I'm going to be starting this AP in the next few months or so and some of my Players have been asking to Play some of the races beyond the Core ones, and was wondering about how some of your experiences in that has gone
1) I am at least going to ban any Aquatic subtypes for the AP because of the way the start is setup up ( they could just swim away). Any others you recommend that should not be playable?
2) been trying to look-up any of the Level Adjustments did they just due away with that in PF?
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1) I am at least going to ban any Aquatic subtypes for the AP because of the way the start is setup up ( they could just swim away). Any others you recommend that should not be playable?2) been trying to look-up any of the Level Adjustments did they just due away with that in PF?
Lots of different races fit well in this campaign. Most groups on these boards seem to have at least one, sometimes several, odd races.
1) I've got an Undine and it hasn't been unduly unbalancing. I'd hesitate a bit with a race that has waterbreathing, but one character with a swim speed is actually very helpful.
2) The Advanced Race Guide has ways to play all sorts of different races without any Level Adjustment. All those races can be found on the SRD.
Don't worry about aquatic races "getting away" in book one. As has been mentioned on other threads, the true threat of the Shackles is not of drowning, but of the nasties in the water. If the PC is an aquatic race, then you should remind them what they know: Yes, you can swim away from the boat on your own. No, you can't handle the smallest of encounters that you'll meet before reaching a safehaven. To put it in prospective: one shark is a CR2...
As to crew composition, the Shackles is the second most diverse region, only after Katapesh. Look at the crews from the books themselves. many are normal, but there are some pretty wild races mixed in.
My S&S DM had a merfolk in his other group and he had Scourge chain a cannonball to her tail. Sure she could swim away, but she would sink to the bottom and stay there until she starved/was eaten. You could do something similar for aquatic races if you're worried about them swimming away.. :-)
I am currently playing a Vanaran in the S&S game it's climb speed has proven to be most useful. I'm the best Sail Master we've encountered so far.
IronGolem
Given that pirates are a notoriously (blessedly?) diverse lot, this is actually one campaign where I'd be particularly reluctant to restrict races, especially aquatic-themed. As has been mentioned, yes, conditions are the ship are harsh, but they are positively deadly in the water. I would emphasize that on the first day aboard the Wormwood (maybe change the keelhauling to a chumming/shark-feeding). If you're particularly worried about it, ball and chain the PC during daylight and shackle them to the deck at night, but be sure to RP it as part of the conditions aboard the Wormwood rather than use it as a GM's "punishment" for choosing an aquatic race.
And yes, PF has done away with level adjustments. Check out the Advanced Race Guide for tips on incorporating various races as well as indicia as to what may be more powerful than a typical 1st level character.
I allowed the following races: Aasimar, Dwarf, Elf, Gillmen, Gnome, Gobelin, Half-Elf, Half-Orc, Halfling, Hobgoblin, Human, Kobold, Orc, Ratfolk, Sylph, Tengu, Tiefling, Undine.
As a result, I have two humans, an aasimar (azata-touched), a goblin and a hobgoblin. I think it's going to be very fun.
As for balance, I went for the following: 30-pt buy, but you have to "buy" the race as well. So the aasimar character had 15 pts, the humans 21, and so on (based on the calculations at the end of the ARG). I'm pretty happy with the result, to be honest, and so are the players.
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I allowed the following races: Aasimar, Dwarf, Elf, Gillmen, Gnome, Gobelin, Half-Elf, Half-Orc, Halfling, Hobgoblin, Human, Kobold, Orc, Ratfolk, Sylph, Tengu, Tiefling, Undine.
As a result, I have two humans, an aasimar (azata-touched), a goblin and a hobgoblin. I think it's going to be very fun.
As for balance, I went for the following: 30-pt buy, but you have to "buy" the race as well. So the aasimar character had 15 pts, the humans 21, and so on (based on the calculations at the end of the ARG). I'm pretty happy with the result, to be honest, and so are the players.
most of the ARG races are overcharged by tracking RP as part of the point buy due to having very nonsynergistic abilities. such as the fetchling and aasimaar, while some races offer powerful advantages for cheaper than dirt, such as the dwarf, the orc, and the goblin. i'd be less worried about the fetchling or aasimaar's point values than the huge strength bonus the orc gets practically for free. or the goblin's similarly huge amount of dexterity.
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Shuriken brings up a good point in regards to what has been said about racials.
I've worked on homebrew races myself, and I know the RP system doesn't work as intended.
Also, I'm always happy to see a free-minded DM around. It's a shame I can't join that campaign myself.
most of the ARG races are overcharged by tracking RP as part of the point buy due to having very nonsynergistic abilities. such as the fetchling and aasimaar, while some races offer powerful advantages for cheaper than dirt, such as the dwarf, the orc, and the goblin. i'd be less worried about the fetchling or aasimaar's point values than the huge strength bonus the orc gets practically for free. or the goblin's similarly huge amount of dexterity.
I was tinkering with this concept last night and came to the same conclusion, but I still liked the basic idea. So the concept I was toying with was giving players 15 Race Points with which to buy a race. Anything left over, they would divide in half and round down, then add to 18 points for abilities. You get a minimum of 18 and max of 21 or 22. Not a huge range but also tried to compensate a little for selection of what might be a more powerful race. (In the alternative, you could come up with your own "prices" for the races, or just dispense with the concept entirely.)