For each Adventure Path our table tries something a little 'different'.
In Shackled City, we played in the Warhammer universe.
In Age of Worms, we used action points and placed it in Eberron.
In Savage Tide, we tried running each module as marathon sessions, sometimes with up to 12 players (and encounters cranked up to '11').
In Rise of the Runelords (current at the last fight in PF4), we hooked a laptop to a big monitor and used MapTool and laser pointers.
I'm starting Curse of the Crimson Throne next week, and I'm thinking of trying something a little different once again. This time, I just want a small group of three players sitting around the table while I deal them cards. (Or what I call, 'downtown', where you can walk around the city and play D&D.)
How do you accomplish this? Hybrid d20/True20 combat rules and a lot of fast and loose rules interpretations.
Let's start with character generation. Pick your race and class and story.
For stats, using the equivalent of 40 point buy all characters start with a stat array of 16, 16, 14, 14, 12, 12. These are setup as 16, 14, 12 for physical and 16, 14, 12 for mental. So players just need to remember high and low for mental and physical. For example, we have a bard who is high str / low con and high cha / low wis. It's even easier to think of it in terms of +3 str, +2 dex, +1 con (like True20).
Instead of hit points, we'll have condition tracking (hurt, wounded, disabled, dying, dead) using True20 damage and toughness rules.
Saves, AC and to hit are all easy enough to extrapolate on the fly; we've been playing long enough to do that.
Skills need to be memorized. If you want to play a bard, for example, remember your skills. For simplicity, all skills are max rank.
Spells also need to be memorized. This is difficult, but possible. As a DM this will make my job very challenging indeed.
Rules intepretations will be fast and loose. I have a lot of experience adjudicating the game, but if players trust that I'm not being a rat bastard who's out to get them and trust that I'm just doing what I think is fair then we should be OK. And sometimes I may make mistakes, but that's the nature of uncertainty. Spells may also not make sense or follow the letter of the books sometimes, but that adds in some way to the mystery of magic.
Equipment, including magic items is done entirely through equipment cards.
Playing without maps is not what I'm used to, but that's exactly why I want to do it.
Finally, we have a change in rolling. Instead of rolling a d20, we'll be drawing 2 cards from shuffled decks and adding up the values. Aces are 1s, but you can occasionally use a 'fortune/fate/action' point to turn it into an 11. Pulling a Jack or Joker is equal to a natural 20 result, and pulling a King or Queen is equal to a natural 1.
Any thoughts or suggestions?
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For each Adventure Path our table tries something a little 'different'.
I'm starting Curse of the Crimson Throne next week, and I'm thinking of trying something a little different once again. This time, I just want a small group of three players sitting around the table while I deal them cards. (Or what I call, 'downtown', where you can walk around the city and play D&D.)
How do you accomplish this?
...Skills need to be memorized. If you want to play a bard, for example, remember your skills. For simplicity, all skills are max rank.
You might want to go with a system similar to Star Wars Saga Edition. Either you are trained in a skill or you aren't.
Spells also need to be memorized. This is difficult, but possible. As a DM this will make my job very challenging indeed.
You might also want to check out D20 Sorcery. A more freeform magic system might work...
Trent