Hey all.
I'm new to this pathfinder system and have some questions.
I secretly played D&D in high school from 98-99 (no one ever imagined it either) and played while on deployments in the coast guard from 2000-2005, but haven't played since. I've got the bug to play again and stumbled upon this pathfinder society and I'm kind of interested in it.
Is this system like D&D?
Is it a dice based game like D&D?
How long does a campaign last?
How often do players meet?
How important are these factions and how do they work?
Can I just roll up a character, register it, and jump in an already going game?
All and all I guess I'm just looking for a run down of the game. I've read the "About Pathfinder" and the "Get Involved" section on the website... but it really doesn't explain much.
Also, I'm in the ST. Pete area of florida if there is anyone looking for another player.
Respectfully
Brian
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Hi Militarymisfit:
A) I see Pathfinder as D&D 3.75. That is , its foundation is D&D 3.5 system. Since its likely you last played using Thaco and perhaps AD&D 2nd Im guessing, there are some foundational changes to consider.
B) Yes. Dice based game. D20 primarily for actions followed by other dice for damage, spell effects etc
C)Games generally last between 4-5 hours. The hard cap is 5 hours (ie thats the limit)
D) AS often as they want. Pathfinder Society games (you are posting in the Pathfinder society section so I assume you wish to play Society games). Games are organised via interested groups, held in peoples homes.. in rpg shops , halls etc. Some places use warhorn.net to plan their tables (ie what scenario will be playing and what characters people will bring)
E) The faction systems brings an element of a game within as game to Pathfinder Society. Its not the first living style campaign to use this system. Your character is a Pathfinder, which basically means he/she is a individual who has signed up to the Pathfinder Society (a group of occasionally benevolent adventurers who are all about the exploration of the setting and finding things). Within the society are different factions who want different things. Most of these factions are nation based (ie a Chelaxian faction with ties to Cheliax). Your character would do a quest for a certain faction whilst you are participating in the main quest
F) You would be creating a level 1 character using the rules from the guide to organised play. (you can find most of this stuff in the Pathfinder Society link to the left of where I am typing this). There is no rolling of stats. Every 3 scenarios you gain a level so advancement can be quick. Characters cap out at 12th level.
G) If you have a game shop in your area.. (use a google search to locate one) they may run games out of it. The best thing to do is locate your nearby Venture Captain or Venture Lieutenant (basically volunteers charged with expanding the regions with Pathfinder Society games) and they could possibly point you at a local game.
There is also a way on this site to search for games that are being run. Id point you to it but Ive never actually used it myself , so Ill let someone else after me do that for you.
Welcome to the Society!
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If you played any of the third edition D&D (which you may have in that 2000-2005 time frame) Pathfinder is very similar. Campaigns are ongoing story lines, and they can last a long time, especially if it is a home game. Pathfinder Society adventures usually last about four hours for one mission. If you check out the link to the left that says "PRD", most of the rules are there to look at. Start with the Core Rulebook and go from there.
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D) AS often as they want. Pathfinder Society games (you are posting in the Pathfinder society section so I assume you wish to play Society games).
Just to clarify this a little bit...
Pathfinder is the name of the game system. As Matthew noted, the Pathfinder game was developed using D&D 3.5 as its base.
Pathfinder Society is what's called an "organized play" campaign. It's one way to play Pathfinder, but it's not the only way. If, from your days playing D&D, you'd ever heard of the RPGA, or Living Greyhawk, it's a similar idea. In Pathfinder Society, you have to follow a particular set of character creation and advancement rules, but you can play that same character in Pathfinder Society games at your local game store, at conventions, at people's homes, and even online.
One downside to Society play, which some people see, is that you don't necessarily have the same level of story continuity, or party continuity, which you do with a home campaign -- the stories within the adventures are generally not as tightly-knit as you would have in a dedicated home campaign, and you might have a completely different set of players (and characters) from week to week.
However, there are many people who play Pathfinder who have no connection to the Pathfinder Society campaign; they're just playing home campaigns using the Pathfinder rules, in the same way that you and your friends probably did when you played D&D. In those cases, the answers to some of your questions are going to vary, depending on the preferences of the individual group.
