| Steleo |
Forgive me if the question is stupid or if I'm overlooking something, but I have only very recently started with Pathfinder and I'm preparing to run Burnt Offerings with a group.
We have 3-4 player characters at level 1 (starting out).
So their APL is "1".
One of the first encounters pits the party against 4 goblins and a warchanter (lvl1 gobin bard).
A single goblin has a CR of 1/3 (135 xp each) and the goblin "bard" should have a CR of 1/2 (200 xp) ... correct?
Adding that up, I get 640 xp worth ... which would make the encounter something like a CR 2.5. Adding the CRs (four 1/3 and one 1/2 gets - if I understood the rules for the progress of CRs correctly - also add up to a total CR of 2 or 2.5).
For a party with APL 1, a CR 2 encounter is challenging, a 2.5 even more so ... but ok, so far, so good (not good if we are down to 3 players, then I probably have to drop at least one goblin?)
Now ... the goblin commando (lvl 1 ranger), his dog and four more normal goblins: CR 1/2 + CR 1 + 4 CR 1/3 ... to me, that is a total CR of 3 or even 3.5 ... a hard to epic fight (summing up the xp that encounter earns also leaves the impression of an encounter between CR 3 and 4). Even more if we only have 3 players - would dropping two goblins be ok?
The adventures themselves list the warchanter and the commando with CR1 ... which would increase the total CR of the encounters further ...
Are those fights not a bit tough for the first fights of a group starting out on adventure?
Mind you, I lack experience, so I cannot say whether the Core Rules are a bit pessimistic or not ...