church of Abadar's influence. Having a god whose churches are also banks goes a long way to the standardization of monetary systems.
We should also note that we know less about Garund than a quick glance at the Inner Sea map would lead you to believe. I read somewhere that the Golarion equivalent of the Tropic of Cancer passes through the Mana Wastes near the southern end of the map. In the real world, the Tropic of Cancer passes through the Sahara Desert slightly north of its center. So, either Garund is positioned further north than real world Africa or it is noticeably bigger. If the latter is true, then there is a LOT of unexplored territory off the south end of the Inner Sea map.
Looking at the world map, it seems that the portion of Garund shown on the Inner Sea map is about 1/4th of the continent.
You were trained in a now-defunct philosophical tradition—such as that of the now-destroyed magic universities or astrologers—and learned to use logic and reason to persuade others.
Benefit(s): You can use your Intelligence modifier in place of your Charisma modifier on Diplomacy checks to persuade others and on Bluff checks to convince others that a lie is true. (This trait does not affect Diplomacy checks to gather information or Bluff checks to feint in combat).
Also, the final Season 5 Scenario (S5-99 The Paths We Choose), actually deals with PC's belonging to the old factions going on a short mission and joining the new faction.
Wolfen are fairly easy. Increased strength and Con, lower charisma due to their natural superiority complex. Toss in scent and a 1d4 bite, and you're done. As for warlocks, either fire/air/water/earth sorcerers, or specialty wizards with a bonus to diplomacy rolls vs elementals of their type. If you want more direct, go with a 1 PD summoning/planar ally ritual that happens around 8th level to conjure up a medium size elemental, then increase the size by one every two levels thereafter.
the problem comes from their size. Making them large causes all kinds of problems as a PC race. The Psionics Book over at DSP has the half Giant trait "Powerful Build" which seems to solve those issues, but I have no idea how many racial points it should cost.
In the distant past, an epic battle between god-like beings took place on these plains. The energies used during this conflict fused everything in the area into green tinted glass. Communities of glass miners dot the borders of the plains, eking out a living harvesting the glass for export to foreign lands. The miners must contend with the Guardian of the Plains. The only "survivor" of the battle, a colossal dragon turned to glass. He wanders the wasteland, his every moment agony, as his joints shatter with every movement only to instantly heal solid.
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Would the Cornugon Smash and Hurtful feats stack?
Both feats from the D20PFSRD:
Cornugon Smash (Combat)
Prerequisites: Power Attack, Intimidate 6 ranks.
Benefit: When you damage an opponent with a Power Attack, you may make an immediate Intimidate check as a free action to attempt to demoralize your opponent.
Hurtful (Combat)
Prerequisite(s): Str 13, Power Attack.
Benefit(s): When you successfully demoralize an opponent within your melee reach with an Intimidate check, you can make a single melee attack against that creature as a swift action. If your attack fails to damage the target, its shaken condition from being demoralized immediately ends.
Looks to me like;
Standard action - Successful attack with PA, which gives me;
Free action - CS for demoralize is successful which allows;
Swift action - Hurtful for extra attack
What ethnicity are the people of Nidal (Nidali, Nadialians, Dals?)? What language do they speak?
The Horselords made their pact with Zon-Kuthon at the beginning of the Age of Darkness. It appears that they remained isolated for the next 4,300 years when they were conquered by Cheliax. Even after the conquest they were given an unpressedented amount of autonomy.
Both the Cheliaxians and the Taldens claim to be desendents of Azlanti survivors. The Horselords, on the other hand, seem to have had a distinct culture when Azlant fell.
I could see them being an off-shoot of the Varisians or the Shoanti. But after over 4 thousand years of isolation, wouldn't they have developed a distinct language?
After 300 years under Chelaxian rule, they would probably all speek common (Cheliaxian), but 4000+ years of linguistic history is hard to stamp out.
I think paladins are the worst examples of righteous people out there. No matter how pious they are, some part of it is always to keep their powers.
You want to play a paladin-like character? Okay, play paladin the character and not paladin the class. The lowliest rogue that does right for no other reason than because it's right is, IMO, twenty times the saint that any so-called virtuous paladin. He has nothing to gain, and he's not at risk of losing anything if he refuses. The only thing at stake is his own integrity. Shouldn't that be enough?
Snip…
And since we're so keen to hold these fictional characters that we create for our Saturday afternoons off to such a high standard, let's do it right. Until Pathfinder makes a paladin without all those mechanical restrictions, the paladin is and remains the worst example of a "good guy" character.
See, I think you are confusing the player and his cynical modern sensibilities with the character. The fluff behind the mechanics is that the pally gets his powers because he is good, not that he is good to get his powers. They are a reward for him being what he IS, at his core. He isn't "so-called virtous" in order to retain his powers, he gains his powers beacuse he IS virtous. The mechanics are a benefit given to help the player keep his character on the “straight and narrow”. Basically, if a player wants to play a “paladin like character”, the mechanics give her a benefit outside pure RP. Sure a lot of players will roll one purely for the mechanical benefits, and those players are usually the ones who give the class the Lawful Stupid reputation.
From a less traditional angle, there is Michael Carpenter from The Dresedn Files. Skin Game should be required reading for anyone wanting to play a Pally. A good man of unshakeable faith and unending patience.
