So..our regular Gm wants to take a break, and our backup is out for the foreseeable due to family obligations. I've volunteered to fill in for a six week period. I have a great little story developed all mapped out in six parts with two encounters per session, and have instructed my players to make characters. Now it's time for me to get down to it and really do the work...
The problem: I've never done this before.
Yes, I've have run games...Ten years ago, for an entirely different system. (Storyteller system, White Wolf games.) I've been playing d20 off in on since the red box, and playing Pathfinder weekly for the past two years, so i know my group, what they expect, how they play, the flow of a game session. It's the technical aspects of GMing that's throwing me.
Example: my "white rabbit" NPC is a bard that will travel with the group and help them, but has a horrible secret- She's a Vampire on the run from the Master vampire from which she has stolen a mystical talisman that allows it's undead owner to shed the limitations of it's condition and have the semblance of life. (See, the story writes itself!)
But how do i do that? I really don't know how to add a vampire template to a Bard. or any monstrous template to any character for that matter. or how to calculate the appropriate CR lvl for my encounters. Exacerbating this is the fact that i don't actually own the rulebook or bestiary and have to turn to internet resources in order to plan out or add anything. So that's what i'm doing here. Any help on these two questions to begin with would be hot..
Step 1, you have the whole rulebook (and the GmG and APG) at your fingertips: prd Paizo is extra special awesome in that not only is it open content, but they provide the online reference for us. All the rules for Creating Encounters, adding templates and lists of monsters are there for the reading.
oh..awesome..thanks.. i was using a...different site. That's really handy. The more i use this site, the more i like it. Thanks..
So now to the more specific issues.
1. Your vampire, you would create your bard then add what it says under "Creating a Vampire" here.
2. There are a number of concerns about having a vampire traveling in disguise with the party. Things like sunlight, running water, and mirrors are all part of typical adventuring days. If you dont want the cat coming out of the bag, you need to cover for this. Your talisman can accomplish this.
3. Divination, even if your vampiric bard isnt discovered by virtue of bursting into flames or having issues putting on makeup, there are common spells that could uncover her even by accident. Detect magic, Detect evil or Detect undead are bound to be used. Particularly if you are being chased by a master vampire. You need to prevent these from discovering your bard npc. I recommend infusing the amulet with a permanent nondetection effect. This will keep the party (unless she loses or removes the amulet) from discovering the bard too quickly by means of common practices some characters will do.
4. CR: Creating challenging but not unfair encounters is probably the hardest thing a dm has to do. CR is a good guideline but it isnt absolute. The game mastering section of the rules explains how to determine the CR of an encounter. For a party of 4 or 5 players, a CR of their level or one higher will be a pretty average fight. 2 or 3 above their level will be rather difficult. Remember though, this is a rule of thumb. For instance if you have 2 paladins, an undead hunting ranger and a channel happy cleric, encounters against undead would probably be much easier then encounters against a bard, a fighter, an enchanter(wizard) and a rogue. Pay attention to what your party can do and design around it. Dont completely negate what they can do, but make sure you keep that in mind when you put together encounters.
so wait..
first thanks for the advice this is really helping me.
do i add the ability scores listed in the vampire entry to the scores my bard already has? won't this make her way more powerful than the PCs? As an NPC her role is more to just lead the Characters along the story path, and just hit them with a Performance effect while they do the real fighting. Should i dial down her class lvl to balance her vs the PC's lvl (i'm starting them at Lvl 6)?
And i was totally on that nondetection angle. The amulet i described is going to counter all her creature weaknesses and allow for that same effect, it's an evil campaign so it won't even be questioned- perhaps i just answered my own question..i could have the amulet also depower her as a result of it's beneficial effects...hmmm..
so wait..
first thanks for the advice this is really helping me.do i add the ability scores listed in the vampire entry to the scores my bard already has? won't this make her way more powerful than the PCs? As an NPC her role is more to just lead the Characters along the story path, and just hit them with a Performance effect while they do the real fighting. Should i dial down her class lvl to balance her vs the PC's lvl (i'm starting them at Lvl 6)?
Yes it will make her more powerful. That is why there is a +2 CR adjustement for a vampire. It is roughly equivalent to a character 2 levels higher. You could dial down her level, or simply have her hold back on her abilities. She is a bard after all, if she just sat their singing and throwing a few buff spells to the players now and then no one would think twice. She doesnt need to start using her more potent abilities unless the story calls for it. It would make sense since she is trying to remain hidden.
And i was totally on that nondetection angle. The amulet i described is going to counter all her creature weaknesses and allow for that same effect, it's an evil campaign so it won't even be questioned- perhaps i just answered my own question..i could have the amulet also depower her as a result of it's beneficial effects...hmmm..
That is an option as well. Its just something you need to account for if you want her to stay hidden. However, if it is an evil campaign, you might want to keep her above the party level. Evil pc's have a habit of trying to kill rivals(everyone) who have shiny magic amulets they might want. You know your group better then me, but be careful with evil pc's and a long term ally that is important to your plot. They have a habit of waking up with knives in various body parts.
yes, that was a concern. I think i have a way to beat that drama, but i am relying on my players to hold off on that interparty hostility. The key is to give little hints- she waits to be invited into a home, she declines hits off the Cure wand, she claims her talisman gives her the ability to cast Gaseous Form at will. The real trick is that she will be disguised as a man, so if the players figure something's up i can reveal the little secret to cover for the bigger one. Onions, dude, layers within layers.
you know whats also helping? typing this to somebody. Thanks again for the help. I'm fleshing out my story more just by talking about it.
yes, that was a concern. I think i have a way to beat that drama, but i am relying on my players to hold off on that interparty hostility. The key is to give little hints- she waits to be invited into a home, she declines hits off the Cure wand, she claims her talisman gives her the ability to cast Gaseous Form at will. The real trick is that she will be disguised as a man, so if the players figure something's up i can reveal the little secret to cover for the bigger one. Onions, dude, layers within layers.
Just be careful with the onion. 10 hands peel the onion faster then 2. What I mean is, my players as a group tend to figure things out faster, or think of things that I didn't expect. There after all are more of them then me. 4 or 5 observant players might figure out your bards secret too early. I've seen stuff like that completely derail a campaign.
you know whats also helping? typing this to somebody. Thanks again for the help. I'm fleshing out my story more just by talking about it.
You are welcome. Sometimes just bouncing ideas off someone helps alot. I do it with friends who are not in my current game all the time. And telling someone about something is often a great way to organize your thoughts. In explaining it to me, you are clearing up cloudy parts of your idea that your mind skips over when you come up with it.