Lance Maroczy's page

Thanks, Mathmuse!

I am considering whether the 0th level start worth it or not. It would be perfect for a slow introduciton to the system and would leave opportunity to organically not finish the character creation. So after the first session, after they had a glimpse how things work, they can refine their ideas (maybe even change their class/feat ideas).

However, my players are veteran RPG enthusiasts, so this actually does not offer that much.

I am losing interest in the 0th level idea thank to yours and the others posts... Maybe if I tell this campaign to a less experienced table in the future, it would be more beneficial.

Thanks everybody, you all give great and valid things to consider!

I think it will be either the 0th level route, or simple 1st level, and make it only flavor/RP and not overthink it.

Lance

Thanks for the replies!

@Captain Morgan
Great idea to use default "pre-gen" statblocks! I would not ask them to build, or limit their choices really, as I always planned to move on pretty quick from NPC classes (se below).

@WatersLethe
My original idea was that for the first one/two sessions they would have (in PF1 terms) a level 3 NPC class character. They would mainly just use the attack, reflex, etc bonuses from the table, get the HP, but otherwise they would be considered only first level characters (for feats and ability score bonuses). I did not really consider all angles yet, because the change to pf e2 was made.
The main idea was: what would happen, if a full NPC village was attacked by monsters and no adventurers were around? Couple of them would take on an adventure to resolve the bigger underlying problem.
For this I wanted them to have a "previous life" that would be represented by the NPC classes - they would be imbalanced, yes, but I wanted to handle the PF1 level three bonuses and stuff like a singular level and gift starter feats, if that makes sense.
So by starting as NPCs I meant that they would have their character sheets filled as a level 3 NPC and a couple restriction (effective chartacter level would be level 1 only). They still distribute skill points, etc.
Then their next level would have been a proper adventurer like normal. It would have worked like taking a multiclass as a second level (as in, handling the 3 NPC levels as a singular one). That was the idea, but the hp would have propably been unbalanced, etc.

That is why I am currently leaning to create level 0 character as
Captain Morgan advised. It would be rules proper, not unbalanced, still have the sort of feeling that they are not adventurer yet, they are just starting.
What this solution misses, is the weird feeling or novelty, that at the end of the campaign they would still have Expert3/Fighter4/Sorcerer2 as a reminder, that they had a completely different character career in the start, but life nudged them in the way of advcenturer. With a Fighter level 0 it is more a "half baked" or "half created" fighter creation, not an entirely different career. Not a guard that started adventuring, or magic intuitive gardener that became druid, etc..

@Taja the Barbarian
Thanks for sharing your experience! Your comment also nudges me in to Captain Morgan's suggestion for starting with level 0 adventurer.

Although, I never intended to have them with NPC classes for long - only the first maybe the second session. It would have been "Yeah, you have worked as a town guard for years, experienced level 3 warrior, but now you took on an adventure, and as a fighter, that is different". Their first level up would have been a normal adventure class.
Also, to avoid nerfing them too much, I would have handled their 3 starting NPC levels as a singular level - So as a Warrior3/Fighter1 they would have been still considered as a level 2 multiclassed character. (restricting mainly the feat and attribute bonuses. Maybe restricting their HP and skill level ups up until 6th level? Or maybe handling the NPC3 bonuses as a special, GM-gifted starter feat and simply getting bonuses? - I didn't really solved all of the rule balances before changin to PF2e).

It seems to me, that the best bet is the level 0 adventurer - rules balanced, easy to follow up and easier to create. As the whole group will be new to PF2e (but veteran role players) it looks the optimal solution - while basically only losing some novelty of the original idea.

Thank you!

Not exactly what I originally aimed for, but I will stick for it!

(Originally I wanted to make it more wierd as a beginning, a more out-of-character experience. This is more in line with "already on that path just not there yet")

Thanks for the detailed answer!

Hello everyone!

I am just getting in the second edition after having some experience in first edition.

As I see, the NPC rules have changed - in forst edition NPCs usually had classes similar to PCs. Here the rules are simplified.

I had the idea of a "classic heroes journey" - so Players start with NPC classes, and then "multiclass" in to proper adventurer classes.

(I had first edition in my - they would have in first session 3 classes of NPC, but after that I would have handled it as a single level - for balance reasons. Maybe not gaining as much health etc.)

Can somebody give me advice, how to approach the above mentioned idea in second edition?

Is it feasible to start as a lowly NPC and go from there? Or build them like PCs? Or is it to unbalanced/to much hassle to have fun with it?

Thank you in advance!

Lance

Hello!

I am not a frequent poster here, but you amazing guys already helped me last time and I wish to again tap into your expertise. Thank you in advance! Sorry for the wall of text I wanted to give a good context so the question can be more focused and clearer.

I had an idea long ago and planning to finally get to probably GM-ing it.
I wish to run this campaign with the Pathfinder first edition ruleset, but in the pre spell-plague Forgotten Realms setting.
I am willing to bend the rules if it will help storz-wise, I am the "rule of cool" type of GM, but trying to stick to the rules as much as possible to have better consistency.

Some crucial points of the story:
A vampire is aware of a secret undead army building up not too far away, that will most likely attack his home city also.
He is also in hiding and building up his influence in the city (through agents and in incognito).

He discovered a powerful artifact in the city that he is trying to repair.
The artifact is a mythallar, that will lift a good part of the city and help him create magical weapons and items cheap and quick.

Because of the vampire’s knowledge of this secret army, he wants to finish the mythallar to lift the city to basically making it a floating fortress. (I know, I am already bending the rules with the mythallar. He is not high level, but I want to lean on being the mythallar almost complete, that is how it could survive lore wise and how he is able to repair it being mid-level only. Also, I am aware that a mythallar per role would only create quasi-magical stuff, but, rule of cool.)

The vampire is working on the mythallar and it will only be ready not long before the army arrives. The army will build up for a couple more years in secret, so he has time (although no access to the mythallar for most of the time).

However, he also wants to create a good amount of defense in it, that he can already work on. He needs a good amount of "soldiers" too, that can withstand a siege. He also would prefer to stay incognito or appear as a hero, so the city people would not want to remove him or attack him (he is narcissistic).

He does have access to a good amount of wealth, the city is a larger one (Iriaebor to be precise) so he can get supplies.

The army of undead as he has knowledge is roughly built up as the following:
Foot soldiers
-Hordes of skeletons, zombies ű
-bulk of the army, they are cheap and easy to replace.
-Max 1-2 buffs.
-1000s

Heavy hitters
-Good amount of advanced undead, incorporeal, minor spellcasting abilities etc.,
-like ghosts.
-No, or only few character levels.
-100s

Tactical groups
-high value undeads, basically undead commando
-vampires with character levels, etc.
-10s

Commander(s)
-high level spellcaster
-lich/high level vampire, etc.
-Only 1-3

(I am more than willing to limit the army, to make it less indestructible force, but the point is, that it is scary and even teaming up and helping a probably evil vampire will seem a good idea. Also, the army should be able to conquer vast amount of lands too.)

In case of an attack our vampire plans on making the city a harder nut to crack. Of course, it will not be able to withstand a prolonged siege and single focus of the whole army. But, if the city has a flying fortress that can burn a good amount of the army before falling, the army will skip this city and focus on higher value easier targets. (The army is ambitious.) Some complications: that the army builder has already spies and assassins, so the preparations need to be made in quasi-secret.

So, what type of preparation would the vampire in hiding do, the prepare for an invading undead army, without giving out the information about the army?

I am specifically asking about against the skeletal foot soldiers and heavy-hitter ghosts.
The tactical groups and commander can have a better counter, a team of adventurers or a highly specialized vampire-spawn commando.
But the numerous foot soldiers are problematic.
With the flying city, its already has a good advantage, but some hitters are also needed.

The vampire would try to avoid positive and negative energy as much as possible.
Positive energy: could be used against him.
Negative: can give away his preparation to the army builder and the people of the city, plus, if he is creating a bigger undead army too... well the enemy is specialized in controlling those, so that’s risky, he could lose that to them.
He would like to have an army, that cannot be raised as undead (thus feeding the enemy).
He would prefer a cost-efficient way and he is mid-level, so 10-ish. He has wealth, but not unlimited. I can easily change this aspect to fit, but I want to keep it low/mid-level party compatible and not going into epic territory at all (except for the mythallar).

Originally, I thought creating high amounts of golems would be cool, but reading up on them, they might not be the best solution. Pro: the city people would not oppose such a defender force, it is not necromantic, and the vampire can easily hire crafters who will sunk in the time and materials, so it is more like a wealth issue. Constructs can not be raised as undeads. He could arm up the golems with cheap magical items too (thanks to the mythallar), but I am not sure how efficient would this be.

Animating object might also be viable, but I am not sure if that is a good and efficient way.

So, the question at last:
-What would be the best mass produce-able soldiers/automatic defense to have in a floating fortress against a large amount of commanded skeleton, zombie, ghost army, that has high level spellcaster commander?
---If golems would be good, what type of golems?
-What kind of extra preparation would help defending this floating city/fortress?

Constraints:
-Preparations need to be concealed.
--Stealthy preps, or easily justifiable causes (not obviously specialised against undead)
-The one who is fortifying is a mid-level vampire, but
--Wants to avoid using positive or negative energies
-Fortifier has a couple of years (1-2)
-Fortifier has access to the market of a large city
-Fortifier has good influence, but not unlimited.
-Fortifier has good wealth, but bot unlimited (but can do a lot with machinations)

Thank you very much in advance!

Hi all!

I couldn't find a solution for my problem, so I created this new thread in hope you can give some advice.

I am running a campaign where one of the NPCs is an oracle with lore mystery. (And an oracle of a deity of knowledge and divination.)

They are currently after an insane druid, who created a new type of monster (a fungal subtype of yellow musk creeper).
I had to do this, because they are level 8 and the normal musk would not be a real threat to them.
Everything was fine, but then the oracle made a focused trance (+20 to int based checks) to roll a Knowledge:nature check to identify the monsters. ("Fungal" yellow musk zombies).

Now in the srd the DC is 5+CR for common, 10+CR for "normal", and 15+CR for rare type monsters, and "For every 5 points by which your check result exceeds the DC, you recall another piece of useful information."

But this type of monster is one of its kind, it was created 1 or 2 years earlier. There is no previous knowledge of it, only of its cousin (Yellow musk creeper).

And I even created musk zombies with different CRs (to create a sense of "aging" or "advancing") with the standard "advanced template".

How should I handle this? What kind of information should I give? What should be the DC? The zombies are the same basically but range from CR1 to CR6.. Are they considered only rare when they are totally new?

This guy used the trance several times in the first game, so he wants to rely on this heavily, but I do not know how should I handle these Knowledge check.

Thanks for in advance!

Lance

Thank you very much for your answers, you helped really much! :)

Kepp up the great work!

And thank you for that hard work! :)

Thank you very much for your answers and for your work.

I think you did a great job from a roleplaying aspect (as I said earlier I can't really tell about the system aspect, I think you did a great job there too).

You made really cool archetypes!

Thank you!

I would be intersted in the following:

RANGER
Apex Warrior - Fighter
Blooded Hunter - Sorcerer

SORCERER
Battle Caster - Fighter
Eldritch Warlock - Witch
Living Refrain - Bard
Primal Evoker - Barbarian

FIGHTER
Silent Warrior - Rogue

Sorry for the long list!

Hi!

I am a not too experienced GM, currently upgrading to Pathfinder from 3.5.
At the moment I allowed only the official classes (I let my players to deviate a bit from their 3.5 characters to update their old concepts for fun).

But I came across the Multiclass Archetypes, which in my opinion are really cool.

http://mcarchetype.wikispaces.com/Multiclass+Archetypes+Master+List

The only problem is, I don't know if they are overpowered, underpowered or well balanced. As I read, the core classes in Pathfinder are greatly balanced, and I would like to avoid to harm someone, who would prefer a pure ranger over an MCArchetype (or the other way around).
As I said I am not very much experienced, so I am afraid that I would not be able to handle big "holes" and unbalancing issues. And because of my lack of experience, I can not tell for sure by looking analyzing them.

I searched the forum and althought there are many posts and I could not find answer to my question.

So the question: Are the MCArchetypes (listed in the link above)well balanced with each other and with the corea and base classes? Can I allow them as options for my players?

Thank you very much for your answers!

Hi all!

Thank you very much for your help!
I was worried, that a red dragon would be insulted by the idea to impose as a human.

The ravener is a great concept, the problem is, that in my campaign, the dracolich fits better (some nasty manipulation by a third party throught the phylactery ... :D )

The alignment change is really nice idea, I am considering it... It would a real shock for them!

The Gorynych would a nearly perfect hit! Sadly, they will be only 8th or 9th, so it would be over the top :) But it'a a great monster, I think I wil include in it for highyer level party :)

Thank you very much!

Hi everyone!

I am really new here, so I am really sorry in advance, if this is trivial, or it was discussed earlier. I started searching in the forums, but I could not find the answer for myself.

So I am running a game and I want to make a story about dragons. The area has a really big forest and a big mountain.

The story is basically, that there is a dragon, who is known. The party is approached by a men, hiring them to hunt this dragon down, with his help.
But in the end, it turns out, that this men was another dragon (dragon2) the whole time, who wanted the hoard and territory of the first dragon (dragon1). (The players may figure out this earlier.)
Dragon1 is definitly superior to dragon2, thats why he "asked" for the players help.

What do you think, what kind of dragons would be good for these tasks? I wanted only red dragons, but would a red dragon diguese himself as a man for this sneaky plan?

Which type of dragon would you use for the roles? (They can be different types.)

And another question:
Which type of dragon would become a dracolich? I know that all cen be a dracolich, but for example the green dragon has a strong connection with nature, which in my opinion is related to life, therefore, a green dragon would loose much more, then any other (But I may be wrong).

Thank you very much!