New to Pathfinder

[terry simms 721]

is the pathfinder RPG game ok for a new player?,have played a few other RPG games in my time,i know i can buy the beginner set but seeing that i will need to buy the core book anyway what do peeps think?

[Lincoln Hills]

It has a fairly steep learning curve. On the other hand, when you're starting out as a player rather than a GM you can focus on the rules sets specific for your class and "learn by doing," as long as you have a group that's fairly supportive about helping you out.

If you're planning to GM, on the other hand, it might be best to start with the Beginner's Box. It contains the skeleton of the rules and you'll be better-positioned to expand out into the remaining rules. (Also, you won't have to try to track down minis and a battlegrid unless you really want to.)

[Benoc]

well as a completely brand new player, ive only played 4 sessions. that includes 1 4e game and 3 games of me gming pathfinder and i dont really have to much problem with it. there are some rules i dont quite understand but i work them out as needed. if everyone in the group is new/new to pathfinder a couple tutorial games really help. also ive started using a short list of the more complicated rules on a piece of paper to save time.

[Kolokotroni]

It depends heavily on what those other rpgs were. If they were for instance dnd 3.0 or 3.5 then you would probably be ok. If they were a system heavily divorced from pathfinder (say vampire for instance) then you would have a far more difficult time as a new player just diving into pathfinder. You cartainly can, but then it depends on the circumstance.

What would your gaming situation be? Are you looking to create a group? Join an existing group? Bring friends from another rpg into pathfinder? As a new player if you can play with players who know the system well, it isnt a problem. I have recently introduced 2 completely new to pathfinder players to the game in my group, and they are adapting well. But it was because I and the other experienced players in my group could offer them guidance.

That said, we have all started out knowing little or nothing about the game. You absolutely can just pick up the book and start playing with a whole new group. You will make mistakes but thats ok, we have all done that from time to time (and we still do). And sometimes those make for great stories anyway.

[Mage Evolving]

If you're going to play the game then I say buy the core book. If you want to DM then use the box. Either way before you start you should try and stop by a pathfinder society game at a local comic book/gaming store and sit in on an adventure.

I came from a 2ed/Vampire background and had little trouble getting a hang of the basics. What ever you do just play the game so that you are having has much fun as you can.

[Lincoln Hills]

Mage Evolving wrote:

...What ever you do just play the game so that you are having has much fun as you can.

Yeah, don't be fooled by what you see on these boards. Pathfinder is not actually about mathematical optimization, presenting your opinions as facts, and being petty. That's just what message boards are about. ;) Welcome to the game.

[Pappy]

Lincoln Hills wrote:

Mage Evolving wrote:

Yeah, don't be fooled by what you see on these boards. Pathfinder is not actually about mathematical optimization, presenting your opinions as facts, and being petty. That's just what message boards are about. ;) Welcome to the game.

Hahaha! This is so true!

Welcome to the game. Many, many years of good fun await.

[Melvin McSnatch]

I thought I would hijack this thread for a moment...

I'm about to bring my 3.x game to Pathfinder since I like a lot of the feat/archetype rules and I think my players will appreciate the customization without collecting 172 splat books, of which 6 pages will be useful. CM rules just close the sale. But I am concerned about a few rules making things way easier than 3.x.

Namely: # of channeling, unlimited orisons (to a lesser extent), misc. feats and class specific issues.

To be honest, I haven't gotten my Bestiary yet, so I've only poked around the SRD so far. Seems like everything is slightly higher HP and damage with lower attack. Does this balance things out? Is the risk of death still there?

Seriously, our Cleric can do 5 x channels a day plus cure spells. I like that there's a lot less resting involved, but in a single battle that's an insane amount of healing. I don't try to kill my players, but we actually enjoy the risk of death in our game.

Any thoughts on how the two systems compare in this manner?

[Lincoln Hills]

I only switched from 3.0 (!) to PF last year, so my experience is sorely limited, but I can assure you that the risk of death is alive and well (if very slightly reduced from 3rd Edition.) The unlimited orisons do change a few things, but not as much as you'd think (notice that cure minor wounds disappeared). The cleric's channel ability is great when the entire group is taking minor damage, but against damage concentrated on one PC the cleric's far better off sticking with spontaneous healing.

You'll also find a thread drifting around these boards called something like "Things you think people don't know about PF." It encapsulates a lot of the changes in the form of a list (a fairly large list)... can, uh, can somebody better than me at Web-Fu give Melvin a hyperlink reference?