Hi All
been a wile since i have DM'ed and i thought i would start again with Pathfinder, running the Beginners box set to start with then moving onto Rise of the rune lords,(last game i DM'ed was 2nd AD&D)
anyway i was wondering what books i would need, i am Assuming Core rulebook, RotRL books, but after that i am not sure ?
any help will be much apprehended
Thanks
Gleep
the three books you need are the Rise of the Runelords book, the Core Rulebook and the Bestiary. The Advanced Player Guide has some extra stuff that will help too.
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You can go a long way with the Core and Rise of the Runelords book (the anniversary edition is downright awesome).
If you are going to DM, Bestiary 1 is going to be a great help. Not all monsters have their stats in the RotRL books. Some monsters are so generic that it would be a waste to put them in. I find that the PDF of the bestiary is excellent. I can easily print the monsters I need for a session (and re-use the sheets where necessary)
If you and your players all stoped at AD&D, you might want to stick to core. The classes will be fairly familiar. If you want more options available for the players, the Advanced Player guide is a good book.
If after a few sessions you and your players are familiar with the rules, you could add options from Ultimate Combat or Ultimate magic. This will give them more options to flesh out their characters.
TL/DR: Core, RotRL book, Bestiary 1 and you are set. Rest is optional.
First of all, Runelords is an excellent choice! I returned from a 15-year hiatus from GMing to run Runelords.
At a minimum, you'll need three hardbacks:
Pathfinder Role-Playing Game Core Rulebook
Rise of the Runelords Anniversary Edition
Honestly, these are the three books you'll need to run the game.
You will also likely want two free PDFs:
Rise of the Runelords Anniversary Edition Player's Guide
Rise of the Runelords Players Guide (original OGL version)
I think you'll find both Players Guides useful: The Anniversary Edition provides campaign traits for the modern PFRPG, and also has a gazetteer for the lands of Varisia, where the campaign takes place.
The original OGL Players Guide provides more in-depth background about the town of Sandpoint, and a few glimpses of the greater campaign world of Golarion. (Note: This was one of the first publications set in the then-brand-new Golarion campaign world-- a few bits here and there have since been retconned, but nothing that impacts play.)
There are a three other books that I found very useful when GMing Runelords. These weren't strictly necessary, but I found them extremely valuable resources when the game went off-script:
The Inner Sea World Guide
This is the overall campaign setting guide for the world of Golarion.
Magnimar: City of Monuments
A gazetteer of the nearest large city to where the Runelords campaign takes place, and the setting of much of Chapter 2: The Skinsaw Murders.
Varisa: Birthplace of Legends
A Players Companion detailing character options for PCs with roots in Varisia.
There are more books in the Campaign Setting and Players Companion lines that are both tangentially related and very interesting, but I don't want to bog you down with those.
Other things you'll need to play:
A grid map of some sort. (I used an old vinyl Chessex 1" square battlemat I've had since the '80s.)
Minis, pawns, or other markers. I found the Rise of the Runelords Pawn Collection to be very handy. (If you buy that, you'll also probably want the Base Assortment.)
You probably have dice.
One other book I'll recommend as a general reference on effective GMing is the GameMastery Guide. It's not the equivalent of the D&D Dungeon Master's Guide in that it's very light on rules content. However, it's chock full of excellent advice on how to plan, prepare, and pace a game; how to improvise; how to handle disputes at the table. Its other excellent resource is the NPC Gallery: about 40 or so pregenerated NPCs that you can use as allies or adversaries. The book is rounded out by tons of random-generation tables-- which really made me think fondly of the 1st Edition DMG. (It's got a few lovely Easter egg references to that classic!)
So... defintely buy the RotRL AE, Core Rulebook, and Bestiary. I would strongly advise also buying the ISWG. Add the rest if you want to as your wallet dictates.
Finally-- check out the Rise of the Runelords Discussion Forum on the Paizo boards. This AP has TONS of support. Of particular interest might be the Community Created Stuff thread, with almost 1000 posts that go back six years.
Good luck!
I would like to play.
Both RotRL PbP campaigns I was in ended before we even got out of Sand Pointe....
one of these days....
The only books you really need are the Core, the Bestiary 1 , and the RotRL AE.
Although, there are some awesome flavor and options in the Advanced Player's Guide....
One thing of note...I'm running the RotRL Anniversary edition now...and there's also a few Bestiary 2 monsters scattered in there as well.
Don't forget about Wayfinder #7 the free downloadable fanzine! It's got all sorts of extras and little sidequests to pick and choose from.
I've run the adventure a few times and you really only need the three books, but there are rules for intoxication, gambling, and drugs in the GameMastery Guide which work great! The pregen NPC's are very helpful although most of the adventure already has everything you will need.
Hi All thanks for all the advice, all of the Players are New to Role play, i am the only Old timer
we have been playing 40k and the like table top games for the last decade or so and feel like a change.
i have managed to get s copy of Rise of the run lord Anniversary edition, and i have the Core rule book, and Bestiary1 is turning up later this week.
so hopefully i am all set.
i will try and keep you all posted if your relay want to hear about it :D
thanks again all
Gleep
It may be obvious, but don't forget the PRD. You should be able to find all the monsters and additional rules you need in there!
@Haladir
i have added the 2 Free PDF's to my Account thanks, and picked up a PDF copy of the The Inner Sea World Guide PDF as well thanks for that,
i did look at the GM guide and thought it could be good, but as my players are new and this system is all changed to what i remember !!! (why oh why get ride of THAC0) !!! i thought i would keep it sample,
i will take a look at the other books you mentioned but i think i will keep them close to Sand point for now, i have a load of old modules and material in my Attic that i could probably bring up to date if needed.
once they are more experienced and if they like it i might branch out, also thanks for the tip about the sub forum for this AP.
is a grid map essential ? sorry never used on in AD&D can you get buy without it ?
and yes i have a bucket load of Dice even some from the old D&D red box's @D
@Woran i am the only AD&D player, the rest are all new to Role play so i will be sticking to the core classes for now, might introduce the Ultimate combat/magic at a later date, i dont wont to over laod them or me with info.
@Kayland are there many ? can i sub-statue them for other gribbles ?
once again thanks very very much :D
Gleep
thanks Callum did not even know that existed
Gleep
The grid map is super helpful! Our group plays around a small table, and we use the mat almost as tablecloth. Great to be able to just start drawing the next scenario without moving much stuff around.
I'm excited for you! Rise of the Runelords is great!
once they are more experienced and if they like it i might branch out, also thanks for the tip about the sub forum for this AP.
This is definately the most valuable aspect of running the adventure paths. The community created stuff is fantastic. Theres even an illustrated guide to sandpoint that I absolutely love for referencing when the players are exploring the town.
is a grid map essential ? sorry never used on in AD&D can you get buy without it ?
You can get by without it, though some aspects of the rules will get very wonk. There are many portions of the rules (area effects, tactical movement, attacks of opportunity, flanking, etc) that rely on the kind of precise positioning grids represent. Specific option in the game become significantly less useful and harder to manage if you go gridless. Its still workable, and several people do play gridless or mostly gridless. But it means alot of adjustment, and a discussion with the players first. They need to understand the limitations a gridless game will place on certain kinds of choices.
and yes i have a bucket load of Dice even some from the old D&D red box's @D
@Woran i am the only AD&D player, the rest are all new to Role play so i will be sticking to the core classes for now, might introduce the Ultimate combat/magic at a later date, i dont wont to over laod them or me with info.
@Kayland are there many ? can i sub-statue them for other gribbles ?
Remember you can get all the stats from every hardcover book paizo has published on the prd. So even if a monster appears in the bestiary 2, you can just print its stats (or use a laptop/tablet at the table) using the free prd.
Why oh why get ride of THAC0!
The switch from THAC0 to BAB takes a little getting used to, but I like it much better.
OGL-based games use a unified system for all success checks.
Attack rolls, saving throws, skill checks, combat maneuvers, ability checks, etc. all use the same mechanic: Roll d20, add your modifiers, aiming for a target number.
For every action, there's a target number. (Usually listed as AC for "armor class," DC for "difficulty class, "CMD" for "Combat maneuver defense," etc.) The character attempting to so something rolls a d20, and adds relevant bonuses. If the number equals or exceeds the target, it's a success.
Simply put, the higher the target number, the more difficult it is to succeed. This means you always want to roll high.
So, a higher AC is better.
OGL AC = 10 + (10 - (AD&D AC))
AD&D AC 10 = OGL AC 10.
AD&D AC 7 = OGL AC 13.
AD&D AC 0 = OGL AC 20
AD&D AC (-3) = OGL AC 23