|
RotRL is a good intro for those new to RPGs. Lots of classic concepts with plenty of edgy Pathfinderesque surprises. However, some of the adventures may be hard to get a hold of.
Theoretically you won't need to convert it, much. Backward compatible and all...
Legacy of Fire got pretty good reviews. That might be a good one to start with as well. That was the last path before switching to Pathfinder rules.
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
If you have a group of brand-new players, then I would suggest Rise of the Runelords with the free PDF of the Player's Guide. Everybody needs the Player's Guide PDF at a minimum, and it's free.
I'm not going to recommend the Campaign Setting because it's a thick book with too much information for newbies. It takes a long time to digest. Stick with Core + Advanced Player's Guide + Player's Guide for each player for now.
Other brand-new Adventure Paths include Second Darkness, of which I've heard good things about, and it's on the same continent as RotRL. Legacy of Fire is definitely an "Aladdin's Lamp" type story, from what I've heard on these messageboards, so new players might feel constrained in their races and classes. Kingmaker is supposed to be "open" in that as GM you're not railroading them from book 1 to book 6, but giving lots of opportunities for the party to build a kingdom from a forested wilderness. Everyone here says Serpent's Skull starts off as a "wrecked on a deserted island" story, but then progresses into a jungle roleplay and a dungeon delve by book 6.
Have the players download the free PDF of each Adventure Path they think is interesting, and have them vote on which AP they want to play. I think Rise of the Runelords and Serpent's Skull are best for newbies; I've played the beginning of RotRL with only a little confusion at first, and I really want to play Serpent's Skull.
RotRL has the "advantage" of actually being in 3.5 instead of "pure" Pathfinder. That can cause confusion for both the GM and the players, and the monsters are sometimes +3 levels above your party, so you definitely have to watch what you are doing and be able to adapt the module on your own to your players. All of the beginning modules have spots in them that stupid players can escalate into a TPK, from what I've read - there is no "safe" AP.
The players should roll (or point buy) new characters that are "pure" Pathfinder. Less hassle down the road for everyone.
Unless you're really set on running an AP right away, I would start first-time players on a module or scenario. A first-time player is likely to make some errors on their first PC (whether mechanical errors or just not enjoying the way the class plays). A short adventure to run one to two sessions allows people to retool a PC or just throw them out and try something else entirely if they're not happy with their choices before making a real commitment to a long-term story arc. And with a low-tier scenario, if some of the players want to keep running the same PC, they're still 1st-level to begin the AP.
Unless you're really set on running an AP right away, I would start first-time players on a module or scenario. A first-time player is likely to make some errors on their first PC (whether mechanical errors or just not enjoying the way the class plays). A short adventure to run one to two sessions allows people to retool a PC or just throw them out and try something else entirely if they're not happy with their choices before making a real commitment to a long-term story arc. And with a low-tier scenario, if some of the players want to keep running the same PC, they're still 1st-level to begin the AP.
I'm going to give a big +1 to that. That's even a great idea for people who have played 3.5 and need a good introduction to Pathfinder.
The modules are great introductions to the game and allow people to get a taste for the game and a feel for the characters without having to make a huge commitment right from the get go. Crypt of the Everflame is an especially great start for brand new players.
Unless you're really set on running an AP right away, I would start first-time players on a module or scenario. A first-time player is likely to make some errors on their first PC (whether mechanical errors or just not enjoying the way the class plays). A short adventure to run one to two sessions allows people to retool a PC or just throw them out and try something else entirely if they're not happy with their choices before making a real commitment to a long-term story arc. And with a low-tier scenario, if some of the players want to keep running the same PC, they're still 1st-level to begin the AP.
+1
You can use Crypt of the Everflame or The Godsmouth Heresy.
Yes, + a lot to this. Paizo have a couple of low level FREE modules that are available. Hollows Last Hope is a good one to start off with just to get folks into the Pathfinder system.
-- david
Papa.DRB
Unless you're really set on running an AP right away, I would start first-time players on a module or scenario. A first-time player is likely to make some errors on their first PC (whether mechanical errors or just not enjoying the way the class plays). A short adventure to run one to two sessions allows people to retool a PC or just throw them out and try something else entirely if they're not happy with their choices before making a real commitment to a long-term story arc. And with a low-tier scenario, if some of the players want to keep running the same PC, they're still 1st-level to begin the AP.
While I've heard good things about Hangman's Noose, it was in fact written for the 3.5 ruleset and not Pathfinder RPG.
I'm a big fan of PRe-AP adventures (then again, I run the slow XP track so there is more time for side stuff between adventures).
For my ROTR game, we did INTO THE HAUNTED FOREST, which I think is a great starting adventure:
-Quick fight early on
-Roleplaying in a bar
-a quick m ystery to be solved
-short wilderness adventures
-great roleplying to get past some encounters (the players loved Cachee and even went back to visit her at a later date)
-well paced final battle with multiple opponents and some real character
-cool minor artifact style items
-every magic item in the adventure matches up with an item card from Elements of Power
-all of the encoutner areas use map packs and flip maps from Paizo (though some might be harder to get now)
And for my Albsalom/ Falcons Hollow series, we started with the PAthfinder Scenario Adventure: Silent Tide.
The heroes loved the mystery component of the adventure.
There are several interesting combats in cool places
The heroes get to play a giant organ!
You get some background on Absalom
and you get to meet Gradmaster Torch and use your wits (or...boring...skill rolls) to unlock 5 magic boxes. (This was the heroes' favorite part)
It would be easy to move either adventure to whatever area you are planning to run...
Rise of the Ruin Lords aka RotRL
Rise of the Runelords aka RotRL
fixed
While RotRl is certainly a very good beginner AP, it is actually written for 3.5
If you are dead set on an AP, I would suggest Kingmaker because it is a sandbox which can easily be played as a series of encounters with some story in between to tie it all together. Very easy for new players if you simply leave out the optional Kingdom build rules.
|
If you're going to run RotRL (or another pre-PFRPG AP or module), a good resource is pfsrd.com. It has a lot of converted monsters from many of Paizo's 3.5 products. (Not all, but a sizeable percentage of them.)
If you're going to run RotRL (or another pre-PFRPG AP or module), a good resource is pfsrd.com. It has a lot of converted monsters from many of Paizo's 3.5 products. (Not all, but a sizeable percentage of them.)
Although you should make sure the creature hasn't changed too much between 3.5 and PRPG. One example that comes to mind is the shadow demon in Children of the Void that went from a pushover to an almost TPK when we converted SD to PRPG.
|
While I find a few of the OGL modules fantastic, I honestly have to say that I would not pick one of those for new players. Part of playing the game for a bunch of new folks is getting to know game mechanics and how things operate and while those might have fantastic stories, the OGL -> Pathfinder conversions won't make it easy on the GM or the players.
That being said you're left with Council of Thieves, Kingmaker, and Serpent's Skull. Having run CoT, I think it has enough transitional pains into Pathfinder to make it too a less-than-ideal choice. I don't know much about Serpent's Skull, but I know thematically it's a little more out of the box for some players. I'd pick Kingmaker.