Hello Paizo Community
I just got the Anniversary Edition of Rise of the Runelords. Haven't run any of paizo's adventure paths before and looking to make the first time gaming in about a year and a half the best it can be. I have 7 players showing up for the game.
I own the Core Book, Bestiary 1, Advanced Players Guide, Game Mastery Guide, and Gm Screen. In the intro for RotRL it recommends owning Bestiary 2 & 3, as well as the Inner Sea Guide, are these books necessary? Also what other products or aids should I look into having?
I'm thinking about limiting the books my players have excess to as I have about 4 "new" players, would the one's suggested in the intro lend well to the adventure path form a player standpoint? Also there are two player guides (the original and anniversary edition) for RotRL, should I have both for my players or is one better then the other/more relevant?
Any other tips,tricks, and overall suggestion would you give to making the experience memorable. I'm really trying to set the bar high on this on, putting best food forwards and all. Thanks.
Thanks all
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You will need the Bestiary 2 as you progress past the first couple of chapters, but I highly recommend picking up the Inner Sea Guide asap. It has the rules on the Harrower class, as well as all of the world notes you need. The Bestiary info can be found on the PRD until you have time to pick up the books, but the Inner Sea Guide is not part of the PRD, so grab that first.
You will need the Bestiary 2 as you progress past the first couple of chapters, but I highly recommend picking up the Inner Sea Guide asap. It has the rules on the Harrower class, as well as all of the world notes you need. The Bestiary info can be found on the PRD until you have time to pick up the books, but the Inner Sea Guide is not part of the PRD, so grab that first.
Thanks for the reply
What about the player guide's, they both seem very different? I would get both but I've seen there is some debate as to which one is more useful.
You don't really need bestiary 2 and 3 if you don't mind working from the PRD. I think they're nice to have though.
I've found that the Pawn Set and the face cards have been really useful.
You don't really need bestiary 2 and 3 if you don't mind working from the PRD. I think they're nice to have though.
I've found that the Pawn Set and the face cards have been really useful.
Hmm, ya I saw these. They look really useful. Should I get the pawn set as well as the bestiary box? And what about the item cards, they seem useful as a kinda of "physical reward" for players?
I could probably print out the monster stat blocks, until i can get the bestiary's. Would make combat a bit easier then always having the books out. Plus I could then print the monster pictures out for my players.
I've found the pawns to be super useful and a waaaay cheaper alternative to minis, so yeah, I'd suggest both pawn sets just in general. I haven't used or seen the item cards so I can't really comment on those.
As far as the players guide goes, I gave my players a link to the current PDF and let them use traits from it, the APG and the players guide to Varisia. I felt it worked pretty well.
I could probably print out the monster stat blocks, until i can get the bestiary's. Would make combat a bit easier then always having the books out. Plus I could then print the monster pictures out for my players.
If you're willing to print out pictures, the PDFs for those are only 10 bucks each.
I could probably print out the monster stat blocks, until i can get the bestiary's. Would make combat a bit easier then always having the books out. Plus I could then print the monster pictures out for my players.If you're willing to print out pictures, the PDFs for those are only 10 bucks each.
I was thinking of printing them off the PRD but buying the PDF's could work too.
What about maps/mats? If I do get the pawns I'll need something to put them on lolz
Beginner box looks useful as it has a mat and hero pawns, plus the rise of the runelord and base pawns should solve the "table" matter. only issue is its all rather pricey and i don't have have stands.
Hmm could I get away with not having the inner sea guide? both the Anniversary adventure path and the player guides seem to have plenty of info on the area and races.
The Inner Sea Guide is a great read, but not really necessary. Bestiary box comes with stands, they've been plenty for me so far. I just use a blank chessex map and a couple wet erase markers for the combats.
This map is actually made for the first combat in the AP though.
If you can't afford the Bestiary box and need stands for the RotRL pawns, you could probably use stands from a board game. Do you happen to have Arkham Horror?
If you can't afford the Bestiary box and need stands for the RotRL pawns, you could probably use stands from a board game. Do you happen to have Arkham Horror?
Sadly no, but I just made some changes to my budget so I should be fine. I don't have a mat yet, so the beginnner box seems like a great value as it has heroes,stands,and a mat.
So in summary
Rather then get Bestiary 2 & 3, I can just print monster blocks off of the PRD. Correct?
Rather then get the Inner Sea Guide, I can just have my players use the two free player guides Paizo offers. Correct?
Purchasing the beginner box, and pawn sets would be useful. As well as getting the item cards and face cards for the same reasons. Correct?
Any other suggestion? To be honest I haven't GM'd in a year and a half and I'm nervous :/
Also do adventure path assume pathfinder society?
At this point I have the follow books open to players
-Core
-APG
-RotRL Anni Ed Player Guide
-PPC Varisia, Birthplace of Legends
Are any more required? I just remembered info on the gods isn't contained in any of the books I have so the inner sea guide may be put back on the list.
For myself
-Core
-Gm screen
-Game mastery guide
-Rise of the Runelords Anni Ed
-Beginner box set
-Bestiary Pawn set
-Rise of the Runelords pawn set
-Bestiary 1(all relevant monsters will be printed off the PRD)
-RotRL Face Cards
-RotRL Item Cards
I may as well get the Inner sea guide too
How does this look?
Your list more or less is the same as the collection I bought to run the path. The face cards and item cards are a real plus,they are far from essential but add a nice reward to the players when meeting a new NPC or finding a new piece of loot.
If you can afford it I would add Giants and classic mosters revisited to this list. RotRL redefines many staple dungeons and dragons type monsters and having these books will give you a deeper understanding of these creatures and help really bring those encounters to life.
All of these are just accessories though that while helpful will not guarantee a good or fun game. That responsibility resides with you as GM :)
Also do adventure path assume pathfinder society?
Are you referring to the society that is part of the setting canon, or the living campaign?
The APs are not connected to the living campaign. The Pathfinder Society is part of the setting canon.
You may also find the Pathfinder Wiki useful for all of your canon needs.
Rise actually predates the Society as anything other than a fictional construct of Paizo's so you don't really need anything more than you already have. It is written with the expectation that the players will be 'wet behind the ears' heroes just starting out with little in the way of experience of the world beyond that necessary to have a class level & whatever more they might get from their Campaign trait & reading the Campaign Player's Guide.
You will likely need to adapt or increase your encounters to account for having almost twice the # of PC's the AP was written for however. I would recommend checking the boards for 'running the AP with larger # of players'. There have been a number of GM guides for just that topic.
Your list more or less is the same as the collection I bought to run the path. The face cards and item cards are a real plus,they are far from essential but add a nice reward to the players when meeting a new NPC or finding a new piece of loot.
If you can afford it I would add Giants and classic mosters revisited to this list. RotRL redefines many staple dungeons and dragons type monsters and having these books will give you a deeper understanding of these creatures and help really bring those encounters to life.
All of these are just accessories though that while helpful will not guarantee a good or fun game. That responsibility resides with you as GM :)
I may cut the cards for the time being, I can always get them later and dole them out to players. I'm really looking for tools here. I think I ran my best game when I ran the under mountain supplement wizards put out at the end of the 3.5 line. I had a mat, paper coin minis, and the campaign guide for forgotten realms. I guess in a way I'm trying to replicate that. Also is the Varisia, Birthplace of Legends a kind of replacement for the 3.5 RotRL players guide? The anniversary one doesn't contain a great deal of race/class based information where as the original did. Did Paizo create a all purpose guide for all there Varisia based adventures?
Would the Inner Sea Guide be enough to provide ample character options & details to the players? I want them to feel "part of" the world,and to have some level of investment in the lore. Also an idea of what races and classes are like in Varisia.
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Though the Inner Sea Guide is a good book, with a nice map, it is far from essential to run Rise of the Runelords. The Pathfinder Wiki is a useful alternative.
Good gaming. Post your progress. It is fun reading the different twist and turns from one campaign to another. Also, the campaign threads may provide good ideas for your campaign.
Would the Inner Sea Guide be enough to provide ample character options & details to the players? I want them to feel "part of" the world,and to have some level of investment in the lore. Also an idea of what races and classes are like in Varisia.
ISWG is certainly helpful if you want to include details about other parts of the world, but it's not strictly necessary. In other words, it's great to add flavor to hint at the goings-on in a larger world, but the action in the AP itself never leaves Varisia.
I bought the PDF. It's ten bucks very well-spent!
Alright I could print out the deity's section off the wiki. What about the Varisia guide? and class/race details?
I chopped down my purchase list to just the pawns and beginner box, would the Varisia guide be valuable for a RotRL game? Other posters have commented on its usefulness and a review here said the same. Is it really that good?(not to imply Paizo product aren't worth every penny)
Alright I could print out the deity's section off the wiki. What about the Varisia guide? and class/race details?
I chopped down my purchase list to just the pawns and beginner box, would the Varisia guide be valuable for a RotRL game? Other posters have commented on its usefulness and a review here said the same. Is it really that good?(not to imply Paizo product aren't worth every penny)
If any of the PCs are natives of Varisia or its major settlements, much less Sandpoint itself, Varisia: Birthplace of Legends is incredibly valuable for a Rise of the Runelords campaign. Quite apart from the two-page spreads given to the indigenous Varisian and Shoanti peoples and each of the major colony-cities (Riddleport, Magnimar and Korvosa), the 'roles' system gives you priceless recommendations on choosing classes, archetypes, traits, feats and other mechanics to craft a character who 'fits' Varisia.
Just ordered my list. Beginners box, bestiary pawns, RotRL Pawns, Face cards and inner sea guide. I had a moment to chat and consider my new groups experience as well as their interest in the setting. Generally interested in playing but experience ranges from little/rusty knowledge to overall technical knowledge of the system. I have 2 people that dig through the prd, srd, and pdf's for tools for characters but I have 5 people not familiar with pathfinder. So I'm gonna play to the least of my group, gonna keep them involved and excited but not overload them by handing them a ton of information and telling them they need to read it all. My most experienced players are more just happy to play and pretty easy going. Keeping it simple. I opted to get the inner sea guide as both to have it and also has a reference, and everything else is just functional. The Vasira guide seems useful, but I'll probable just grab it later, again keeping it simple.
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Sounds like good choices.
Sandpoint is an exceptional starting town with a rich variety of NPCs. It is a bit of work for the GM, but the more interplay between the PCs and NPCs, the better the overall gaming experience. There is a lot of information given to the GM that is hidden from the PCs. NPCs really help as a vehicle to convey the richness of Varisia, ancient Thassilonia, and Golarion as a whole.
The Inner Sea World Guide (ISWG) is an excellent introduction to the Golarion setting from a GM's perspective - which is why it is part of the Campaign Setting line. Among other goodies, the setting's history is more detailed, and a number of setting secrets are revealed.
The Inner Sea Primer (ISP) is part of the Player Companion line (like the Varisa guide), and as such is meant for players' eyes (unlike the ISWG). It gives a half-page summary for each country (including things like general alignment, capital, major races, major religions, languages spoken, and a symbol/flag), one-line or one-paragraph summaries of regions beyond the Inner Sea (e.g., Tian Xia, Vudra), one-paragraph descriptions of deities/philosophies, six Fighter and Wizard regional archetypes (three each), and a one-paragraph summary on various Golarion races (human and others). There is also a very brief one-page summary of history which is the kind of knowledge that a character could get from a decent education (it mentions concepts like Earthfall and a few dates prior Aroden's ascension to godhood, but most of the dates are from year 1/Age of Enthronement and Age of Lost Omens). There is a map on the inside front cover. As such, the ISP is an excellent introduction for players new to the Golarion setting.
One comment about the two different Player's Guides to RotRL: if I recall correctly, a little bit more of the AP's later monsters/villain/setting is revealed in the Introduction/character tips in the new PG than the older one. Specifically, it refers to Thassilon and the need for Giant hunters. Of course how much you want to reveal before the game even starts is up to you - YMMV. :)
The Inner Sea Magic book (campaign setting line) is also pretty good. It includes information on Thassilonian magic and other variant magic, plus goodies for just about every spellcaster in the system. Some of it is player-friendly, but as a GM I'd hold back other parts.
As others have mentioned above, the PDFs are a good deal. I understand that they are also easy to use if you want to cut-and-paste a particular piece of information for your players.
The on-line sources are also good, such as the wiki. For rules there is both the d20PFSRD (which includes some setting-relevant feats, traits, etc.) and Paizo's own PRD (which includes the CR, APG, UM, UC, ARG, and more). They are very useful for players who want to try alternatives to the more standard classes and races. Just beware that there is some 3PP stuff on the d20PFSRD, so you will have decide whether or not to allow it.
Oh yeah, and remember to check the RotRL forum here! :)