First Adventure Path

[Draagnaj]

Hello,
Forgive me if this is the wrong thread to post this in. I have searched and could not find one previously addressing this topic.

I am planning on running an AP in the next month that will include 3-4 players (wife - first RPG, brother - has played numerous video RPGs and we have played a few sessions of 4th edition together, 2 friends whom are into fantasy novels and games like Skyrim). I will be the DM and am looking for an AP that may cater more to what we enjoy. The reason I am hoping to run it in Pathfinder over 4th edition, is mostly due to reviews that I have read giving great regards to the stories from the adventure paths by Paizo.

I have built, and am currently building a large variety of Hirst Arts dungeon pieces that I am hoping to utilize as much as possible. I have 2 vampire pledges coming in the next month (I hope). Thus, I would like an AP that spends as much time in classic dungeon and castle settings as possible to utilize the hirst arts pieces. I know it can be a burden to try and set up with these pieces, but we have the space, and my wife is a very visual person. Any advise that can be offered, I would greatly appreciate it. Thank you

[tonyz]

I'd do Rise of the Runelords.

[Byrdology]

tonyz wrote:

I'd do Rise of the Runelords.

That's what I was thinking actually!

[ShaperMC]

I too would advise RotRL, but also toss out the possibility of Carrion Crown since you mentioned Vampires. RotRL is the best supported and cheapest, but CC is also well supported and we'll regarded. Good luck!

[sgtrocknroll]

ShaperMC wrote:

I too would advise RotRL, but also toss out the possibility of Carrion Crown since you mentioned Vampires. RotRL is the best supported and cheapest, but CC is also well supported and we'll regarded. Good luck!

He doesn't mean literal vampires, he's talking the Reaper Kickstarter miniatures shipment that effectively has 150+ figs per pledge at the Vampire Level of donation, and he has two sets coming.

I have one too, along with three sets of paints, two or three big figs and two cases....

[GeraintElberion]

Shattered Star is, intentionally, heavy on dungeons.

That said, I would also recommend Rise of the Runelords: Great story, great introduction to Golarion (the campaign setting) and you'll use your hisrt arts pieces a lot.

Decent range of foes as well, so you'll get a decent use out of the Reaper minis (paint up all of your goblins first, you'll need them for the first part and those reaper minis are based on the Paizo art).

[Draagnaj]

Thank you for all of the advise. I think I will go ahead and give rise of the runelords a go. Ive been looking through the collectors edition and it is great. It sure makes me wish they would release the other APs in this fashion. Thank you again for all of your input.

[Pan]

Let me go against the grain and recommend Kingmaker. I think your players having backgrounds with skyrim would appreciate the sandbox feel of the game. Also, its cool getting to run your own kingdom. Of course if you are looking for something more traditional then Rise is a fine choice.

[Ansel Krulwich]

If you're doing RotRL and you're new to the Pathfinder RPG (couldn't quite tell but it seems that way from your first post), I'd advise sticking to the Core Rulebook for character creation. Maybe also the Advanced Players Guide if you're feeling confident. Fewer character options makes learning the system a lot easier and you won't have gunslingers and synthesists tearing through your bosses.

[Draagnaj]

Thank you for the thoughts. The players that I am playing with will need a little more guidance; perhaps kingmaker as as the next AP ;). I think for simplicity, sticking with the core players is a good idea; thank you.

[Byrdology]

Shattered star is a DM headache! Not very well written, and Tedious as all heck fire. The first part of the book, you almost die from encounters, and the second half you almost die from boredom. And the maps are ridiculous. Second book is ok so far though.

[FallofCamelot]

This question comes up a lot and every answer on here is both wrong and right at the same time.

The answer is which one sounds right for you. You will get champions of all the adventure paths here, they are all good. Pick one that excites you and your group.

Do some research, talk with your players and then decide which one you want to play as a group.

I will not give recommendations but feel free to PM me or ask me here and I will give you a breakdown of each AP, the positives and the negatives.

There is no single right answer here.

[Haladir]

I would also recommend Runelords Anniversary Editions as the AP. It's a good mix of dungeon, urban, and wilderness adventuring and is well-suited to a standard balanced party (fighter, cleric, magic-user, thief).

I'd also recommend a Core Rulebook Only game for first-time Pathfinder players. Once you open up beyond that, it can get really confusing. (That's how I run my game, but I do allow occasional stuff from other books on a case-by-case basis.)

As for the players guides-- I'd give them access to the background and traits from the anniversary edition players guide, but also the "fluff" information from the original edition guide. (Be sure to tell them to ignore the feats and equipment section from the original players guide.) It includes an overall primer to some basics of adventuring in Varisia, and has a summary of the town of Sandpoint and its denizens that's sorely lacking in the AE players guide.

You might also want to pick up a copy of the Players Companion Varisia: Birthplace of Legends. That includes updated rules for the equipment found in the original edition players guide, as well as more traits and more info on playing a character from one of the larger cities of Varisia (Korvosa, Magnimar, Riddleport, Kaer Maga, and Janderhoff).

Good luck!