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Yesterday I began a one-player playtest of Pathfinder, with my wife as the player. The plan is to start her at 4th level, with a 2nd level sidekick, and run her through a series of 3.5 adventures aimed at a standard 4 person party roughly 3 levels lower than she is. In other words, she’s beginning as a 4th level character, and we’re going to start with an adventure designed for 4 1st level characters. When she hits 5th level, we should be going through a 2nd level adventure, and so on. According to the Alpha 3, a party consisting of a 2nd level character and a 4th level character is APL 2, and that feels about right to me (especially since I used the 25 point ability buy), so the gap between my wife’s character’s level and the adventure level might drop a bit as we go forward. I guess we’ll see.
Note: I plan to use Into the Haunted Forest, Crown of the Kobold King, Flight of the Red Raven and Revenge of the Kobold King in this playtest at least. Spoilers for these modules will be called out in advance of their appearance, but I'm not using spoiler boxes for them because I want this to be more than just one long series of grey buttons...
SESSION ONE
Chargen and Introduction
I already knew what I wanted the sidekick to be and had drawn him up, so we focused on her character. Other than a 4th level human monk, she hadn’t really settled on an idea, but we kicked concepts around a bit and settled on a Vudran magistrate who was forced to leave her homeland under unfortunate circumstances. Now in Korvosa, she’s set up a little shop as a PI of sorts.
Stats behind the spoiler:
Shanti
Female human monk 4
Init +1; Senses Perception +11
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DEFENSE
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AC 17, touch 16, flat-footed 16
(armor +1, Dex +1, monk +5)
hp 32 (4d8+8)
Fort +5, Ref +5, Will +8 (+10 vs enchantments)
Maneuver Resistance 22
Defensive Abilities evasion, slow fall 20 ft.
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OFFENSE
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Spd 40 ft.
Melee unarmed strike +6 (1d8+3, 20/x2) or
flurry of blows +4/+4 (1d8+3, 20/x2)
Ranged mw composite (+3) shortbow +5 (1d6+3, 20/x3) or
improvised weapon +4 (varies, 20/x2) or
splash weapon ranged touch +6 (varies, 20/x2)
Space 5 ft.; Reach 5 ft.
Special Attacks ki pool (magic, 6 points), maneuver training, stunning fist 4/day (DC 16)
Combat Feats Throw Anything
Ki Powers +4 AC (1 pt), +20 speed (1 pt), additional attack (1 pt)
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STATISTICS
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Str 16 (+3), Dex 13 (+1), Con 12 (+1), Int 14 (+2), Wis 18 (+4), Cha 12 (+1)
Base Atk +3; CMB +7
Feats Acrobatic, Martial Weapon Proficiency (shortbow), Persuasive, Self-Sufficient, Stunning Fist, Throw Anything
Skills Acrobatics +10, Climb +9, Diplomacy +5, Disable Device +6, Heal +7, Intimidate +8, Knowledge (local) +3, Knowledge (religion) +3, Perception +11, Sense Motive +11, Stealth +8, Survival +7
Languages Celestial, Common, Halfling, Vudran
SQ favored class (monk), still mind
Combat Gear flask of acid, potion of cure light wounds (3), vial of alchemists' fire; Other Gear bracers of armor +1, headband of inspired wisdom +2, masterwork composite (+3) shortbow and 20 arrows, adventurer's kit (backpack, belt pouch, 50 ft rope, 2 sunrods, 10 rations, waterskin, flint and steel), masterwork thieves' tools, magnifying glass, 5 gp
For my part, I decided to make a concept I’ve had kicking around in my head for awhile, a half-orc druid with an unusual and unsettling physiognomy:
Kruthark
Male half-orc druid 2
Init +2; Senses darkvision 60 ft; Perception +9
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DEFENSE
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AC 12, touch 8, flat-footed 12
(armor +4, Dex -2)
hp 16 (2d8+4)
Fort +5, Ref -2, Will +7
Maneuver Resistance 20
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OFFENSE
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Spd 30 ft.
Melee masterwork falchion +6 (2d4+6, 18-20/x2) or
unarmed strike +5 (1d3+5 nonlethal, 20/x2)
Ranged sling -1 (1d4+4, 20/x2)
Space 5 ft.; Reach 5 ft.
Special Attacks wooden fist
Spell-Like Abilities (CL 2nd):
1/day – entangle (DC 10)
Typical Spells Prepared (CL 2nd, touch +5, ranged touch -1):
1st – calm animals (DC 14), cure light wounds, ram’s might (SpC 166)
0 – detect magic, detect poison, guidance, resistance
Domain Plant
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STATISTICS
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Str 18 (+4), Dex 7 (-2), Con 14 (+2), Int 12 (+1), Wis 18 (+4), Cha 9 (-1)
Base Atk +1; CMB +5
Feats Improved Initiative
Skills Handle Animal +3, Heal +8 (+10 with kit), Knowledge (nature) +8, Perception +9, Spellcraft +6, Survival +11
Languages Common, Druidic, Orc, Sylvan
SQ nature bond (Plant domain), nature sense, orc ferocity, wild empathy +1 (-3 for magical beasts), woodland stride
Combat Gear potion of cure light wounds (3), scroll of lesser restoration; Other Gear masterwork falchion, masterwork hide shirt, sling and 10 bullets, backpack (containing 50 ft hempen rope, flint and steel, healer’s kit, sunrods [2], trail rations [10], and waterskin), belt pouch, bedroll, dagger, holly and mistletoe, spell component pouch, 30 gp
Character Creation Feedback
Two things stuck out at me as my wife made her character. First, the new skill system really is very nice. It was very intuitive for both of us – I was able to say, “You get seven skill points per level and you’re level four, so that’s a total of 28 skill points;” she was able to just put those points where she wanted for her character without having to worry overmuch about the class/non-class skill distinction, even while that distinction helped her achieve the levels of competence she was looking for in her character.
Second, the point-buy system is nicely presented and also very intuitive. I showed her the two paragraph description of the system and the point-cost chart, she read through it once, pulled out a piece of paper and worked out her stats in about two minutes. My wife is an extremely bright woman, but she usually finds the point-spending part of character creation to be unthrilling (something she has to get through to get to the fun part – i.e., gaming), so I was most impressed to see how easily she dealt with it.
Also, my half-orc is something of an attempt to break the point-buy system. He started with 16, 16, 14, 14, 9, 7 for his stats; it would no great challenge to see how a fighter could dump Cha and either Wis or Int or a spellcaster could dump other stats in exchange for four very strong ability scores. I expected the Dexterity penalty to be something I would “feel,” but I was stuck by how much taking the Plant domain made me wish I hadn’t dropped Charisma. It was an unexpected feeling for a druid character, and one I think I approve of. A druid with an animal companion or a fighter like I described above would probably feel differently, however.
Encounter One: Human Monk 3 (CR 1)
Once we had her character made, I did a short introductory encounter to get her out of Korvosa and on the road to Falcon’s Hollow, where I want her to wind up eventually. This consisted of another Vudran monk showing up on her doorstep, blowing her cover and forcing her to run. Before she could take off, however, there were fisticuffs to resolve.
The opponent was a human monk 3: Init +5; Attack unarmed +5 (1d6+2) or flurry of blows +3/+3 (1d6+2); CMB +5; AC 15; SV Fort +4, Ref +4, Will +6; Stats Str 15, Dex 13, Con 12, Int 10, Wis 16, Cha 8; Feats Dodge, Improved Init, Improved Trip, Stunning Fist, Weapon Focus (unarmed); Skills Acrobatics +7, Climb +8, Knowledge (history) +6, Perception +9, Stealth +7; SA/SQ evasion, fast movement, maneuver training, still mind.
The fight itself was almost painful. For several rounds, neither of us could roll higher than a 10 on our attack dice, and we seemed to be averaging around 5 or so. Both monks tried several combat maneuvers, particularly trips from the enemy monk, but they were completely ineffective. Finally, the enemy monk landed one hit, and that seemed to open the floodgates; Shanti’s next several hits all landed, including an extra attack via ki point, and the bad guy went down.
Combat Feedback
My wife was very pleased with the option of using the various ki pool abilities, and went through her entire supply in this fight – mostly because she kept buying extra attacks in hopes of finally getting a decent die roll. In a later combat, she only used one, which seemed much more like what I expected. One question did arise, however: using ki pool abilities is a swift action – does that mean it can be declared in the middle of a full attack? I ruled that it could, so on several rounds my wife bought a third attack for Shanti after she had already missed with the first two.
Combat maneuver resolution was exceptionally fast – grapple or trip attempts happened on every round, but since they only took a single die roll to resolve (sadly, almost always to no effect), they did not slow us down at all. Shanti was able to trip the other monk once, and followed it up with a ki-point-purchased stunning fist, but the attack missed.
In fact, both monks went through their entire stunning fist allotment without once hitting. Having to declare the use of stunning fist before the attack seemed pretty pointless, since hitting was so very random in the first place. Being able to declare its use after a successful hit would go a long way to making it more viable as a combat tactic.
Encounter Two: Death in the Forest (CR 1)
After defeating the other monk, Shanti grabbed her gear and fled town, following an invitation from Sheriff Baleson of Falcon’s Hollow. En route, she met Kruthark, also on his way to Falcon’s Hollow, and they decided to travel together the rest of the way.
(Note: SPOILERS for Into the Haunted Forest begin here.)
As they made their way through the woods toward Darkmoon Vale, they encountered three feral dogs (CR 1/3) chomping on a hobgoblin corpse. The dogs threatened them as they got close, so Kruthark cast calm animals so they could move the body far enough off the road that the dogs would not threaten other passersby. Shanti wanted to cremate the body somehow, but Kruthark pointed out his spell would not hold the dogs’ attentions for long, and it was clear they were hungry and aggressive enough that funeral rites would involve killing the dogs – leaving them to their meal seemed the least of evils. (Kruthark, of course, was not at all concerned about the matter; only Shanti’s sensibilities were offended.)
Combat Feedback
What combat? Druids pwn animal encounters. The fact that calm animals allows no save for wild animals unless they are dire animals makes me worry a bit about the later animal encounters in this module – fortunately, Kruthark only usually prepares one casting of it a day…
Encounter Three: Rough Crowd (CR 2)
Near the hobgoblin’s corpse, Shanti noticed an exquisite dagger, which she took with her when they left. Some time later, they came across an inn where they planned to stay. Inside, the pair found a table, only to be accosted by an aggressive human who claimed the dagger belonged to him; the human’s allies also joined in the fun, which quickly became a massive bar brawl.
The bad guys were a human ranger 1 (CR 1/3), elf cleric 1 (CR 1/3), human wizard 1 (CR 1/3), and two other random barflies (commoner 2, CR 1/3 each). The commoners went after the freaky looking half-orc, while the others focused on Shanti, with the dagger.
The fight was practically a joke. Starting a fistfight with a monk is pretty much always a bad idea. None of the combatants save Shanti had Improved Unarmed Strike; I think if she’d had Combat Reflexes, the “brawl” would have ended in the first round. As it was, it was a two round affair only, with the ranger and wizard dropping on the first round, and the cleric and both commoners dropping on the second. Neither Shanti nor Kruthark took a hit – even with Kruthark’s pathetic AC, commoners aren’t very effective combatants.
Combat Feedback
Kruthark hits hard. For all that his lousy Charisma makes his entangle SLA so weak, his hefty Strength makes his wooden fist ability surprisingly potent. He averages almost as much damage with a punch as Shanti does (7 hp vs 7.5 hp), and cannot do less than 6 hp damage if he hits. The ram’s might spell isn’t OGL, but he may outclass Shanti as a hand-to-hand combatant if he casts it.
This is the fight where Shanti used a single ki point; after dazzling the ranger on his attack by throwing her ale in his face (a combat maneuver check on the attack of opportunity he provoked by swinging at her), she used a ki-enhanced flurry to hit all three of her attackers, dropping the wizard outright and setting up Kruthark to knock out the ranger on his action. She finished the cleric and took out one of the commoners in return on her next action with a standard flurry. While previously, it seemed like she couldn’t hit, in this fight, she practically couldn’t miss.
Thus far, Shanti has essentially waltzed through the encounters; she has yet to be seriously threatened by any opponent. Next time, though, things may get a little hairier, as the gloves come off and the wildlife stops being subject to quiet dismissals by Kruthark’s spells…
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SESSION THREE
(Session Two was almost entirely roleplaying, and the one part that wasn't hardly seems to cry out for use as playtest data - I don't think a fight against an owl qualifies as a report-worthy event.)
The fight at the end of session one destroyed an expensive and rare historical artifact; to make amends, the local sheriff sent the PCs on a quest into the nearby forest to find a collection of lost relics that can be used to manufacture a replacement. Unfortunately, the mercenaries who started the fight in the inn have been sent on the same quest, and they have a head start on the PCs...
Encounter One: Forest Trail (CR 2)
I'm actually not sure about the CR here. Has Pathfinder changed anything about how trap CRs are counted? Regardless, the opposition was a snare trap (CR 1, presumably), set by the enemy ranger, and a wolf (CR 1), lured to the area by a dead rabbit. Kruthark, walking slightly ahead down the trail as he tracked, missed the trap and unsurprisingly also failed his Reflex save. The trap did a measly 2 nonlethal to him, but more importantly, it entangled him for when the wolf showed on the following round.
The wolf rushed at Kruthark, only to be interrupted by an attack and stunning fist attempt from Shanti. The attack actually landed, marking the first time in three sessions that an opponent actually had to save against her stunning fist. Of course, the wolf rolled a natural 20. The wolf continued on to Kruthark, attacking him and missing, despite the entangled penalty to his AC. Still upside down in the snare, Kruthark made his Spellcraft check to cast despite being entangled and dropped a calm animals on the wolf. Shanti quickly cut Kruthark down, and they made their way up the trail before the spell wore off.
Combat Feedback
Once again, calm animals utterly annihilates an animal-based encounter. It really seems as though it ought to have some kind of save, regardless of the target - or at least, only tamed animals should not be able to resist it.
Druids feel the shift to Spellcraft from Concentration more than any other spellcaster. As the only 4+Int full caster class, they have the strongest encouragement both mechanically and descriptively to dump Intelligence. As a half-orc druid in particular, most builds like Kruthark would much, much rather have a Constitution-based skill than an Intelligence-based one. I don't know that this is necessarily a problem - it feels more like a nerf than a mistake - but I will be interested to see how it feels going forward.
The switch to Perception has collapsed a formerly clear distinction: are you looking actively (Search), or perceiving passively (Spot/Listen)? Should Kruthark have been allowed a Perception check to spot the snare before he stepped in it? (I didn't give him one.) Or can you only find traps if you declare that you are looking for them?
Encounter Two: The Inn of the Wood (CR 5)
This was a long, ugly fight. Four opponents, including one with regeneration. Opponents switching sides, no one able to deal lethal damage to the regenerating opponent... just a mess!
Having determined that one of the relics was in an old inn in the heart of the forest, the PCs went there to check it out. Once inside, however, three of the mercenaries burst in the door in an attempt to kill their competition. At the same time, however, a long-dormant plant guardian awoke and attempted to drive the interlopers away - or kill them.
The enemy ranger and enemy cleric focused their efforts primarily on the wooden protector at first, while their goblin rogue/sorcerer ally went off to hide in the shadows. Kruthark blew his Knowledge (nature) check to identify the monster, so he decided to just pull out his scimitar and go to town on it. His first attack missed, but it was enough to get the protector's attention, and it countered with a spear attack that cost him half his hit points. Shanti launched a flurry of blows, one of which missed, but she bought a third attack with her ki pool and hit it a second time anyway. Both hits were solid, but the protector was already regenerating.
At this point, the goblin decided it was time to betray his friends and take a shot at the wooden protector both by firing off a shot with his wand of burning hands. His damage roll was pathetic - a 1 - and Kruthark astonishingly made his Reflex save (probably the last time in the campaign that will happen). Neither the cleric nor the ranger made theirs, though, so they actually took the 1 hp. This annoyed the cleric enough that she turned on him, screeching "You little wretch!" and swung at him.
With her scythe.
Which critted.
So much for the goblin.
The wooden protector, which had briefly considered attacking the little humanoid that had the only thing that could hurt it, decided it was no longer an issue and hit Kruthark again, knocking him to -3. The ranger and Shanti kept their focuses on the protector, and despite its regeneration, managed to knock it down in two more rounds.
(Note: I just realized I forgot Kruthark’s orc ferocity. And he had a cure spell ready to go too! Dangit.)
At this point, Shanti started trying to find a way to save Kruthark, still bleeding out in the middle of the floor, and the cleric and ranger started looking for a way to kill Shanti (so much for the alliance of convenience). Two rounds of Acrobatics checks later (to move away from the cleric and the ranger while still staying close enough to douse Kruthark with cure potions), the ranger and cleric were distracted by the protector, which had been healing this whole time, standing up and shoving its spear through the cleric's back. She dropped (ironically, the protector did 8 hp to her, her exact full total - it really was the 1 hp from the burning hands that did her in), and the ranger turned his attention back to the protector for a round, dropping it again. Shanti took advantage of the distraction to pour a third potion down Kruthark's throat, and they got up and fled the inn. The ranger tried to follow, but the protector got up again and ran him through from behind as well.
Kruthark and Shanti split up, as it became clear that the protector was following them, and the protector attempted to stop Shanti's flight with its wooden grasp ability. Shanti easily made her save, however, and fled into the woods, where the protector quickly lost her.
Combat Feedback
This was an incredibly deadly fight, and it clearly demonstrated why some players have asked for more hit points at low levels. Against a group of 1st level characters, the wooden protector’s 1d8+6 damage is exceptionally painful, and even 2nd level Kruthark couldn’t take more than a single hit without dropping. (Orc ferocity aside, thanks to my foolishness.) No one in my usual group has requested (or even mentioned) the alternative starting hit point options in the PRPG, but I can definitely see the appeal.
The change to the Acrobatics DC (15 + opponent’s BAB) had basically no effect on Shanti’s ability to freely jump around the room to avoid AoOs – against a cleric and a ranger, anyway, the difference was only +1 DC, and she never even noticed. It might have been a different story if she had tried to get away from the wooden protector (BAB +4), but that never came up.
Encounter Four: The Inn of the Woods, Take Two (CR 3)
Shanti and Kruthark regrouped, spent the night recovering, then returned the next morning – Kruthark changing his spell preparation to include magic fang for Shanti and produce flame as a means to finish off the wooden protector. This time, the fight was over with surprising swiftness. Shanti, her fists enchanted by Kruthark’s spell, went through several three-attack flurries (via ki points) and Kruthark pounded away with his falchion. The protector hit Shanti once, but she was in a much better position to take it, and after three rounds of combat, the protector went down. Kruthark then cast produce flame and buried his fist in the protector’s “skull,” finishing it.
Combat Feedback
The only issue that came up here was one not specifically related to the Pathfinder RPG. According to the SRD, a creature with regeneration can be killed by a coup de grace, as long as the weapon that finishes it is of a type that actually deals lethal damage to it (i.e., that it doesn’t normally regenerate from). At the same time, however, creatures that are immune to critical hits effectively can’t be killed with a coup de grace – or, rather, there’s no particular difference between performing a coup de grace on them versus just pounding on them normally, save that you automatically hit. Together, those two rules sound like the only way to kill the wooden protector (a plant creature, and therefore immune to crits) is to go through its entire 45 hp with fire damage – a task that would surely be impossible for most typical 1st level parties, or even most 3rd level parties (the wooden protector is CR 3). I suppose 45 swings of a torch would do it, if the rest of the party just stood over it and kept beating at it to keep it from regenerating, but that hardly seems like a heroic or thrilling encounter…
Encounters Four and Five: Forest Pool (CR 1) and The Forest Giant (CR 2)
The next two encounters, to reclaim the rest of the relics, were wonderful displays of Shanti’s effectiveness and Kruthark’s uselessness. The first was a battle against the human wizard from the barfight, who had been separated from his group and charmed by a nixie. The wizard began to make threatening (arcane) gestures, so Kruthark ran up to him with his falchion out and swung, only to miss on a natural 1. The wizard easily made the Spellcraft check to cast defensively, and Kruthark took a magic missile in the face for 3 damage. Shanti then walked up to the wizard and punched him in the face, knocking him out.
Later, the PCs had to get a scroll case out of a tree, but the process of trying to climb the tree disturbed a giant bombardier beetle living inside. Shanti threw her vial of alchemist’s fire at it (finally getting to use her Throw Anything feat), then Kruthark tried an attack with his falchion, and missed again. The beetle sprayed Kruthark with its acid, and of course Kruthark managed to fail the save (it wasn’t even a Reflex save!). Shanti punched the beetle in its antennae, which combined with the second round of alchemist’s fire damage to drop the beetle.
Combat Feedback
My fears about a level 2, Strength 18 druid being able to outfight the level 4, Strength 16 monk are being assuaged.
That was basically it for Session Three. Session Four was again almost entirely roleplay, taking us out of Into the Haunted Wood and into Crown of the Kobold King (with a ton of background info pulled from the excellent Pathfinder Chronicles: Guide to Darkmoon Vale – pick yours up today!). So next time, Session Five: harpies and worgs and werewolves, oh my!