So I've been hoisted up to be the DM in about a week, which means I have a very busy week ahead of me especially since the players in the group do not want modules... but setting, well, that remains a bit more open.
I have enough time to put together something basic together for the first session and flush it out later....but how is the pathfinder setting? I have no exposure to it. If it's decent, what books are good to start me off DMing it?
And even so, are there any good resources for defining my own pathfinder setting? PDF available books only, don't have much time to wait for shipping :)
Appreciate any input!
Golarion is decent enough, for the amount of time they've had to develop it. The issue with comparing it to other settings (Forgotten Realms, Greyhawk, Eberron, etc) is that they've had like... a tenth of the amount of time to produce material, that these other settings have had (but some find this to be a good thing!) I'd just glance through the various countries on a wiki, and find one that catches your eye - I, personally, prefer to place campaigns in parts of the setting that aren't particularly well traveled by other APs/splatbooks, it makes it feel like I have more leeway with how the game runs.
After that, the Inner Sea World Guide is an invaluable resource for giving you just enough flavor and information to set the tone of an area.
I picked up the print version of the Guide to Darkmoon Valley and it's served very well. There's a lot of detail on 3 or 4 specific things and then some background stuff to influence your own creations, but there's still a lot of room left over where you might set down another settlement or a dungeon of your own design. From what I'm told that's how a lot of the Golarion setting is.
That being said, a week is PLENTY of time. Grab some dice and follow me to the Gamemastery Guide. Open to where it says "Settlements." Now start rolling. You can roll a D8 on the Settlement Population Ranges chart to see what kind of settlement it is; you can roll 2D6 for alignment, each die counting as a D3: 1-2 Lawful, 3-4 Chaotic, 5-6 Neutral and on the other die 1-2 Good, 3-4 Evil, 5-6 Neutral; you can dust off your old D12 for Settlement Qualities.
In the same chapter there's D100 charts for terrain type, city locations, etc. These can give you a start for ideas on how to populate and flesh out the settlement and immediate setting. Now add NPCs and names and you're done. You don't need stat blocks, just NPC names and personalities. There are a lot of online generators out there or you can just steal them from these boards and modules.
Here's an example:
CN Thorp
Corruption -4; Crime -3; Economy -4; Law -4; Lore -3; Society -4;
Qualities: Magically Attuned
Danger -10
Government Overlord
Population 16 (13 human; 2 1/2 elf; 1 goblin)
Notable NPCs: Mercenary Captain Halek Vileiron (CN Male Human Rogue 5/Warrior 2); Jublavek the Witch (CN Female Goblin Adept 8); Master of the Post Elvedd Findlehorn (NG Male Half-Elf Warrior 6)
Base Value 60GP; Purchase Limit 600GP; Spellcasting 3rd; Minor Items 1D4
Background: Once there was a walled town on the edge of the Heckylfen Swamp. The name of this place is lost in the annals of sages. However the mire has long been known as a source of arcane and eldritch forces. Captain Vileiron came to the ruins here 5 years ago to make his fortune; when his company was nearly decimated he retreated to the one standing building - an ancient gatehouse with a pair of intact towers and a rusty portcullis. He also found Jublavek.
The canny goblin witch was able to appear comely to the captain and for some reason the human could not resist her. The two became lovers. The captain has since gone slowly mad, twisted on the strings of the goblin harridan. Fortunately for him his trusty second, Elvedd, remains loyal and though many have deserted the company he and a few old soldiers remain.
Jublavek realizes she cannot merely slay all the men of the post at once. She also realizes that she can manipulate them all better if she merely plays coy and cooperates with Elvedd from time to time. As such she offers her services as a spellcaster in return for payment. When it was learned that the hag of the gatehouse had been tamed many travelers and merchants came to trade with the place.
Now Vileiron Gate as the place has come to be named serves as the last post on the edge of the Heckylfen. Adventurers routinely come here to buy, sell and barter with the soldiers of the post. Elvedd hopes to grow the company and their settlement, perhaps even rebuild more of the ancient town. For now under his command the company has patched the gatehouse with recovered masonry from the surrounding fields and have established agrarian exploits for their continued survival.
My first Pathfinder game was the Kingmaker adventure path, and it was also my crash course on the setting. I added a lot to the adventure, but having a pre-made adventure helped out a lot. Had I the time to research the neighboring countries, I could have made it more in-depth, especially in regards to the neighboring countries, and the realm as a whole. Instead, I focused on the local populations, cultures, and history. The players, in turn, became very concerned with the local happenings, and less caring of the world at large. They also thoroughly enjoyed the game (or so they told me, often enough), so that might be a way to start.
So, I suggest Brevoy if you want a typical starting point, (Inner Sea Guide), the River Kingdoms if you want a more 'bandit' beginning (same book). If you are looking for something more religious, Good-vs.-Evil-with-capitals, I suggest adding the Worldwound campaign book, along with the associated Adventure path.
Some what off subject, [url=http://chaoticshiny.com/]Chaotic Shiny[/url has a bunch of random generators for adventure ideas, names of all sorts, cultures, items, and so on.
Golarion (the pathfinder campaign setting) is pretty good, keep in mind that it's a kitchen sink setting but you choose the place you want to play at and quite easily ignore the rest if you want.
The pathfinder wiki, the inner sea world guide is a very good book to start learning the world, the inner sea primer is a very player-friendly and spoiler-free book to get you to know some basic information.
I would recommend not using the Pathfinder setting. Creating your own setting gives you a ton of freedom. You can start very small without too much worry about everything in the campaign world, and then build outwards. You can also create your own pantheon of gods, or use another pantheon you're familiar with, which I find is great if you're limited on resources.
Best of luck.
The Bonewood: an area west of the gatehouse that used to be the necropolis of the ruined town. There are 3 shallow hillocks surrounding a central field of scattered gravestones; all of this is overgrown with willows and oaks. The dead are known to be restless here but several adventurers have returned with rumors of treasure hidden in a crypt complex below the hills.
The Fane of the Needlefall Sisterhood: also known simply as the Needlefall Fane this crude arcane ring of standing stones lies north through the swamps. The fane marks the sight where a coven of hags met to bring a blight to the Hekylfen. Though the coven is gone many of their former slaves and servants make their lairs in the nearby caves.
The Tower of Storms: Much deeper into the swamps to the northeast stands a ruined tower. The place is largely intact standing atop a limestone hillock rising out of the surrounding morass. Despite its remote height the tower has been nonetheless reclaimed by the crawling mire of Heckylfen. It is so named however because the runes atop the building's ramparts pulse with arcane power calling frequent storms localized to the nearby surroundings. Rumors abound of the place's origins and nature; the merchant-sorcerer Dilegreth has long had a standing reward for the revealed truth of the place though none have survived to claim it.
Thanks everyone and Mark, those are lovely, I'll be sure to make my own little charts from the book to help out with that :)