Ulfhedin's page

Reposting my E-mail just in case.

I would also recommend a bard.

They are a lot of fun and you can build them in many different ways.

One very cool combo is lingering performance (feat), mixed with the 1st level spell saving finale. Both of which you can find on the PFSRD. Your party members will love you.

Alternately, you could go with an Zen Archer (Monk Archtype) if you are into that sorta thing.

I would love an update also, I have just been using Tri's google doc's version.

I made the mistake of creating a world completely in a vacuum from my players. I made a dark fairy tale themed world with gothic horror influences. It was very thematic, slightly Victorian and I thought it was really cool. Seconds after the player's guide got into the hands of my players I realized I'd made a terrible mistake.

Enter: Elderscorn Vale

Turns out my players are all high fantasy types, raised on mixtures of Greyhawk and Forgotten Realms. They wanted sort of a classic, beer-and-pretzels fantasy world with monsters, dungeons and looting. As I played through my original setting I constantly felt like I was trying to shoehorn the players into it.

My solution was to make a different part of the land. Due to physical constraints this area is separated from the rest of my homebrew, but also part of it and affected by events there. This new area, called Elderscorn Vale began just with a single city and a megadungeon nearby.

So I guess my suggestion would be design by desire. Not only what do you want, but what do your players do too. Start small and build out. You can always add what's on the other side of that hill; if you've already created everything you're less likely to change it when the players say they wish something specific was over there.

Second this!

I would love to see that player's guide, Mark Hoover. All your ideas that I've read in the past sound super awesome.

On a world building note: I only designed the place where the current campaign would take place, then focused on things that affected that area. Next, I moved to things that would affect a player's backstory, and important information that impacts PC races. This had me designing an entire continent. Things just progress rationally into other connected things. I wouldn't too worried about how you design it, so much as that it all fits together thematically and logically (in the way fantasy realms can), with internal consistency if not a form of realism.

You can always go back and rewrite parts of the world.

I always ask myself a couple questions to avoid useless fluff: How would my player's characters know this and why? Is it relevant? Does it impact the story? Does it provide story hooks for future adventures (even in future campaigns)?

You could just help them out a bit by giving them some detect magic at will goggles. If any of them are high in wisdom or int, maybe allow them to roleplay for better diplomacy DC’s. Using their understanding or knowledge to figure out how to talk to this person despite their bad breath or social issues.

You said it was homebrew, so you can just tailor the encounters to make them more mundane. Without magic, all of a sudden getting across a chasm is a much more difficult challenge. They may have fly potions, but probably not for everyone and even then it is a resource that they have to expend. Make sure they buy rope.

In my games I allow alchemists to brew potions for free up to their Int mod during downtime. So a +4 mod can have four free potions within the rules of brew potion. This prevents me having to fool around with WBL.