I am currently preparing for my first PFS game.
I was wondering, what are some key things I should know?
Perhaps, things that someone new, might not be prepared for.
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It depends.Example?
This also can very greatly from scenario to scenario. Some that you will run across will have very little call for creative use of gear or mundane items. Others, like "Night March of Kalkamedes" to name one off the top of my head, are practically all about such creativity.
Also, most PFS games are slotted for a certain window of time. So, while creativity is good, there is also a varying amount of 'on-the-rails' play to PFS games. This is a necessary concession to completing the game within the window allotted.
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ya, but we're talking about action economy. that's a round where you're doing nothing but making your weapon magic. when you easily have the money for a magic one. [/digression
let me add, since no one else has said it: welcome! I think that if you try to be sociable and bring something to the table, you'll fit in just fine.
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2K gp is a lot at level 3. I can think of a lot of other things the money could have been spent on. I've had multiple characters not get a magic weapon until level 5,6,7. Oils of magic weapon, and even better, bless weapon, work just fine. Remember that the PCs usually have far more actions than the NPCs.
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It depends.Example?
Make sure you know the rules that you're trying to improvise, and most likely have something ready as an example. I tried to push a bookcase over to do some awesome stuff, and it got ruined due to using incorrect rules, and me not being ready to defend my position. Regardless.... what happened to the rule of cool trumping all?
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Remember that the PCs usually have far more actions than the NPCs.
I will concede that this is quite true, but I've seen a lot of combats go south turn 1-2 because someone was buffing themselves instead of supporting the group. I mention this because I think that it's easy to get into a mindset that you can not do anything useful in combat (even things like aiding other, or providing a flank, while suboptimal, are helping the group achieve it's objective). And that's my concern with having a character who
Now I will also concede that, should you choose to make a character that refuses all magic (including magic items), you can still do a great majority of things that are necessary to survive as listed above. they would include:
taking feats or classes that minimize you disadvantage in darkness. taking things like power attack that let you bypass damage reduction more effectively. but then you're looking at only a couple of good options for thing kind of thing, and they require focusing on things a bit to specifically for my taste.
All of the above aside, and trying to get back on track with the OP's query, I think being flexible enough to fill roles that are missing amongst your local group are appreciated.
If you have never played pathfinder before, my highest suggestion would be to play a sword and board fighter (by which I mean a fighter who wields a sword and shield). I recommend this because it allows a new player to learn the all important basics of combat: things like reach, iterative attacks, and tactical movement. Things which benefit every character.
I'd also recommend building your character with an eye to flexibility, even if you have a very specific niche. a paladin will have something to do in 90% of all modules. a paladin who is hyperfocused on a specific enemy (like undead), will find their effectiveness diminished.
Or, to quote the motto of the infantry: "Improvise, Adapt, and Overcome."
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I will concede that this is quite true, but I've seen a lot of combats go south turn 1-2 because someone was buffing themselves instead of supporting the group. I mention this because I think that it's easy to get into a mindset that you can not do anything useful in combat (even things like aiding other, or providing a flank, while suboptimal, are helping the group achieve it's objective).
I'm gonna go out on a limb and say that spending my first turn giving myself +4 to attack and damage is typically more effective in "supporting the group" than using Aid Another.
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I'm gonna go out on a limb and say that spending my first turn giving myself +4 to attack and damage is typically more effective in "supporting the group" than using Aid Another.
And I would go out on a limb that giving yourself +4 to hit and damage and then watching a party member die because you weren't in position to be a target is heartbreaking. and I've seen it happen quite a bit.
bit I digress.
and you're right bugleyman, that happens a lot. As a gm, I know that I often don't have the chronicles before-hand (as I don't have access to printing, and my VC is nice enough to provide me with chronicles.)
Which reminds me. mostly directed at the OP, but a gentle reminder for everyone: if you're doing a dayjob roll, tell the GM the amount of gold you got, not the day job skill check. As a player/gm who never does them, I don't know the charts off the top of my head, and I find it annoying when people tell me their check result, as I have to stop the flow of filling out a chronicle while someone looks up what that result entails. but then again, that's just my pet peeve.
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I tried to push a bookcase over, and I was expecting a move action, and it instead turned into a standard action strength check that completely wasted my turn. I was sure looking at "open/close" door was good enough to support my position, but the GM disagreed. I didn't bother to argue, because to find further proof to support me would take too much time from everyone else.
"Manipulate an Item
Moving or manipulating an item is usually a move action.
This includes retrieving or putting away a stored item, picking up an item, moving a heavy object, and opening a door. Examples of this kind of action, along with whether they incur an attack of opportunity, are given in Table: Actions in Combat."
Would have been really cool though! :(
So, what I'm saying is, be prepared for improvising and doing cool stuff with the best information that relates to what you're doing as possible. Ask the GM before doing it and mention how you figure the mechanic should work, but if it takes too much time to figure out, chances are, you won't be allowed to do it.
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Overall, I'd say expect to run into both extremes with respect to the quality of the participants. You'll find great players and GMs, and some truly annoying players and poor GMs.
One thing I like about organized play in general is you can always drive to a neighboring city or state and hit up a regional con if you want a break from the local player base.
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RPG Superstar 2014 Top 16, RPG Superstar 2013 Top 16
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There is also the issue that magic weapons also penetrate precious few DR critters anymore. Weapon type, alignment and material DRs are all more common. If this were 3.X, I would prioritize magic weapons a lot more.
On the other hand, I had a near-TPK in a recent game because the BBEG was incorporeal, and only one PC had a magic weapon (luckily it was the archer paladin). They didn't even have Spellcraft to identify the oils of magic weapon they found in the scenario.
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Enough of my PCs have day jobs that I keep a copy of the sheet with me in case the chart is needed.
Improvising stuff can be fun but it can be time consuming and up to gm discretion. In one encounter, another pc and I used recently killed dire rats to disable a swinging axe trap. Both PCs were CN and had disable devise and since it wasn't human bodies being used, the gm allowed it.
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A lot of the Pregenerared characters are awful, and don't make much sense, even when you excuse them for being the way they are to help new players. Cleric has healing spells prepared, no spellcraft, the gun slinger I believe has zero skill points into perception, but uses it's dex mod and skill focus feat in perception to make her 8. I personally just use the paladin, but maybe there is something better since I haven't looked at all of them.
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There is also the issue that magic weapons also penetrate precious few DR critters anymore. Weapon type, alignment and material DRs are all more common. If this were 3.X, I would prioritize magic weapons a lot more.On the other hand, I had a near-TPK in a recent game because the BBEG was incorporeal, and only one PC had a magic weapon (luckily it was the archer paladin). They didn't even have Spellcraft to identify the oils of magic weapon they found in the scenario.
That's why you buy them so you know for sure what you have.
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Jeff, I woke up from a nap and accidentally wrote dex, and I apologize. Why not spend like one point for the class skill bonus from your entire seven levels on the most important skill in the game? Looking at the sheets closely brings a lot of laughs at the table, but also people seeing if mistakes were made.
7th level paladin has a 5 str bow, but only 4 mod. Our guess was they're including the plus one enhancement in the 4str bow.
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At this point I will only go with Kyra or ezren if I have to play a pregen which isn't often unless we have only 3 players. I use Kyra because of the healing and free 50 charge wand. Only if we already have healing but no arcane spells/ranged attacks will I go with ezren.
If paizo ever does pf 2.0 or changes pfs, I want players to be able to create their own Pregens if they choose (1 at lvl 4, 1 at lvl 7, & 1 at lvl 11). Just my opinion.
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Well, I will be running a Warpriest.
Looks like choosing Cure and Channel Positive is a must.
By the way, are there really that many players who cover up lack of bathing with Axe, or Cologne/Perfume?
I am actually allergic to a number of Perfumes/Colognes(including Axe) and would hate to have burning teary eyes, and violent sneezing throughout my first game.
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I'm gonna go out on a limb and say that spending my first turn giving myself +4 to attack and damage is typically more effective in "supporting the group" than using Aid Another.And I would go out on a limb that giving yourself +4 to hit and damage and then watching a party member die because you weren't in position to be a target is heartbreaking. and I've seen it happen quite a bit.
Moving into position and using Aid Another are very different things. ;)
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Humiliating people in front of others might fix the problem by having them not return to pfs, so if that's what you're doing, then I ask that you be more discrete. If people stop showing up, then it hurts everyone. I know it's hard to confront others about things, but try and make an effort to minimize the fallout from it.
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Humiliating people in front of others might fix the problem by having them not return to pfs, so if that's what you're doing, then I ask that you be more discrete. If people stop showing up, then it hurts everyone. I know it's hard to confront others about things, but try and make an effort to minimize the fallout from it.
Is this directed at me?
I do not have a habit of humiliating people, if so.
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Bbt, no, just being cautious about the comment about reminding people about hygiene.
Nekoshibou, I get you. I just wanted to make sure, because some people really feel they're doing a good deed when they're just making things terrible.
I have a few people who think they're bypassing stuff by stating their condescension in general terms as if they're being subtle about it. Being told that everyone should use their indoor voices is something you tell a child, not a grown adult.
Confronting people is just really difficult, and even if you try and do it in the most mature and appropriate way, that doesn't mean the other is mature enough to appreciate it.
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I understand, sometimes I try to be cute when I'm talking and it doesn't always type the way it sounds in my head.
people being inconsiderate and just want to blow you up while holding unreasonable things against you forever happens too often. I have been nothing but super polite to everyone, and hold back a lot of my normal behavior. I figure I'll be welcomed into their normal social circle and allowed freedoms to be forgiven for faux pas.
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Chances are pretty good people are coming from a long day of work and may not have had time to shower. If you're expecting spring time fresh, you're probably in the wrong hobby.
I would likely say nothing, unless it was really bad, or they were wearing a lot of Perfume/Cologne(including Axe) as I can't really ignore the fact I am allergic.
I used to dig out leaky septic tanks, so I have high tolerance for most things.