Hi all
As the title suggests.... what would you say are the essential books for 1st time PF DMing ?? I am planning on having a tablet to hand too for access to www.d20pfsrd.com
Cheers
If this is for books to have at the table...stick to d20pfsrd (or Archives of Nethys). Books are good for supporting the game, looking at artwork and reading background fluff that isn't OGL (which all should be done during prep, not at the table). You do not want to be referencing hardbacks during the game if you can use online resources instead, because the online resource will be far faster to reference and usually has errata and FAQs quoted and linked. The only time I would consider worrying about books at all is if players don't have online access at the table. Then you can hand the books over so they at least have something to work with instead of just sitting there.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
In contrast to Snowblind's comment, I don't think it's bad to have books at the table--IF you're better at referencing key items by hand instead of on a tablet (like me). That said: Core Rulebook. OK, got the obvious out of the way. Bestiary One. Also obvious. I also might suggest the NPC Codex if you have trouble making stats for NPCs; they're not optimized and there are errors, but sometimes, you just need a town guard captain, y'know? Other than that: the Gamemastery Guide is a decent read, though it's not one you bring to the table. Even Ultimate Campaign is useful, though probably down the road for you. Luckily the PRD has this stuff already in it.
|
Essential Books: Core Rulebook and Bestiary 1
The only other books I would be tempted to throw in for a first time game are the Advanced Players Guide (most of the stuff in there is really good) and the other Bestiary books (because more monster choice is usually nice to have).
Oh, and good luck with your first GMing experience.
|
Essential Books: Core Rulebook and Bestiary 1
The only other books I would be tempted to throw in for a first time game are the Advanced Players Guide (most of the stuff in there is really good) and the other Bestiary books (because more monster choice is usually nice to have).
Oh, and good luck with your first GMing experience.
I'm just going to second this. These are the books (including the APG and Bestiary 2) that I always have as hardbacks at the table when I GM my Rise of the Runelords campaign, along with the adventure itself.
When I GM for PFS, I always bring the Core Rulebook hardback, the adventure, and printed stats for any monsters that need to be looked up, so I don't have to waste time looking them up during the game.