skulky's page

Check out the glass cannon podcast, it’s an actual play podcast that is done really well. They make plenty of rules mistakes but so does everyone just try to do your best and have fun.
To help your GM, know your character and the rules that apply to playing your character, that’s your responsibility especially for a completely new gm and gaming group. Try not to get too cheesy and read the guides and just make the most mechanically powerful assembly of numbers, make a real character role play not roll play. It’s not you vs the gm. Most important rule is everyone have fun, work together, it’s collective storytelling.

Are the players having fun murder hoboing? Are you having fun running a murder hobo game? If no is the answer to either question just have a talk with your players and get everyone on the same page. That’s where I’d start, talk about it, I think just taking away their powers isn’t going to solve the problems and would just make it worse.

I agree with the other responses that it’s a bad idea, and might not even have the effect you want. If you’re having a session 0, and you should, that’s the time to discuss what kind of game you want to run, and also make sure the players are on board. There’s plenty of ways to encourage more role playing.
And getting into crazy cinematic detail for all of combat can really slow down the game and limit other rp opportunities. If someone is going off on their attack on goblin 4 of 8 and doing 2 damage or something that would get old quick. But if it’s a long hard fought battle against a mini boss and there was great teamwork and they rally and maybe a pc hits for 10 damage and the big bad only had 11hp left and no minions left, fudge it a little and ask them how the killing blow landed. If they’re new, you can do the description the first time or two and edge them along.
Or if a pc has been doing some great rp there’s always loot to reward them, if they use a rapier and the loot lists a +1 longsword, switch it up. There’s so many ways to reward them, I don’t think telling them a mechanical benefit will help, I think it’d just get cheesy and abused. I think a little more subtle nudging in the right direction.

I agree with the previously mentioned archaeologist bard. It's basically a rogue that trades sneak attack for 6th level casting and a luck pool. It's a really fun archetype, I played a halfling one in hells rebels game. I dipped a level in inspired blade swashbuckler for dex to damage and parry/riposte. Made for a very survivable character and always had something to contribute with high knowledge skills, disable device, stealth, and the bard spell casting is great for beginners.

Most skills have a tool related to them and if you pick up a masterwork version of the tool that's +2 to a skill check. If you have a rogue and purchase masterwork thieves tools that's +2 to your disable advice checks.
I look at the kits as a baseline but like to purchase gear individually and helps me flesh out the character do they have loaded dice, a frying pan, caltrops, manacles? Plus when I go in and pick things out, I know I have them and helps me creatively problem solve during a session.