How long is a typical adventure path?

[James Jacobs]

magnuskn wrote:

Legacy of Fire had them start module two at level five, which is more like what you said.

Legacy of Fire also had an adventure that went about 6,000 words over wordcount and resulted in us dumping a support article in favor of just merging that article into the adventure itself.

[magnuskn]

Which isn't really feasible on a regular basis, I know, I know. ^^

Still, I'm all for more RP and less combat. :p

[HawaiianWarrior]

Troubled_child wrote:

This might not prove to be a popular suggestion but if the problem with having an advice section in the AP volumes (and I favour it, especially when it came to the gunpowder/skull and shackles debate) is space, rather than messing with the adventure design (a very complicated and difficult task) why not drop the fiction?

I agree, or at least alternate fiction with other content. Myself, I have absolutely zero use for the other material in the adventure, and it just seems like bulk filler to me. I'm sure there are others who disagree.

[Steve Geddes]

James Jacobs wrote:

Steve Geddes wrote:

I'd also be curious as to whether a fast-track AP would ever be considered or what the downsides to that (beyond DM preferences) might be?

The main downside to a fast-track Adventure Path would be that GMs who prefer to run slow track games would have to do more work, and GMs who have gotten used to us doing the Medium track would have a possibly jarring experience switching over to a new style of play.

That said... the Rise of the Runelords revision does use the fast track.

Of course... in the long run, the difference between slow, medium, and fast tracks is about a level apiece...

Thanks James. It makes sense for Paizo to aim for the middle ground, in an attempt to be as widely useful as possible. I just wondered if there was some other, unforeseen issue too. Cheers.

Quote:

Probably worth keeping in mind that with Jade Regent, that format was still BRAND new. We were still sorting it out and figuring out how best to use it. And we were already starting Skull & Shackles before we had a significant amount of feedback on the new format, so really... it's not until Shattered Star that what we've learned in that customer feedback category is really starting to flesh out.

And the primary thing I've learned is that 4 NPCs is too much. For Shattered Star, it'll usually be just 2 NPCs, and they'll generally skew toward NPCs whom the PCs have more contact with... but we WILL still feature bad guy NPCs who need a bit more backstory to them.

An excellent adjustment, imo.

[Enlight_Bystand]

hogarth wrote:

James Jacobs wrote:

Actually... the reason story-based XP awards are in our Adventure Paths is because I'm a firm believer in giving out XP for non-combat resolutions to encounters, and for roleplaying, and for other things that happen to advance an adventure's plot without the PCs needing to roll initiative. Doesn't really have anything to do with padding XP totals at all.

I also like story awards (if I'm using XP at all, that is).

Nevertheless, I thought I read somewhere that there were more story rewards in the Medium xp track adventure paths compared to the Fast track adventure paths. My brain tends to make up random stuff, though.

This has probably come because of the way that XP awarding changed between 3.5 & pathfinder. I 3.5 they all had to be done in the form of 'as if you defeated a CR x creature', rather than the fixed amount that Pathfinder can give.

[Troubled_child]

James Jacobs wrote:

Replacing fiction with 6 pages of "How to adapt the adventure" advice wouldn't be much different though... 'cause guess who the best person to write that article would be? That's right... the person who's most familiar with the adventure in its final form—the developer who's already got his 40+ hour week full developing the maximum sized of a monthly adventure he can develop. Shifting this to another employee or writer would be fantastically inefficient, since that would mean that employee would have to become an expert on every adventure AND would have to be a great adventure developer (something we still have a shortage on at Paizo, frankly)... and he'd have to do so in about half the time the primary developer has to do the whole adventure since the ship date can't really change and he can't START this process until the developer's done with the adventure.

I appreciate the constraints your under and that a lot of time it must seem like we're throwing our toys out of the pram. That said one page in the first book being given over to some basic advice is not beyond the realms of sanity. I don't think anybody is looking for a step by step guide to overhauling every encounter (there's a statement that will come back to haunt me as thousands of voices cry out "that's exactly what we want!"). At the end of the day though I understand that you can't please everybody.

[Dorian 'Grey']

I have yet to run an AP. This will change when I receive the special edition of "Rise...". I was wondering does each AP have 1st level starting PCs and are they expected to make 20th by the end of the Path?

[hogarth]

Dorian 'Grey' wrote:

I have yet to run an AP. This will change when I receive the special edition of "Rise...". I was wondering does each AP have 1st level starting PCs and are they expected to make 20th by the end of the Path?

They all start at level 1. None of the Pathfinder adventure paths will get you to level 20, although Rise of the Runelords might get you close.

The adventure paths from Dungeon magazine go from 1 to 20.

[Dorian 'Grey']

hogarth wrote:

Dorian 'Grey' wrote:

I have yet to run an AP. This will change when I receive the special edition of "Rise...". I was wondering does each AP have 1st level starting PCs and are they expected to make 20th by the end of the Path?

They all start at level 1. None of the Pathfinder adventure paths will get you to level 20, although Rise of the Runelords might get you close.

The adventure paths from Dungeon magazine go from 1 to 20.

Thank you Hogarth. This is my initial foray into DMing a PF setting and I hope to receive the AP tomorrow so I can "study" up on it. I plan to run by next month with 4-6 players. Any suggestions as to what or what not to allow. I really would like to stick with base races and core books (PF only). Thanks again...

[Coridan]

Rotr gets to about 17th

[hogarth]

Dorian 'Grey' wrote:

This is my initial foray into DMing a PF setting and I hope to receive the AP tomorrow so I can "study" up on it. I plan to run by next month with 4-6 players. Any suggestions as to what or what not to allow. I really would like to stick with base races and core books (PF only). Thanks again...

There's tons of good advice in the Rise of the Runelords forum; you should probably ask there and also look through the various existing advice threads. Good luck!

Link: http://paizo.com/paizo/messageboards/paizoPublishing/pathfinder/adventurePa th/runelords