I have been selected to be the GM for my friends. I have played D&D before and am looking forward to being a GM however, I am trying to figure out this pathfinder thing. I understand I only need the core book to play but I have purchased core, apg, & gm guide. I am confused about the pathfinder thing. Is it like a guild that is in every city? That is like a military job for the players? That is how they get their "quests"?
I have not seen anything talk about that in the books I have. So do I just create my own adventures (not sure I am ready to do that. seems like I would need a lot more knowledge to be able to do that?) or use some of the pathfinder ones? I have downloaded the free "in service to lore" but unless I missed something when reading I don't understand how this military/pathfinder guild works. Is there some place where I can read up on it so I understand it better?
Once I get up and going I would like to create my own adventures. How does someone do that? I mean from A to Z what steps do you take? How do you tie it all together? How do you decide what the adventure will entail?
Basically I feel overwhelmed. I am someone that is detailed oriented and I feel like I don't have enough of the details to do this. Combat is one of my biggest concerns, with flanking, trips, grapples, & casting is the worst. Like I have to know how long a spell takes to cast so does it go off this round, next round, how long it lasts. Can you cast two spells per round? I mean at 9th lvl fighters get 2 attacks a round, isn't a spell an attack so a 9th lvl wizard gets 2 spells a round?
Well it seems I have been all over the place so I will finish up here. Please help me learn/start off with GM'ing as I think it will be a lot of fun for everyone, once I know what I am doing/how to do it.
Thanks,
+J
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Basically I feel overwhelmed. I am someone that is detailed oriented and I feel like I don't have enough of the details to do this. Combat is one of my biggest concerns, with flanking, trips, grapples, & casting is the worst. Like I have to know how long a spell takes to cast so does it go off this round, next round, how long it lasts. Can you cast two spells per round? I mean at 9th lvl fighters get 2 attacks a round, isn't a spell an attack so a 9th lvl wizard gets 2 spells a round?
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I'll make this part quick (have little time)
what you can do in a turn is measured in actions;you get a standard action and a move action or two move actions, or a full round action.
A single attack is a standard action,
multiple attacks is a full round action (based on the BAB),
a wizard casting a spell(like fireball) is a standard action, so he can only cast ONE spell, even if his BAB could allow multiple attacks
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Pathfinder is just the name of the game, the set of rules, since Paizo Publishing isn't allowed to call it D&D. But for all practical purposes, Pathfinder = D&D.
Now, lots of groups play Pathfinder in their own, made up worlds, or in famous prepublished worlds such as Greyhawk or Forgotten Realms.
Paizo Publishing also has a world of its own where lots of groups play -- whose deities are in the Core Book -- that world is Golarion, BUT, there is a group of adventurer / archaeologists in Golarion called the Pathfinder Society. In the times where you saw something that made you think Pathfinder is some kinda "group," what you were looking at was "The Pathfinder Society" in the world of Golarion.
There are plenty of free PDF, short adventures that take place in Golarion that you can download and try out.
There are also small PDF adventures for $4 that you can buy and use how you want OR use them as intended -- as Pathfinder Society Scenarios. Where the PCs are members of "The Pathfinder Society" and they get missions and stuff from their "Pathfinder Society" Venture Captains. The good thing about playing these is that if any of you go to conventions you can bring your PCs. The bad thing is that the rules have to be standardized so strictly that your group can't really be flexible with the rules as you play (going to a convention to play and there's PCs there that are cooler cuz they didn't follow the rules... not cool)
Finally, there are longer modules you can buy and play, either PDF or hard copy; this is the best way to really start after a couple trial free PDf adventures to learn the rules.
Then you can start with the long term Adventure Paths that are the flagship product of Paizo Publishing. Whole Campaigns.
I have been selected to be the GM for my friends. I have played D&D before and am looking forward to being a GM however, I am trying to figure out this pathfinder thing. I understand I only need the core book to play but I have purchased core, apg, & gm guide. I am confused about the pathfinder thing. Is it like a guild that is in every city? That is like a military job for the players? That is how they get their "quests"?
I have not seen anything talk about that in the books I have. So do I just create my own adventures (not sure I am ready to do that. seems like I would need a lot more knowledge to be able to do that?) or use some of the pathfinder ones? I have downloaded the free "in service to lore" but unless I missed something when reading I don't understand how this military/pathfinder guild works. Is there some place where I can read up on it so I understand it better?
Pathfinder the RPG is separate from the Pathfinder Society. The pathfinder society is an organization in Golarion (Paizo's campaign setting). You can by all means run a campaign where the players are part of the Pathfinder Society but it is not required. You can find more information about the Society (as part of the campaign setting) here. That wikie also contains lots of information on Golarion which is the default pathfinder setting.
Once I get up and going I would like to create my own adventures. How does someone do that? I mean from A to Z what steps do you take? How do you tie it all together? How do you decide what the adventure will entail?
This is actually a really complicated process. Start by Reading through the gamemastering section of the core book and the game masters guide. But basically you think up a fantasy adventure story. And then figure out how the players might travel through and reolve the challenges in such a story. But remember the players arent following a script they should be able to act and interact within the story.
Though honestly, as a first time dm, I strongly recommend you start with a published adventure. Something short (I recommend crypt of the everflame which you can find in paizo's store). Once you get comfortable running an adventure you can start on your own. Also, reading through one or two published adventures will give you an idea of what kind of things to put in your adventure and what kind of information you need to sort out ahead of time.
Basically I feel overwhelmed. I am someone that is detailed oriented and I feel like I don't have enough of the details to do this. Combat is one of my biggest concerns, with flanking, trips, grapples, & casting is the worst. Like I have to know how long a spell takes to cast so does it go off this round, next round, how long it lasts. Can you cast two spells per round? I mean at 9th lvl fighters get 2 attacks a round, isn't a spell an attack so a 9th lvl wizard gets 2 spells a round?
Casting time is listed in the spells description. Standard action or less and the spell goes off immediately. If the casting time is '1 round' then it goes off at the start of the player's next time.
And most of the time, no you cant cast more then one spell in a round. The reason is while the fighter gets more attacks, the caster gets more powerful individual spells (represented by spell levels).
Well it seems I have been all over the place so I will finish up here. Please help me learn/start off with GM'ing as I think it will be a lot of fun for everyone, once I know what I am doing/how to do it.
Thanks,
+J
Honestly despite the fact that you have dnd experience, based on what you have asked here, I recommend you grab the pathfinder begginer box here And run from that. It is a simplified version of the rules with very straightforward guidelines for a dm, and begginer advice for creating your own adventures. It is a great way to get into the swing of dming pathfinder rpg.
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For now, put aside your APG and GMG. Focus on the Core Book. Baby steps.
Don't worry about what can or can't be done at 9th level.
On your own make 3 or 4 1st level PCs to see how making them feels. Ask questions on the Boards here during parts you don't quite understand.
Take your PCs and have some trial combats with them against each other -- you'll pick up lots of what the rules actually mean when you do this.
Do you have The Bestiary yet?
As Ray said, Pathfinder follows almost all the same rules as 3.x. What you want to do to learn the rules changes is look over the classes and races, spells and the CMB/CMD system. Those are the biggest changes. A nice intro into some major changes is the conversion guide. Just type "conversion guide" into the search at the left and it is the first result. One thing in there that surprises plenty of people is the change in what can be crit and/or sneak attacked (including undead).
Basically, make sure you are reading things carefully, and any time a specific question pops up, just search the boards. You can usually find a good thread to answer your questions. Then, if that doesn't work, post your question on the boards. That's what the advice and rules sections are for.
*Edit: Just realized you said D&D, meaning you may have come from an edition other than 3.x. If that is the case, the first part of my post is kinda useless.
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I have been selected to be the GM for my friends.
Good job. GM's are always needed :)
I have played D&D before and am looking forward to being a GM however, I am trying to figure out this pathfinder thing. I understand I only need the core book to play but I have purchased core, apg, & gm guide. I am confused about the pathfinder thing. Is it like a guild that is in every city? That is like a military job for the players? That is how they get their "quests"?
The Pathfinder Society is a group of militant archeologists that believe in uncovering the treasures and relics of the world for the betterment of all. Alternatively they are a bunch of ruthless grave robbers who steal priceless artifacts and lock them away. It all depends on your point of view.
Basically the Pathfinder Society is a faction within paizo's world of Golarion. In the Pathfinder Society Organised Play setup you are assumed to be a member but in your own games you can just ignore them if you wish.
I have not seen anything talk about that in the books I have. So do I just create my own adventures (not sure I am ready to do that. seems like I would need a lot more knowledge to be able to do that?) or use some of the pathfinder ones? I have downloaded the free "in service to lore" but unless I missed something when reading I don't understand how this military/pathfinder guild works. Is there some place where I can read up on it so I understand it better?
The In Service to Lore Series is a collection of PFS scenarios so they are written as if you were members of the Pathfinder Society. The best thing to do if you want to run these as non PFS scenarios is to just have the players as an adventuring group who are hired to do the jobs laid out in the scenarios.
Once I get up and going I would like to create my own adventures. How does someone do that? I mean from A to Z what steps do you take? How do you tie it all together? How do you decide what the adventure will entail?
What you need is a hook. Think of a bad guy, is he a dragon? An evil immortal sorcerer? a lich?
Then think what he wants. Something bad obviously or he wouldn't be the bad guy.
Then think about his resources. Does he have a cabal of assassins? Or a Kobold tribe? Or a bunch of undead?
Then have the players stumble across his plot. Maybe they were investigating the old mill that's been abandoned for years and they run into the evil cult. Maybe the PC's are mistaken for someone who the bad guy is after. Maybe the PC's all get a letter from an old friend.
Then extrapolate from there. It's not easy to write your own stuff and it takes work but it can be very rewarding.
Basically I feel overwhelmed. I am someone that is detailed oriented and I feel like I don't have enough of the details to do this. Combat is one of my biggest concerns, with flanking, trips, grapples, & casting is the worst. Like I have to know how long a spell takes to cast so does it go off this round, next round, how long it lasts. Can you cast two spells per round? I mean at 9th lvl fighters get 2 attacks a round, isn't a spell an attack so a 9th lvl wizard gets 2 spells a round?
Read the following bits in the core rules:
Combat
Magic
Additional Rules
Gamemastering
That covers it all. If you understand these key bits then you will be fine.
Well it seems I have been all over the place so I will finish up here. Please help me learn/start off with GM'ing as I think it will be a lot of fun for everyone, once I know what I am doing/how to do it.
Thanks,
+J
One thing I would suggest is running some prewritten stuff until you get your head around GMing. Good starts would be Master of the Fallen Fortress and The Godsmouth Heresy.
Hope that helps.
Yes I forgot about having the Bestiary due to lending it to a friend. Guess I'll roll up some toons (fighter, cleric, rogue, wizard) and see how that goes. Then I proceed to read Combat, Magic, Additional Rules, & Game Mastering. I have started reading a lvl 1 adventure. It seems to me they put a lot of information and work into making these adventures. When I start to make my own I should write out all the back story to each npc, town, badguy? Or just have an idea in the back of my mind so when questions are asked (I feel that a lot of questions being asked ends up being a lot of roleplaying) I can roleplay/answer the pc's.
Well off to the reading room. Hope to be back later with more knowledge and questions.
Thanks,
+J
My biggest bit of advice I can give you when you start writing your own adventures is: START SMALL... Something simple.
Start with an overall (short-term) idea. Write up an intro (a paragraph or two), then concentreate on the first few encounters. They don't even have to be connected with anything (i.e.: Part of the major plot). A few random encounters on the way to the first village. Some kobolds, a broken bridge, a bear, a few brigands, an old cabin, some patrolling guards from said village.
There you have it. Four or five solid hours of gaming in one short paragraph.
:D
Ultradan
Yes I forgot about having the Bestiary due to lending it to a friend. Guess I'll roll up some toons (fighter, cleric, rogue, wizard) and see how that goes. Then I proceed to read Combat, Magic, Additional Rules, & Game Mastering. I have started reading a lvl 1 adventure. It seems to me they put a lot of information and work into making these adventures. When I start to make my own I should write out all the back story to each npc, town, badguy? Or just have an idea in the back of my mind so when questions are asked (I feel that a lot of questions being asked ends up being a lot of roleplaying) I can roleplay/answer the pc's.
Well off to the reading room. Hope to be back later with more knowledge and questions.
Thanks,
+J
2 bits of advice, first off dont call them toons. I know you didnt mean anything by it but you may start an accidental flame war.
Second, in terms of npc backgrounds it depends on how important they are. Its ok to have mostly faceless town guards or bar keeps, you dont even need stats most of the time (and you can just grab some out of the game mastery guide in a pinch if you really need it).
And as for the important ones, focus on motivations and goals when you consider backstories. You dont need a biography, just the information that will be useful to player interactions and the overall story.
Really you have to find your style. Some dms meticulously detail everything, have pages and pages of notes and backgrounds and flavor for items and such (even more then in a typical published adventure) and others dont, they prefer to have a few details prepared and improvise the rest. You have to figure out which method works better for you. I lean more towards improvisation where as some of the other dms in my group have pages and pages of background they write for each session.
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While the essays might not make much sense to you yet, there is a lot of good advice here.
Also, importantly, START SMALL.
It doesn't matter who gets attacks at level 6, 11, or 16 if you're only going to be playing with low level characters, and if you're new to the game you should definitely be playing with low level characters. Start slow, learn as you go. The game complexity increases as character level increases. That does mean first characters aren't going to be super-optimized or anything, but they don't need to be, they're a learning experience.
My first experience GMing my own thing was just a simple town and crypt I put together. Start small. Just assume the default cosmology and don't worry about it unless you're planning on running a planes/religion intensive game. Do something simple to start, so you can get familiar with the rules with the players. Goblins/kobolds/zombies in a junkyard warren/cavern/crypt. Characters go fight monsters, and hopefully they kill them and come back to town to get the reward.
If you decide to run a prefabricated adventure module, Crypt of the Everflame has one thing going for it: It was the first module released for Pathfinder Roleplaying Game and has sidebars explaining some rules aspects, treating the GM as new to the game as well.
I've been following Pathfinder for several years now and I still don't fully grasp how Pathfinder Society works. It's the organized play system for Pathfinder, sort of like Living Greyhawk was for D&D. It doesn't matter though, since I'm not in a Pathfinder Society game. It can be confusing because Pathfinder Society is the name or the organized play league and the name of an in-game organization of adventurer-novelists. The in-setting Pathfinder Society publishes chapbooks of their adventurers' exploits. The organized-play league has all adventurers in the league as members of the setting organization for simplicity's sake, so they don't have to always explain why your character is in a party with different people if you play in a lot of league games.
You can buy Pathfinder Society Scenarios and run them without being in the Pathfinder Society organized play league though. They're designed to be approximately 4 hours in length so they can be played at league events, but even if you're not in the Pathfinder Society organized play league you can buy the scenarios and run them as short adventures with your players as characters in the Pathfinder Society. (Or maybe not in the Pathfinder Society, but the Pathfinder Society Scenarios are written with them being members as the default assumption.)
As for multiple attacks in a round (aka "iterative attacks"), characters gain access to them when their Base Attack Bonus (BAB) increases to +6, +11, and +16. Every class grants a certain BAB per level. Fighters, rangers, paladins, barbarians and other martial types usually go up +1 BAB per level, meaning they get their second attack at level 6 because they have +6 BAB at level 6. Clerics, rogues, bards, druids, and some others are 3/4 BAB classes, that means they only get +1 BAB for the last 3 of every 4 levels, so they get their second attack at level 8, when their BAB reaches +6. Wizards, sorcs, and some others are 1/2 BAB classes and only get BAB every other level, so they get their second attack at level 12 when their BAB reaches +6.
Base Attack Bonus, in addition to determining when your character gains iterative attacks, is also a bonus for your character to attack with melee and ranged attacks. At low level, all classes have BAB fairly close together, but as they gain levels, the gaps in BAB between the classes grow wider apart. Base Attack Bonus is also used to qualify for some feats, and in combat maneuvers (such as grapple, disarm, trip, etc.)
Remember, start small. Starting low level will have the most gradual learning curve. Jumping into high levels immediately is more likely to overwhelm you with complexity. Don't bog yourself down in complexity initially. This goes for your adventure too. Keep it simple to start, add complexity as you go. Your players will understand.
Also, importantly, START SMALL.
Remember, start small. Starting low level will have the most gradual learning curve. Jumping into high levels immediately is more likely to overwhelm you with complexity. Don't bog yourself down in complexity initially. This goes for your adventure too. Keep it simple to start, add complexity as you go. Your players will understand.
That is one of the problems 2 of the 5 players are experienced to the point that they don't want to start play below level 4, because you can't do anything cool/don't have worth while abilities yet. I don't want to remove them from the game because they actually make the game very fun compared to the other 3. Let me explain. 1 of which holds action about 75% of the time. 2nd person always misunderstands the rules and wants to argue (aka I rolled a 19 that is a possible crit. Sure if a 19 would hit, you need a natural 20 to hit this mob so therefore your 19 is not a possible crit it is just a miss.) 3rd player gets bored easily and has no consistency to his play. (one week he will use outflank with the other member of the group that has it, the next week he will just fly around and do fly/charge attacks).
I am not trying to attack these players, some nights they suddenly remember how to play it seems but most of the time they play like I relayed in the previous paragraph. I wonder if the GM can do something to make them into better players/pay more attention?
Well my roommate is home perhaps I can get her to play one of the pc I rolled up and work on some combats.
Thanks,
+J
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Also, importantly, START SMALL.
Remember, start small. Starting low level will have the most gradual learning curve. Jumping into high levels immediately is more likely to overwhelm you with complexity. Don't bog yourself down in complexity initially. This goes for your adventure too. Keep it simple to start, add complexity as you go. Your players will understand.
That is one of the problems 2 of the 5 players are experienced to the point that they don't want to start play below level 4, because you can't do anything cool/don't have worth while abilities yet. I don't want to remove them from the game because they actually make the game very fun compared to the other 3. Let me explain. 1 of which holds action about 75% of the time. 2nd person always misunderstands the rules and wants to argue (aka I rolled a 19 that is a possible crit. Sure if a 19 would hit, you need a natural 20 to hit this mob so therefore your 19 is not a possible crit it is just a miss.) 3rd player gets bored easily and has no consistency to his play. (one week he will use outflank with the other member of the group that has it, the next week he will just fly around and do fly/charge attacks).
I am not trying to attack these players, some nights they suddenly remember how to play it seems but most of the time they play like I relayed in the previous paragraph. I wonder if the GM can do something to make them into better players/pay more attention?
Well my roommate is home perhaps I can get her to play one of the pc I rolled up and work on some combats.
Thanks,
+J
If the experienced players arent willing to play low level games while you learn, kindly explain to them that you would be happy to let them run a game while you learn the rules.
I was actually kind of concerned with your original post of 'I was selected to DM'. Dont get bullied into this. If you are dm, be assertive, know your limits and operate the game within them. Right now your limits are low because you dont know alot.
If the experienced players arent willing to play low level games while you learn, kindly explain to them that you would be happy to let them run a game while you learn the rules.
I was actually kind of concerned with your original post of 'I was selected to DM'. Dont get bullied into this. If you are dm, be assertive, know your limits and operate the game within them. Right now your limits are low because you dont know alot.
+1
The first time you GM this is really important. If they don't want to GM and would rather you do it that's fine as long as you're willing, but under no circumstances should you let them push you faster then you feel ready for.
Personally I would start at 1st level regardless of what they want, it'll let you get accustomed to the rules, GMing, and making calls on how things work. If you feel overwhelmed, trying to jump in at a higher level is a bad idea.
They should should be understanding, in my experience most people tend to be if you are upfront and tell them that you need time to get comfortable GMing BEFORE the group starts getting higher level, and as mentioned above, if they aren't hand them the reins and tell them to run the game.
Another thing to keep in mind as you play, since some of your players have experience don't hesitate to ask for help if you aren't sure about a rule rather then bringing the game to a halt while you look things up. Also after the game look up anything you weren't sure about so you have a better handle on the rule in the future.
If you have two experienced players who are insisting that you GM for them despite your lack of system experience... I guess that's ok, maybe they just know they really dislike the GM role. However if they then start hassling you for not running the exact kind of game they wanted to play, that's antisocial bullying behavior and you should NOT under any circumstances put up with it, any more than you would put up with people twice your size pushing you to play full-contact football. If you're not comfortable running a game past intro-level characters at this time (and I sure wouldn't be without system experience), then don't do it. If they're not happy with playing intro characters, they can honestly find someone else to run a game exactly the way they like it. Remember: you can run the game without them. They can't play the game without you. This seems harsh but the fact of the matter is that you're doing them a service by agreeing to run a game for them. Hopefully you have some fun doing it too (if you don't, you should stop), but they cannot pretend that it is not a LOT more work for the GM than for the players.
If you are seriously brand-new to the d20/3.5e/Pathfinder system family, you are NOT ready to run a game with all the kooky things even 4th and 5th level characters can do. That's ok, no one should expect you to be. If these two players are expecting you to do that, you need to adjust their expectations to something more in line with reality. Personally I would be completely unwilling to GM a completely new system at all, ever, regardless of any other circumstances. So you're already putting up with more than I would.
As for your other players... yeesh, you've got a whole spectrum of difficult players there. Not sure what to tell you about that. I can try to handle them one by one, I suppose.
Attention-Deficit Pla--Ooh, Something Shiny!: Is this a younger player? Make sure this guy is actually having fun; the #1 cause of ADD play is someone who would rather be doing something else. Remember to ban handheld electronics at the table. This problem is unfortunately common and sometimes hard to solve. Look around this forum some; it shouldn't be hard to find a couple dozen threads about "what do I do about an ADD player?". My personal favorite policy is to note that a round is 6 seconds. If a player can't decide what he wants to do within 6 seconds, neither can his character. After missing 3 or 4 turns to indecision and/or inattention, they'll shape up or stop playing.
Rules Lawyer: the GM's ruling is final. Don't get into rules arguments at the table. EVER. I have actually been in situations as a player in which one of the other players was rules-lawyering, and I knew with stone-cold certainty that he was right, and I still supported the GM's opinion at the table. Even though I knew, by the rules as written, the GM was wrong. Because at the table, the GM's ruling is final. I am usually the official rules lawyer for our group because I have photographic memory, but even then I will almost never advance a dissenting opinion at the table unless our GM asks for it. Afterwards in private, or over email, sure, but not at the table.
Always Waiting For Someone Else: I honestly have never seen this behavior before. I have no idea what to tell you about this, except that again, make sure he actually wants to be playing Pathfinder. Make sure he has some idea of what his options actually are; maybe he's delaying simply because he doesn't know what else he should be doing. Does he honestly think his character is most effective this way? If so, dissuade him of this fantastically wrong-headed belief. Bring math if you have to. Even rogues shouldn't be delaying regularly. Like I said though, I really have no idea what would inspire this type of "play".
I whole heartedly agree with him.
The GM is the ONE IN CONTROL of the game, NOT the Players.The players just control their characters, but the GM controls world they are in
and the restrictions and rules of character creation.
If they have a problem with this, tell them to do DM it themselves.