Hello GMs,
I am planning to start GMing PFS scenarios, and I was wondering what other experienced PFS GMs look for when reviewing character sheets at the beginning of a session? Are there particular things that jump out at you when they are obviously way off?
I'm assuming you do not go through every calculation? Just wondering what your typical review would amount to when you sit down to GM a session.
Thanks!!
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I have started to ask for each player to hand me their PC's last Chronicle sheet at the end of a session. After examining it I write the totals on their new Chronicle in addition to filling out the other sections that the GM routinely completes. Needless to say, there was a discovery last month that caused me to lose faith in the honor system. I am finding a lot of sloppy bookkeeping and realize the status quo is below what I had hoped.
The 3 Biggest mistakes I find are:
Math wrong on Point Buy in Abilities, and every time they spent too much, never seen it the other way.
Taking Traits from the same Category
And ignoring Encumbrance, this one is hard too catch and mostly I see it on PCs with a Str of 11 or lower.
You do the math for Point Buy and Encumbrance for all characters prior to beginning? How long does this take?
Thank you for the advice!
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You do the math for Point Buy and Encumbrance for all characters prior to beginning? How long does this take?
Thank you for the advice!
The Point Buy thing takes less and less the more you do it, particularly if you have much practice with designing characters. Most of the judges at our locations can probably do the mental math in about 6 seconds. Memorizing 10 points for a "16" and 5 points for a "14" will help in not needing to look at the table in the Core Rulebook.
Encumbrance tends to be a matter of intuition. If a character has an 18 Strength or higher, I assume everything is alright. Even characters with 12 Strength earn the benefit of the doubt. I might spend 5-10 seconds reviewing inventory just to make sure the character isn't carrying 150 pounds of saffron, three hogs in a non-magical backpack, or something equally improbable.
A few qualities that send up red flags are:
1) Size small: Small characters have lower encumbrance thresholds. Their equipment also tends to weigh less, but sometimes players forget that much of the adventuring gear doesn't change in weight.
2) A Strength score of 8 or lower: A low strength character can hit medium load just by putting on light armor. I've seen one character that tried to avoid encumbrance penalties by hefting a Bag of Holding, not knowing that the things weigh at least 15 pounds.
3) A huge inventory list: There's no need to calculate things to the half-pound, but keep an eye out for exceptional amounts of rope. Sometimes characters have lists of 50+ items, and it doesn't hurt to quickly confirm they aren't all ladders and masterwork buoys.
4) Classes penalized for exceeding light load: There's a scenario out there that requires somebody to carry around a 100 pound chest, which fell to the party's monk (he was a great sport). Monks aren't known for approaching the encumbrance limits, but it doesn't hurt to confirm it for a character.
5) Characters who will be riding an otherwise unencumbered mount: A heavy half-orc in full plate with 50 more pounds of ouchy implements and other equipment can make a cavalier's horse shudder. In extreme cases the mount may not be able to move under the weight.
Depending upon how many of those qualities I see, I take somewhere between 10-45 seconds per character to review things. It tends to take less time at local games and more time at conventions.
Doug, your practice of writing in those numbers on the chronicle sheets is quite good. I like to think that everyone is both honest and competent at math, but I've run into shocking counterpoints to both on a few occasions.
*Edit* Cleared up a grammatical error.
I don't check character sheets or chronicles at all, unless the player aks me too, I just trust the players unless they do something that raises an eyebrow. Life's too short, and gaming slots are even shorter...
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The 3 Biggest mistakes I find are:
Math wrong on Point Buy in Abilities, and every time they spent too much, never seen it the other way.
Oh dear gods yes. I'm at roughly an 80% error rate on point buy. I don't believe players aren't trying to game the system either, it's about a 50/50 split on high/low. This is easily the first thing I look for.
Taking Traits from the same Category
Looks like I've got some checking to do. Never thought to look for this error, but it would make sense.
And ignoring Encumbrance, this one is hard too catch and mostly I see it on PCs with a Str of 11 or lower.
This one in spades. I was at Gen Con last year and challenged a player who had a level 1 halfling cavalier wearing heavy armor on a wolf over his mount's encumbrance. He wouldn't accept that his mount was medium encumbered at best, and likely heavily encumbered. I tried to explain to him that I had made a cavalier only a day before and did the math (most players forget to add in the weight of their halfling in addition to their armor, saddle, and equipment, on which a 13 strength mount struggles with). I think the problem is that since a lot of GMs hand wave personal encumbrance and just use armor encumbrance, they do their players a disservice in OP. I really need to check this one more often.
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Ive never audited any of my players either. Not that I dont trust them, but I find it good to have another set of eyes look over stuff just to make sure there isnt something the first set is missing.
Only mistake ive found on a completed character so far was that we had a monk who thought you were supposed to add the BAB and the Flurry BAB together when Flurrying. So at level 5, he thought he could flurry at +9/+9 (+3 from BAB, +3 from flurry, +3 str). Once corrected, his frequency of hitting sharply declined, lol. I dont think he did it intentionally, he was just misinterpretting the rules.
For the encumbrance issue, obviously they must take the proper penalties for being encumbered, but if most of their emcumbrance was coming from stuff in the backpack, would you allow the player to drop their backpack at the beginning of every fight to avoid this?
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Ive never audited any of my players either. Not that I dont trust them, but I find it good to have another set of eyes look over stuff just to make sure there isnt something the first set is missing.
For the encumbrance issue, obviously they must take the proper penalties for being encumbered, but if most of their emcumbrance was coming from stuff in the backpack, would you allow the player to drop their backpack at the beginning of every fight to avoid this?
Sure, as at the very least a move equivalent action.
In a Home campaign, I had a low strength (10) Rogue/Monk. My GM allowed me to purchase a masterwork backback that had a special release strap that I could pull and it would drop the backpack to the ground as a free action.
Otherwise, I think it takes more than a free action to drop something that's strapped to your back.
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In a Home campaign, I had a low strength (10) Rogue/Monk. My GM allowed me to purchase a masterwork backback that had a special release strap that I could pull and it would drop the backpack to the ground as a free action.Otherwise, I think it takes more than a free action to drop something that's strapped to your back.
At the entrance to hostel areas, I take the backpack off and hold it in a hand, similar to a purse, on on one shoulder like a college student... so when a fight happens, it can drop as a free action. I've demonstrated a backpack being used in this way being less of a hindrance than letting go of something in your hand before, and letting go of something is a free action.
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At the entrance to hostel areas, I take the backpack off and hold it in a hand, similar to a purse, on on one shoulder like a college student... so when a fight happens, it can drop as a free action. I've demonstrated a backpack being used in this way being less of a hindrance than letting go of something in your hand before, and letting go of something is a free action.
In a Home campaign, I had a low strength (10) Rogue/Monk. My GM allowed me to purchase a masterwork backback that had a special release strap that I could pull and it would drop the backpack to the ground as a free action.Otherwise, I think it takes more than a free action to drop something that's strapped to your back.
I'd have no problem with this, as long as your character took an action (combat or non-combat) specifically to either set yourself up for a free drop, or a free drop. But you'd of course have that hand full and could not use it otherwise if you had your backpack in it, or just over one shoulder (I still do this when I go to game days, so it isn't just high school or college kids, and you have to hold onto it with one hand while its over just one shoulder.)
Venture-Captain, Missouri—Cape Girardeau
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Ive never audited any of my players either. Not that I dont trust them, but I find it good to have another set of eyes look over stuff just to make sure there isnt something the first set is missing.
Only mistake ive found on a completed character so far was that we had a monk who thought you were supposed to add the BAB and the Flurry BAB together when Flurrying. So at level 5, he thought he could flurry at +9/+9 (+3 from BAB, +3 from flurry, +3 str). Once corrected, his frequency of hitting sharply declined, lol. I dont think he did it intentionally, he was just misinterpretting the rules.
For the encumbrance issue, obviously they must take the proper penalties for being encumbered, but if most of their emcumbrance was coming from stuff in the backpack, would you allow the player to drop their backpack at the beginning of every fight to avoid this?
At EW2, I saw a Sorcerer character with Medium Armor... and no proficiency for it. Was the first time I saw a character error of this sort. I am assured this was an honest mistake though... I think he was 12!
If the sorcerer never makes attack rolls then it doesn't really matter. He can still wear it and takes the same ACP as anyone else on skill checks. If it's mithril breastplate and he has the armour expert trait, unlikely for a sorcerer but who knows, then he takes no penalties to anything. Oh, except arcane spell failure, but then he'd have that even if he was proficient too.
My 7 strength cleric now has to cast Ant Haul every day as her shiny metamagic rod is too heavy in addition to her mithril shirt... She even has a pathfinder pouch to carry her spare clothes and jewellery in. I'd have been better off getting a pearl of power to extend Ant Haul in retrospect though.