Pathfinder world background story

[forger42]

We're a group that is thinking of starting up a Pathfinder campaign. I'm just wondering what are the most important books to read to get a feel for the Pathfinder world (we're all pretty familiar with 3.5, so the rules shouldn't be an issue to get familiar with)? I don't want to read any "spoilers", since we're likely going to be switching between DMs, but I would like to know a little of the history, theology and geography.

[Claxon]

Inner Sea World Guide is the biggest one
________ of Golarion (Orcs, Humans, Elves, etc) will tell you about specific race

Basically just go here and find what you're interested in knowing about.

[forger42]

Thanks! :)

[VRMH]

I'd like to point out the Golariopedia too.

[LazarX]

forger42 wrote:

We're a group that is thinking of starting up a Pathfinder campaign. I'm just wondering what are the most important books to read to get a feel for the Pathfinder world (we're all pretty familiar with 3.5, so the rules shouldn't be an issue to get familiar with)? I don't want to read any "spoilers", since we're likely going to be switching between DMs, but I would like to know a little of the history, theology and geography.

Choose the area that you're going to be working in and get the relevant sourcebooks. You don't need the entire history of the world to start low level campaigns. What you need is local history and that's where the sourcebooks will give you your grounding. The big stuff can come in drips and drabs as needed.

It's highly unlikely that the events of 12 thousand years ago are going to have personal impact on your 1st-6th level PC's who will be (rightly) more focused on more immediate events.

[Claxon]

LazarX wrote:

forger42 wrote:

We're a group that is thinking of starting up a Pathfinder campaign. I'm just wondering what are the most important books to read to get a feel for the Pathfinder world (we're all pretty familiar with 3.5, so the rules shouldn't be an issue to get familiar with)? I don't want to read any "spoilers", since we're likely going to be switching between DMs, but I would like to know a little of the history, theology and geography.

Choose the area that you're going to be working in and get the relevant sourcebooks. You don't need the entire history of the world to start low level campaigns. What you need is local history and that's where the sourcebooks will give you your grounding. The big stuff can come in drips and drabs as needed.

It's highly unlikely that the events of 12 thousand years ago are going to have personal impact on your 1st-6th level PC's who will be (rightly) more focused on more immediate events.

Though knowing that the WorldWound exists and that EarthFall happended along with the knowledge that Rovagug was locked into the planet by a coalition of good and evil gods are all semi-important things, that while not being particularly relevant to low level characters, could shape their backgrounds and belief.

[LazarX]

Claxon wrote:

LazarX wrote:

forger42 wrote:

We're a group that is thinking of starting up a Pathfinder campaign. I'm just wondering what are the most important books to read to get a feel for the Pathfinder world (we're all pretty familiar with 3.5, so the rules shouldn't be an issue to get familiar with)? I don't want to read any "spoilers", since we're likely going to be switching between DMs, but I would like to know a little of the history, theology and geography.

Choose the area that you're going to be working in and get the relevant sourcebooks. You don't need the entire history of the world to start low level campaigns. What you need is local history and that's where the sourcebooks will give you your grounding. The big stuff can come in drips and drabs as needed.

It's highly unlikely that the events of 12 thousand years ago are going to have personal impact on your 1st-6th level PC's who will be (rightly) more focused on more immediate events.

Though knowing that the WorldWound exists and that EarthFall happended along with the knowledge that Rovagug was locked into the planet by a coalition of good and evil gods are all semi-important things, that while not being particularly relevant to low level characters, could shape their backgrounds and belief.

Have you ever read a Pathfinder Tales novel? You'll see that the only background that gets mentioned, and correctly so are the things that concern the character, because the characters have big personal impacting crisis to deal with. For most people the things you talk about are either not personally relevant, or completely unknown. If you go to mass at the Church of Sarenrae, it's a good bet that you could have lived your entire life with out the local pastor making even one mention of Asmodeus. Most people in Golarion don't have resources, nor the inclination to seek out obscure facts and trivia that aren't relevant to them. There is no such thing as a world shared body of knowledge or an "Internet" which so shapes our concept of what is "common knowledge".

For a real world example. How often does Alexander the Great's invasion of India come to your mind? Or how many people know who General Pershing was? or where our system of numbers came from? This is a world where books are still made by hand, because the printing press has not been invented, or if so, has not come into wide use. That in itself, is a major game changer. As it is there isn't an Encyclopedia Golarianica for the average Joe to reference or even have access to. Even most sages are limited by these restrictions.

[Claxon]

I understand you point, but most of it is invalidated by the fact that a commoner with no penalty to intelligence should be able to take 10 on any of the knowledges and answer questions correctly as such.

So, they know who Asmodeus is and recognize his symbol. They don't know what days are holy to Asmodeus' faithfull. Nor would they recognize minor demonlords like the Nightripper.

Things like the Worldwound and Earthfall should also be pretty common knowledge as well, as they fall under the DC 10 category of "Know recent or historically significant event". They might not know the exact year it happened, but they would know it was an event caused by an asteroid (the Starstone) impacted Golairon and caused mass destruction, and resulted in a dark age. They wouldn't know who survived Earthfall (assuming there were any survivors) or other more specific details. But yes, common knowledge exists.

I'm not saying this should have a big impact on a character, merely that it could.

For instance, an archaeologist character could be interested in learning more about the Earthfall event and the Azlanti empire that it wiped out and finding artifacts from that period.

[Cpt_kirstov]

VRMH wrote:

I'd like to point out the Golariopedia too.

Golariopedia is basically just an outdated version of The Pathfinder Wiki, so might want to try the Pathfinder Wiki link first

[LazarX]

Claxon wrote:

I understand you point, but most of it is invalidated by the fact that a commoner with no penalty to intelligence should be able to take 10 on any of the knowledges and answer questions correctly as such.

Keep in mind the following.

A commoner above level 3 stretches the veing of verisimilitude. And more importantly, remember the distinction between the constructs we use for gameplay and the characters themselves. We're playing a game, but they are not.

Also keep in mind that untrained knowledge rolls are limited to that what can be covered by a DC of 10. (so even if your lucky commoner rolls a 20, he's still limited to what's gained from meeting a DC of 10)

[Claxon]

LazarX wrote:

Claxon wrote:

I understand you point, but most of it is invalidated by the fact that a commoner with no penalty to intelligence should be able to take 10 on any of the knowledges and answer questions correctly as such.

Keep in mind the following.

A commoner above level 3 stretches the veing of verisimilitude. And more importantly, remember the distinction between the constructs we use for gameplay and the characters themselves. We're playing a game, but they are not.

Also keep in mind that untrained knowledge rolls are limited to that what can be covered by a DC of 10. (so even if your lucky commoner rolls a 20, he's still limited to what's gained from meeting a DC of 10)

Right, but all the things I mentioned should be covered by the DC 10 check. And I agree a commoner above level 3 shouldn't really exist. If they have that many levels, they stopped being commoners and started taking levels in something else (and converted their commoner HD too).