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Note, I live in Poway (a suburb of San Diego, California, U.S.A.), and I will not be able to attend GenCon this year, so I may be out of luck, but ... I have questions about joining:
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It's your choice this faction, but remember that the Pathfinder Society is for a good boys and you must help all the members and is a teamwork system.
You can be from Cheliax or Sczarni but remember that you cannot be evil, PFS it's a system for all party funny system.
If Paracountess has problems is not your problem, you work for Pathfinder Society first, then for Cheliax faction, not the Paracountess if she haas problems another leader will take the leadership of the Faction.
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What classes are in short supply? (i.e., if I created a character what would be most "useful" given that I have no idea what group I would be joining?)
Reading the current (v4.3) Guide, the faction that most interest me is Cheliax Is there a better option?
Also, I have purchased a run a couple of PFS adventures, do I need to disclose that at any point?
1. Play what you want to play - shortages seem to be local and self-correcting. The most "useful" characters have more than one way to contribute both in combat and skill checks, provide for their own health and protection and have ways to deal with various difficult situations. You're very much right to make no assumptions about who or what else will be in your group for any scenario.
3. You must tell your GM if you have prior knowledge of an adventure and refrain from spoiling it for others at the table. Otherwise, if you weren't in a position to report those games, it shouldn't affect your legal characters one way or the other.
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What classes are in short supply? (i.e., if I created a character what would be most "useful" given that I have no idea what group I would be joining?)
Play what you want to play.
1) PFS isn't so difficult that... oddly balanced parties can't succeed without a little work.
2) Veteran players usually have more than one character to bring to a table, especially at lower levels. They'll usually ask what we have and then fill in the missing food group.
3) You can do a lot with available magic items, and PFS makes them VERY readily available.
With that said, I don't often see a healer or cleric because it can be a little boring. Strait wizards are still a little lacking, even though recent rules changes made it easier for them to stock up on spells. Slogging through the low levels for wizards is less than fun generally, so many people go right for the "me hit thing with stick NOW!" type character.
Have something your character can do in combat- Do not make a strait up skill monkey. You WILL be fighting. Your comrades are counting on you to watch their back and kill the monster before it eats them.
Have something your character can do out of combat. PFS rewards versatility and skill points. You could be hip deep in otyugh guts or up to your cufflinks in entitled nobility on any given day.
Reading the current (v4.3) Guide, the faction that most interest me is Cheliax (... but I hear that Paracountess Zarta Dralneen is in a lot of trouble right now, so that may not be a good choice). Is there a better option?
Go for it.. DOn't worry, its the Shadow lodge and lantern lodge that got the axe, and a nice parting gift.
Also, I have purchased a run a couple of PFS adventures, do I need to disclose that at any point?
If you've read it you're supposed to tell the dm. Most are pretty cool with it.
B.t.w., how can I find out who is the coordinator for north part of San Diego (what is called "North County" locally)?
Sorry, answered my own question: And there is a PFS group within Poway itself.
It appears that I have "much to do" ;)
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B.t.w., how can I find out who is the coordinator for north part of San Diego (what is called "North County" locally)?
Sorry, answered my own question: And there is a PFS group within Poway itself.
It appears that I have "much to do" ;)
OH! Remember that you can rebuild your character before you actually play at level 2, that includes trying out a barbarian at scenario 1, a wizard for scenario 2, and a bard for scenario three before you play scenario 4 as a ranger- so don't worry about getting it perfect the first time.
I live in PowayThen you, my friend, are in luck. Check out the game day at At Ease Games--it's a great crowd and a great store. They can also help with any questions you have about how the organized play system works. :)
Yes, that is the location I found.
Unfortunately, my current work schedule is night shifts, so the Monday evening sessions are not a good option. However, I will need to look into the Saturday sessions ... and if they are running any Tier 1 scenarios that day.
Another stupid question not clarified by the Guide.
How much, pre-game background is permitted/expected of a new (lvl 1) character?
I know I have to choose a faction, and traits, and provide a short physical description (how long/detailed should this be by the way?), for example, does knowing what Golden Erinyes monastery my Isgeri Orphan Asmodean Cleric grew up in matter?
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Another stupid question not clarified by the Guide.
How much, pre-game background is permitted/expected of a new (lvl 1) character?
I know I have to choose a faction, and traits, and provide a short physical description (how long/detailed should this be by the way?), for example, does knowing what Golden Erinyes monastery my Isgeri Orphan Asmodean Cleric grew up in matter?
In the group that I play with Introductions usually go like this: Name, race, what is the character wearing (appearance only, rarely specifics) and anything that you think your character would tell co-workers (co-adventurers) he/she just met.
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First: Don’t worry about it too much if there is not a Tier 1 game in session on the day you go. You can play a pregen and then get the rewards applied to your PC once it gets to that level.
Second: I would not say there is any global lack in a particular class. As others have said for one thing if there are none of something for a while then others start building them and there are suddenly a bunch of them.
I would say I see.
Hybrid > martial > full caster > skill monkey
I’ve been seeing a lot of alchemists lately. I’m told that is because of the goodies they got in some of the recent source books. But that is just my area.
I recommend against making anything to hyper specialized.
If you dump all your mental stats, take no skills, and become the ultimate DPR melee machine – well, you will do good in most of the combats but there will be times when skill are needed to complete your personal mission (as opposed to the group mission).
If you make a pacifist skill monkey you can handle all the skill checks, but there will be combats. If you can’t contribute at all to them people may not be as glad to see you.
Ok, you are the ultimate disarm expert. But what if this scenario you are fighting ghosts?
Etc…
Super specialized can work in a home game where you can plan with the other players to cover all the basics. But you don’t know what you will get in a PFS session. So it tends to work better if everyone can do at least something in most situations.
So make your DPR machine but maybe a few ranks in knowledge local and sense motive so you can help outside of combat.
You can contribute a high skill PC but put some feats into something like archery so you can shoot things in combat.
Build a guy to disarm opponents. But he better have an effective way to combat things that don’t have weapons.
Some other things to keep in mind:
- I almost always recommend enough ranks in UMD so that you can activate a wand outside of combat.
- Always keep a wand of cure light wounds or infernal healing on every PC (you can always ask someone else to use it on you). Don’t rely on someone else to be there to heal you.
- Highly recommend a few scrolls, potions, or a wand of lesser restoration.
- After just a few levels, have a way to deal with enemies that have DR.
- Many players refuse to put any money into consumables. Especially in PFS, I feel this is a bad choice. I have seen several missions saved only because of consumables. A friend of mine has a fighter that buys scrolls (especially Pro From Evil and Levitate) that he can’t use. But if we know the BBEG is an enchanter, there is usually someone in the group that can use the scroll on him so he doesn’t get dominated and pulp his allies. But there might not have been someone in the group who would have Pro From Evil as an available spell. PFS is generous enough with the loot that everyone can afford some consumables.
- Many scenarios have sneaking pretty much necessary. Heavily armored PC’s sometimes find things difficult. But it is not impossible, you just have to think about whether you want to deal with being slow and loud.
- Many people find it difficult to play lawful in PFS. A lot of the scenarios are basically to go get something that is not really yours just because your boss wants it. So you are really in opposition to the authorities. Some people have no problem with it.
- Some are not thrilled to see paladins. Since it isn’t a home group, they don’t know if you are going to be playing Lawful Stupid or not. There is concern that a paladin in the group will make the mission impossible. Not saying they are right or it is a valid concern, but I have heard it mentioned. I don’t have a problem with them, but almost no one in my local plays a paladin because they feel they are not welcome.
- Sometimes Summoners cause some friction. If they are not very organized and prepared, a summoner can really slow down the game while the player is looking up stuff.
I would suggest posting your potential build here on the boards (Specifically mention that it is for PFS) along with any self imposed restrictions or goals you have. You will usually get a fair amount of help.
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My opinions, do not represent those of Paizo staff or the player membership. This is only advice based on personal experience.
Dedicated healers, like Clerics with the Heal (Life) Domains are always in short supply. Some people will tell you that you should choose what you like and that's true. However that's not what you asked. Healbot, buffing Clerics are ALWAYS in short supply. And they always get an invite to a party, same as D&D or WoW. Its just the way it is, I'm not making a statement on this being right or wrong, just an observation.
I will disagree with the previous poster. Make hyper specialized PCs. In the long run a hyper specialized PC shines while multi-classed PCs rarely do, unless they are multi-classing synergy classes (rogue-ranger, ranger-fighter, etc...)
Don't MIN/MAX. You will suffer for it, over time. You've got the 20 point buy system but keep everything at 10 or more. Yeah, you might only be a Str. 16 vs. the Str. 18 MIN/MAXed fighter but those last two points are better spent on Int. which gives you skill points.
Skills that never or almost never get used: Climb, Swim, Ride, (these first 3 you should avoid like the plague) Knowledge (Dungeoneering), Knowledge (Engineering), Knowledge (Nobility), Knowledge (History), Knowledge (Geography). Knowledge (Dungeoneering) is more likely to be used but still pretty useless.
Skills that get a lot of use: Knowledge (Religion), Knowledge (Planes), Knowledge (Local), Perception, Diplomacy (really gets used a lot and it can be used as a substitute for Knowledge (Local) in a lot of cases), Sense Motive, UMD.
The rest of the skills are somewhere in between.
Following My PFS Lavode De'Morcaine's suggestion, I posted my build.
Skills that never or almost never get used: Climb, Swim, Ride, (these first 3 you should avoid like the plague) Knowledge (Dungeoneering), Knowledge (Engineering), Knowledge (Nobility), Knowledge (History), Knowledge (Geography). Knowledge (Dungeoneering) is more likely to be used but still pretty useless.
I am actually kind of shocked that Climb does not get used.
(Have they taken away the ability to delete your own posts?)
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RPG Superstar 2013 Top 16
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Climb is used often, but usually in situations where you can take 10, and use a knotted rope, so success is usually trivial. But even if Swim is seldom used, it can get you killed if you need it and don't have it. Luckily a simple potion of touch of the sea in a potion sponge can make it pretty much an auto-success for the low, low price of 52 gp.
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Hi, Lord Fyre. I'm actually in charge of the Saturday game days at At Ease Games. We always have at least one game for levels 1-5 in every slot. If you are interested, you can sign up at this website.
Hope to see you Saturday!
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... Dedicated healers, like Clerics with the Heal (Life) Domains are always in short supply. ...
I've been seeing quite a few lately but I agree they are always welcome.
... I will disagree with the previous poster. Make hyper specialized PCs. In the long run a hyper specialized PC shines while multi-classed PCs rarely do, unless they are multi-classing synergy classes (rogue-ranger, ranger-fighter, etc...)
Don't MIN/MAX. You will suffer for it, over time. You've got the 20 point buy system but keep everything at 10 or more. Yeah, you might only be a Str. 16 vs. the Str. 18 MIN/MAXed fighter but those last two points are better spent on Int. which gives you skill points....
To me this sounds like you are disagreeing with yourself. The second paragraph is the same thing I was saying. I was not saying to multiclass (I generally think multi-classing is a less attractive idea unless you are going for a hyper specialized 1 trick pony build). I was saying have something to contribute in various situations.
If the only thing you can do is beat on things with pointy bits of metal, but you can't make a skill check, always fail your saves, and can't talk to anyone I think you will generally be unsatisfied.... Skills that never or almost never get used: Climb, Swim, Ride, (these first 3 you should avoid like the plague) Knowledge (Dungeoneering), Knowledge (Engineering), Knowledge (Nobility), Knowledge (History), Knowledge (Geography). Knowledge (Dungeoneering) is more likely to be used but still pretty useless.
Skills that get a lot of use: Knowledge (Religion), Knowledge (Planes), Knowledge (Local), Perception, Diplomacy (really gets used a lot and it can be used as a substitute for Knowledge (Local) in a lot of cases), Sense Motive, UMD.
The rest of the skills are somewhere in between.
I've seen several where knowledge history, dungeoneering, and nobility were useful. But for the most part I agree with you. However I like knowledge skills, so I often take them anyway.
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... As for hyper specialized I'm still not sure what this means. If you mean the 18/15/15/7/7/7 barbarian I agree. If you mean the 7/14/12/20/10/7 wizard I disagree. I actually feel at least 1 stat should be a 7 on every character as there is a stat that does nothing important for every single class. ...
I'm the one that used the term 'hyper specialized' and by that I don't mean just the stats you took. I mean can do only 1 thing (even if you are amazing at it).
The evoker that only has variously modified scorching rays. Doesn't prepare anything else. That is all he contributes.The falchion fighter that has no skills, saves, or even a missile fire weapon.
... Min/Maxing just means building the character the best you can. Taking Feat X over Feat Y when X>Y for DPR is common sense optimization (IE Power attack vs weapon focus). ...
I've been trying to avoid use of terms like 'min/maxing' because it means something different to almost everyone. Unfortunately since there is no accepted 'official' definition this will continue.
About a year ago there was a thread where several people were arguing about min/max, powergamer, optimized, roll-play, and munchkin builds. The thread got so vitriolic that it was closed by the moderators. But while it was going on the builds and practices being proposed by almost everyone were almost exactly the same. But they all had different definitions for the terms and would not accept the fact that someone else meant something different than themselves. It was really pretty sad to read.
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I disagree with much of this.
Most healing should be done out of combat by our free wands of infinite healing. The reason cleric's with the heal domain are in short supply is because the domain is gimptastic.
AAs for hyper specialized I'm still not sure what this means. If you mean the 18/15/15/7/7/7 barbarian I agree. If you mean the 7/14/12/20/10/7 wizard I disagree. I actually feel at least 1 stat should be a 7 on every character as there is a stat that does nothing important for every single class.
Min/Maxing just means building the character the best you can. Taking Feat X over Feat Y when X>Y for DPR is common sense optimization (IE Power attack vs weapon focus).
Skills that every single character must max are diplomacy and perception. Each other one is based on the faction you chose. Knowledge local, history, religion, and planes come up a lot but tend to be flavorful bits of information aside from monster identification...
To the OP, feel free take the advice, to heal after combat without a dedicated healer. One Fireball Trap with an ambush and you might be experiencing what is commonly know as TPK. But other than the possibility of total annihilation around lvl. 7, this is sound advice.
As for stats that you'll never need. STR is probably the only one that you can get away with at 7, if you are an unarmored spell-casting class and you never plan to wear any armor, everyone else needs all 6 stats at 10 or more.
Undone suggested you that Diplomacy is a must, which is kind of pointless if your CHA is 7 as he suggests for the Wizard build.
As for speculating on what I mean by MIN/MAX, its purely a stats thing in my vocabulary. Optimization is for feats in my vocabulary.
Definitively optimize your feats but in my experience, stats will really ruin some part of the game for you, if you drop any of them to 7. You'll probably find yourself punished for having a 7 in almost any stat, except for STR and even then, you might suffer a little, when you need it not to be -2 to rolls.
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RPG Superstar 2012 Top 32
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Starting with a STR of 7, even on a cloth caster, are you tracking encumbrance at all? Seriously, I'm new to PFS and running an 8 STR Sorcerer and my weight allowance is a real issue for me.
I have a 7 STR sorceress.
I carry a scroll of spider climb instead of rope.I have burning hands instead of several pounds of alchemist's fire for swarms.
I have a pathfinder pouch in which to put any items with appreciable weight. I'll probably get another one before too long.
I'm well under encumbrance. :)
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Starting with a STR of 7, even on a cloth caster, are you tracking encumbrance at all? Seriously, I'm new to PFS and running an 8 STR Sorcerer and my weight allowance is a real issue for me.I have a 7 STR sorceress.
I carry a scroll of spider climb instead of rope.
I have burning hands instead of several pounds of alchemist's fire for swarms.
I have a pathfinder pouch in which to put any items with appreciable weight. I'll probably get another one before too long.I'm well under encumbrance. :)
Plus as general rule the one thing that we don't track is the weight of coins/money.
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Like I said, any stat under 10 is bad but you can get way with it, if you force it. Would you want to? I wouldn't suggest it but some people just have to have INT 20 and they'll sacrifice everything else for it.
My Aasimar Wizard aka The Butler (High Bluff, "Leave me alone, I'm just a man-servant, not a Pathfinder" And then I cast my spell when they aren't looking.):
Str 10
Dex 14
Con 12
Int 16
Wis 14
Cha 15
Since I would never dream of any stat below 10.
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RPG Superstar 2012 Top 32
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Like I said, any stat under 10 is bad but you can get way with it, if you force it. Would you want to? I wouldn't suggest it but some people just have to have INT 20 and they'll sacrifice everything else for it.
Funnily enough, my sorceress' 7 STR came before her 20 CHA. Why? Because I have an addiction to melee/caster hybrids, and having 7 STR helps to avoid "temptation". ;)
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Plus as general rule the one thing that we don't track is the weight of coins/money.Or loot, like magical weapons or armor, you might find along the way.
If the loot is particularly heavy like a body for recovery or a large sized double axe I will ask the party how they are carrying the load but you're right most times I don't count what is picked up during the mission.
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I have a totally new character. I just got enough PP to afford a CLW wand. But with my clothing (explorers outfit), backpack, weapons (dagger, short spear, light cross bow w/ 20 bolts), and waterskin/rations I'm just about at or past medium encumbrance. I guess I should save up for a pouch next, but with a little less than 500 GP it might be a while.
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OP, you are in a great spot for getting involved with PFS
The San Diego crew are awesome, some of the best players and GMs I have encountered
The Orange County and L.A. PFS peeps I run with are the bee's knees and super great
Best of all? Both groups are starting to mingle a bit more and get involved together at locations like At Ease in Poway, etc
If you're willing to travel a bit, here are some great locations to check out for PFS, that are north of Poway (I'll let the SD folks give more info for stuff a bit closer to you, they know best)
Comic Quest, Lake Forest (Awesome folks)
Mercenary Market, Costa Mesa (First PFS sessions there are this weekend, and I am one of the GMs)
The Warhouse, Long Beach (Great group)
The Bunker, Lakewood (Coming soon!)
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RPG Superstar 2012 Top 32
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I have a totally new character. I just got enough PP to afford a CLW wand. But with my clothing (explorers outfit), backpack, weapons (dagger, short spear, light cross bow w/ 20 bolts), and waterskin/rations I'm just about at or past medium encumbrance. I guess I should save up for a pouch next, but with a little less than 500 GP it might be a while.
If you take acid splash or ray of frost, you don't need that crossbow. Alternatively, a wand of magic missile.
If you ask nicely, someone else might carry the food/water for you (not like you need to get to it quickly in combat).
And at that point, you no longer need the backpack either.
Does that help?
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Skills that never or almost never get used: Climb, Swim, Ride, (these first 3 you should avoid like the plague) Knowledge (Dungeoneering), Knowledge (Engineering), Knowledge (Nobility), Knowledge (History), Knowledge (Geography). Knowledge (Dungeoneering) is more likely to be used but still pretty useless.
Skills that get a lot of use: Knowledge (Religion), Knowledge (Planes), Knowledge (Local), Perception, Diplomacy (really gets used a lot and it can be used as a substitute for Knowledge (Local) in a lot of cases), Sense Motive, UMD.
The rest of the skills are somewhere in between.
In my experience, the skills my characters have used are (in order from most to least used in each group):
"All the time" skills are Perception, Diplomacy/Knowledge (Local) (these two can sub for each other, as Eric mentioned), Intimidate, Knowledge (Religion), Knowledge (Planes), Heal
"Fairly often" skills are Acrobatics, Climb, Bluff, Knowledge (Arcana), Spellcraft, Linguistics, Survival
"Occasional" skills are Knowledge (Nature), Disable Device, UMD, Sleight of Hand, Knowledge (Engineering), Knowledge (Geography), Swim, Knowledge (Dungeoneering)
"Rarely if ever" skills are Knowledge (History), Knowledge (Nobility), Ride
Now, because of that breakdown, more than once I've been in situations where nobody in the party had certain skills and this put the party and/or the mission in danger. Most often, those have been Disable Device, Knowledge (Arcana), Spellcraft, Survival, Linguistics, and Knowledge (Nature).
Even on my low-level skill-point-starved fighters, I usually try to have at least one social skill (Bluff, Intimidate, or Diplomacy), one knowledge skill relating to critter types (Arcana, Dungeoneering, Nature, Religion, Planes), and I try to keep my Climb and Swim above 0 in full armor (more important for Swim, I've found, because you are more likely to need a Swim check unprepared). Which of those I pick is dependent on the characters themselves.
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Well, side track back into skills.
Climb: Used a lot. But usually you usually only need enough skill in it to get non-negative. But sometimes someone has to make a higher roll in it to get that rope to the top of the cliff, first.
Swim: Definitely get this to non-negative. And remember that there will be times when you cannot Take 10 when swimming. Until you drink that potion of Touch of the Sea. ;)
Ride: Not used often, but there are times when it comes up. And, when it does, it can mean the difference between life and death.
Acrobatics: Situational, but if you have a good Dex, it can be worth it to have teh option to tumble around an opponent without provoking. It can also be used to move on some terrain.
Knowledge:
Monster knowledges are all good, Arcana, Dungeoneering, Nature, Religion, Planes and Local. Other knowledges don't come up, as much, but can be important when they do. Engineering: Can the roof stay up? History: Background on the location, which can sometimes give clues on how to handle a situation before you get into it. Nobility: Ties in with some Diplomacy situations, since it can give a clue as to who someone is, and whom you need to schmooze more...
Perception: Always helps, can make a big difference between flatfooted or not. Also finding stuff, although, if you have time, Take 20 can mitigate that.
Diplomacy: Always handy, sopmetimes essential. A group I played with managed to zoom right through a heavy diplomacy scenario because our worst Diplo was +0, and everyone was aiding the "big Gun" who was only a +12. But we had a +10, which is an automatic Aid, and a +8, which Aids most of the time. The +5 and +0 were the swingie ones, but we managed some good rolls . Yeah, 5 of us, playing a Season 4 scenario.
UMD: As mentioned, while you cannot Take 10 with it, it at least can give options and a potential backup to get the regular wand user back on their feet.
Bluff: Great for Rogues/Ninjas with Improved Feint. Maybe for that Face Bard, too. Not too sure about anyone else.
Intimidate: Very questionable, but when it works, it works nicely. Just remember that there is a time limit on some of its effects.
Spellcraft: Very useful, although it can be amusing to have the Fighter recognize the spell, and not the caster... (Lore Wardens get all Int-based skills as class skills...)
Other skills are usually less used or more situational. Hard to use Stealth in a single-path dungeon crawl, for example.
Updated the proposed build.
Though I will need to run the completed character sheet past Joanna Gore -in person- before it is "final."
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Updated the proposed build.
Though I will need to run the completed character sheet past Joanna Gore -in person- before it is "final."
Of course I will be accepted. As if there was any doubt!