Basically, has anyone tried to run this AP recently? Is there any of the newer stuff that you would not allow?
So long as you use 15-point builds (or 20 points for non-experienced players) with a four-man party, the AP shouldn't be significantly easier for allowing the new classes compared to the old. The only real "loser" is the rogue, and even they are not significantly weaker compared to how they work out against other classes in the core rules.
There will be areas in the first couple of books they will breeze through. This is true no matter what the classes allowed. There will be areas that they will struggle with, and for the same reasons.
Gunslingers and synthesis summoners. And Paladins.
Mostly because they kill the enemies very quickly. Slayers don't, we found. We didn’t try any other newer classes.
Thank you for your feedback. As a follow-up question, what are your thoughts on using the noncore races?
I ran the game Gilarius played in.
Gunslingers are a problem particularly as many of the npc's have low touch ac. Synthesist summoner was a broken abomination and I will never allow one in a game again. None of the other new classes strike me as a problem, Slayer certainly was not.
Paladin was effective but no more than normal, I think A good fighter or Barbarian build would have had the same damage output. Paladin riding a synthesist summoner combining pounce with spirited charge and a lance using holy smite was a godly abomination on steroids.
Races mechanically I can't think of any races which would be a problem I had humans, Elves, Aasimar and Sylphs and there were no mechanical issues.
From an opinion point of view I would stick with races that can blend into human society and would absolutely not allow something like Orc or Goblin but thats my opinion mechanically there would be no issue. Goblin in particular should have serious RP issues in book 1
Gunslinger can be fixed with one rules change - you cannot increase the range modifier for a weapon using touch AC using Grit.
If you also limit the PCs to early firearms, then the furthest that firearms will have a touch AC for is 50 feet. And that's for a two-handed weapon that costs 4K gold. The longest range for a pistol would be 20 feet.
There is one other thing to consider: multiple targets. A gunslinger is deadly against one or two foes. A swarm? Not so much. So if four or so ogres were charging him, he'd not get them all, and each shot would only wound unless he got a lucky crit or two in. If you also don't allow alchemical cartridges, then that adds further constraints to lessen the lethality of firearms for your game.
(Also, don't forget environmental conditions. Rain and snow can hamper firearms and cause powder to become less effective.)
Agreed that most of the new classes don't cause any issues, with the possible exception of Gunslinger due to low touch ACs. However, firearms in the hands of non-Gunslingers (such as the Musketeer archetype for the Swashbuckler) aren't quite as bad, because they don't get Dex to Damage with firearms or a lot of the Gunslinger deeds without expending feats. That makes them a little more manageable.
That said, if you don't want guns, don't allow guns. They're optional for a reason.
+1.
Tangent, 'of distance' is a cheapish enhancement, so double the ranges you quoted.
If you ban double barrelled guns, and/or lose the 'Dex to damage' of gunslingers, then guns are weaker than a normal archer. Banning alchemical cartridges means you cannot get iterative attacks, which also means they become pointless for most martials.
From a realism point of view, they were indeed fairly rubbish. But from a 'having fun' point of view, it's simpler just to tell players they can't use them.
The potential issue in Runelords is the quantity of enemies with low touch AC. And the badly written/incomplete rules on double barrelled guns.
I'd agree with the gunslinger - a player had always wanted to try one, so he created a gunslinger for the campaign. From levels 4-7 or so, his character seemed very powerful. His attacks were basically auto-hits and dealt good damage. His character was eventually one-shotted by a critical from a scythe-wielding opponent.
That player then made a slayer, and another player made a druid with slayer talents and feel from Advanced Class Guide. Its only been one session, but both of those characters seem somewhat powerful as compared to the other characters.
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Or just remove touch ac from gunslinger and make them spend a grit point to hit touch ac
It has been suggested that you might substitute flat-footed AC for touch AC. In most cases (especially at higher levels) this is a nerf. Otherwise I have no idea how it'll play out.