Dealing with high stats - is this overkill?

[Mahavira]

My group started playing pathfinder not that long ago (well actually quite a while but we haven't been playing regularly due to RL responsibilities). We finished 3.5 with Savage Tide and Shackled City, using gestalts. With a party of 3, and high stats, in those 3.5 modules we found ourselves starting later modules higher level than we were expected to reach by the end of the modules (in shackled city we outright skipped one), and ran roughshod over most encounters (not sure how much of that was due to gestalting and how much was due to higher level and loot split only 3 ways). Now that we've started pathfinder APs, we're alternating between my DMing Carrion Crown and the other DM running Jade Regent (I went first). Thinking that it was time to get people used to less generous character generation, I made the PCs roll, and got supermen. Thinking that to go with the horror theme I didn't want people levelling to outstrip the module, I decided to divide xp by 4 not 3 (this was also to counteract the high stats). This wasn't a big problem in Harrowstone (all told I was quite pleased with how it turned out, challenge wise) but I'm getting the impression this won't last - Schloss Caromarc is almost certainly going to TPK (this is in part because the PCs are ill suited to the encounters - the arcanist is a sorcerer whose spells are mostly subject to SR and the lead melee is a 2 weapon ranger - lots of weak attacks is exactly what NOT to have here). If/when the denizens of the Schloss rack up another party to their tally, I am probably moving to Shattered Star or Runelords (anniversary), and was wondering how people manage xp with smaller groups - without the complication of gestalts, is the action economy enough that being higher level isn't a big deal?

[DBH]

We have a group of four in our adventures, with one being the DM we have the DM run the fourth character as a DM's NPC.

People run the characters they want and the DM's character is whatever is needed (usually a Cleric).

Just make sure as a DM you never regard the NPC as your character and keep them in the background, no decision making or choosing where the party goes ETC.

It's worked for us for a long time now.

DBH

[Firstbourne]

DBH wrote:

We have a group of four in our adventures, with one being the DM we have the DM run the fourth character as a DM's NPC.

People run the characters they want and the DM's character is whatever is needed (usually a Cleric).

Just make sure as a DM you never regard the NPC as your character and keep them in the background, no decision making or choosing where the party goes ETC.

It's worked for us for a long time now.

DBH

Yes.

As a DM who has a very small group (2 players and myself) I usually have 2 DM NPCs that are part of the party. I find ways to keep them out of the spotlight and they tend to help drive the plot forward when necessary. It works. I've done it through 3 APs now, and will be doing it again in Shattered Star soon.

[GeraintElberion]

I tend to avoid DM-PCs, especially because they can become railroads when they "drive the plot forward".

In small groups I would rather just give the players two PCs each.

Often they'll match them up (brothers, husband-and-wife, tribal affiliation, etc.) or give them contrasting skills so that the player can always be involved (like playing a fighter and a wizard).

[Firstbourne]

GeraintElberion wrote:

I tend to avoid DM-PCs, especially because they can become railroads when they "drive the plot forward".

In small groups I would rather just give the players two PCs each.

Often they'll match them up (brothers, husband-and-wife, tribal affiliation, etc.) or give them contrasting skills so that the player can always be involved (like playing a fighter and a wizard).

They are only railroads if you let them be. You are, after all, the GM/DM/Narrator/etc.

Some players can handle two characters at once, and some can not. Just as apparently some DMs can handle DM PCs and some can not.

Do what is best for your group. As long as everyone is having fun, you're doing it right.

[Aldarionn]

I'm thinking about running a DMPC for Shattered Star myself. My play group consists of 4 of us, 3 players and a DM, and right now I have one of the players playing two characters in Skull and Shackles. That player ended up being the captain (now admiral), and so he makes most of the party decisions with some input from another player. The healer character just doesn't have much to do. I should have had him run the second character to get him more involved, or just used Sandara Quinn as a 4th party member, but it's too late now. Lesson learned. If I run the DMPC this time around it will probably be a healer, or if that's not necessary, a rogue type. Most parties are missing one of the two.

As for overpowered stats, my Skull And Shackles party are way OP and they still have had some close calls. I'm limiting the party to 20 point buy this time around instead of the 25 point buy I did with the last one. It should make for less powerful characters and more need for inter-party synergy. Hopefully it works out. I can't see running one of these on 15 point buy like they suggest. It's just not enough.

[ferrinwulf]

Pretty much as Aldarionn says, I have 3 players and I'm running skull and shackles. 20 point buy instead of 15 to compensate. We have never used XP as there is too much bookkeeping so I just go with the AP and level the party up in one go when the adventure says by this point the party should be x level.