Hello all,
I've been a longtime lurker on these messageboards, former D&D 2nd Edition player as a kid, and recent purchaser of the Pathfinder Beginner Box.
Despite the fact that many of the posters here tend to view the BB as "rules lite for ease of introducing a new generation to RPG's", I love it for the reason that it's also "rules lite for people that were intimidated by the time requirement to learn the full game" like me. I'm getting close to running my first adventure in 20 years with me as GM and my brother as my lone player for now (one more player hopefully inbound by April), and was hoping to get some advice from the team about planning out out "learn the ropes" adventures:
Ok I guess that's it! My first post here with hopes for many more experiences with this community!
Thanks for your time.
Hello all,
I've been a longtime lurker on these messageboards, former D&D 2nd Edition player as a kid, and recent purchaser of the Pathfinder Beginner Box.
Despite the fact that many of the posters here tend to view the BB as "rules lite for ease of introducing a new generation to RPG's", I love it for the reason that it's also "rules lite for people that were intimidated by the time requirement to learn the full game" like me. I'm getting close to running my first adventure in 20 years with me as GM and my brother as my lone player for now (one more player hopefully inbound by April), and was hoping to get some advice from the team about planning out out "learn the ropes" adventures:
Given the fantastic additional support it looks like RotRL will be receiving in June (Hardcover Edition, New NPC Cards and a Monster Pawn Set), I'd like to work my brother the solo adventurer toward potentially running that path when it re-releases. Am I safe to assume that if I keep him in/around Sandpoint as described in the BB I'll not conflict with the RotRL story?
Second Question Omitted -- I think you guys have done a nice job of giving "To run solor or not" advice to another poster recently and I don't want to be "that guy" asking the same question. My assumption is that if I use the advice in that thread I should be able to adjust fire with the AP based on a more limited number of players.
Although the back pages of the BB material hint at "what's next" as players like me transition from the BB to the Core Rules, there doesn't seem to be an obvious list of the major rules differences that exist between BB and Core Rules. Does such a list exist anywhere or are the differences just too numerous? Perhaps this request is silly; I guess I was hoping for something like "Ok the major differences in combat are the addition of (for example) Combat Maneuvers, found on p.210 of the Core Rulebook, the other changes are really mostly additional options like more classes, more races, more spells, more equipment...
Let me first start this off by formally welcoming you to the forums, good to have another member!!! Now on to your questions, I'll answer them to the best of my ability.
1. You should be able to run around Sandpoint to your hearts desire and not step on any toes of RotRL, as it starts at a very specific moment in Sandpoint.
2. Running the Beginner Box adventure solo and Running Burnt Offerings solo are two entirely animals, I'm not saying it's impossible, but the farther you go into the AP the harder it's going to be. One suggestion that I have for when I run my neice, and my cousin through their first AP is throw in a GMPC, to shore up a few chinks in their group, what you might want to do is add in the GMPC and allow your brother to run a second character.
3. The biggest change from the BB to Core is basically combat maneuvers and a huge amount of new feats, races, skill classes and spells, it's not that hard to navigate once you have the BB rulesset down pat, though as a warning the sheer number of options and choices can be pretty damn staggering. Think of it as the BB a refreshing glass of water and the core a fire hose. That being said, I sincerely hope you and your brother enjoy your adventures in Golarion!!!
Chief Technical Officer
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Am I safe to assume that if I keep him in/around Sandpoint as described in the BB I'll not conflict with the RotRL story?
If it fits in your budget, you may want to grab the PDF of Pathfinder #1, which includes a couple of articles that detail Sandpoint. And either way, check out the free PDF of the Rise of the Runelords Player's Guide, which also has a little bit of info on the town.
...there doesn't seem to be an obvious list of the major rules differences that exist between BB and Core Rules
We're working on a PDF that will help people make that transition, but it'll be a while yet.
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The major differences I've found are:
- No Combat Maneuvers
- No Attacks of Opportunity
- Only Humans, Elves, Dwarves
- Only Barbarians, Clerics, Fighters, Rogues, and Wizards
- All races are size Medium so Size Modifiers are only built into monster stats and not an element of the game
- Only 4 PC deities: Desna, Erastil, Goram, Sarenrae
- All players get only 1 attack per round
- Reduced list of Skills
- Reduced list of Feats
- Reduced list of Spells
- Reduced list of Equipment
- Reduced list of Magic Items
- No Encumbrance (your race and armor determine your speed)
- No Armor Check Penalties
- No Special Materials (Mithril, Adamantine, etc)
Some things that are in BB rules are:
- Flanking
- Cover and Concealment
- Critical Hits
- Charging
- Surprise
Thanks for all of the help guys! Great stuff here. I made the right choice going with Pathfinder.
I'll make sure to post to let you know how the 1st session goes!