I am reasonably new to GMing and am looking to GM a pathfinder adventure path to get into it. I wanted to know what some of the best ones out there are. My players are very combat oriented and not very morally sound. They like to play the line of evil without ever really crossing it. There are 4 of them. Which AP would you suggest?
If they like pirates and you're up for a relatively sandboxy game, Skulls and Shackles is an option. Kingmaker also has plenty of scope for moral shadiness.
My long-time favorite is Curse of the Crimson Throne, which is getting collected into a single hardcover later this year.
Personally, I think Wrath of the Righteous was my favorite. I GM'd that and it did require an extra bit of tuneing since the PC's get powerful fast if they aren't watched. The story though of going from soldiers of the crusade to demigods fighting Demon Lords though was amazing! Not morally sound though could prove a slight issue in a story like this though xD
Rise of the Runelords: Anniversary Edition is a fantastic AP.
However, if your group is more of the "morals? What morals?" then I would recommend "Reign of Winter" where the group has to save the world from Queen Elvanna of Irrisen by rescuing Baba Yaga. Naturally they're in it for a reward from the Queen of Witches - she does honor her debts according to the stories.
It can be... a lethal AP, however. Just to warn you. ^^;;
Evilish characters are great for Kingmaker and that's an excellent AP, one of the best.
Evilish also works very well with Skull and Shackles but I wasn't as keen on that one.
Kingmaker aside, my other favorite APs are Crimson Throne and Hell's Rebels - both work better out of the box with Good aligned PCs.
EDIT: Reign of Winter is also an excellent choice.
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Hell's Vengeance is currently being released. Doesn't get more evil then that.
I'll also add Shattered Star, just for fun.
Thanks a bunch I'll take a look at all of those
Serpent's Skull could also work, it makes no assumptions about alignment and the hunt for a lost city (and the knowledge/loot it contains) works for most characters. You can also choose to ally with a whole range of different factions, including Red Mantis assassins, the Aspis Consortium or pirates, so there's more than enough moral greyness there.
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You do not want Serpent's Skull to be your first AP. It's good but the middle is a bit of a mess, especially for someone new to the game.
Good point. I withdraw my previous suggestion, although still recommend the adventure path if you're willing/able to put in some work.
For a new GM, I'd instead suggest either Rise of the Runelords, although that makes some assumptions about wanting to help people, or Mummy's Mask, which is tomb raiding in an ancient Egyptian-like setting, and can totally work as a "loot all the stuff... and now the bad dude took some stuff and I want it" story for morally corrupt PCs.
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I'd second Mummy's Mask. It's pretty solidly neutral with lots of combat. The second chapter DOES assume that the players have some interest in saving the city from an undead uprising, and I would suggest tweaking the motives a little for a less good party. But at one point one of my groups considered breaking from the adventure to take over the local drug trade, so that's a thing that could happen.
If your players are a bit naughty then kingmaker, shattered, and winter have all worked for us having several evil alignments
There are several 3PP that will fit
I hadn't run a game since the 1990s, but last year I picked up Curse of the Crimson Throne and we're still playing it. I can recommend it highly, for both newbies and experienced players, although you'll want to wait until they release the updated version.
Kingmaker is great, we played the first couple of books. But of course it stands or falls based on how much your players would enjoy running sim kingdom.
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Kingmaker is great, we played the first couple of books. But of course it stands or falls based on how much your players would enjoy running sim kingdom.
This is very true. The Kingdom building rules ran for me very much like a one on one game. When the entire group joined in on the kingdom building sessions it descended into analysis paralysis for the vocal players and boredom for the less vocal ones. That said, when we did go one on one with it, I found it really enjoyable.
Well the part i participated in kingdom building was a group effort and that went very well.
We just gave different roles to players, but had everyone suggest what and why to build, discussing it and choosing something to the needs of the city and kingdom.
Then we had someone make a map of it and someone write things down. Works well.
Of course your players need to be mature enough to have constructive discussion, what can even be done ingame ;)
It was said by someone else but Rise of the Runelords Anniversary Edition is great for a new GM. I am myself a new GM and have gone though the first book and I think my players are all content with progress.
We naturally had one character death but hey that happens when a 5 person party has 2 bards lol.
Iron Gods.
Resistance is futile.
RoTR, CoCT, MM, & HR are all wonderful AP's, and typically I would say they are among the best APs, but if you are looking for a more morally grey AP, I would suggest either RoW (Probably in my top 3 APs) or S&S (You are a pirate)
...Yes, I am ashamed of that last reference, how did you guess?
Way of the Wicked
For new players though try some modules before you do a full AP. The Falcon's Hollow 4 parter (Hollow's Last Hope, Crown of the Kobold King, Revenge of the Kobold King, Hungry are the Dead) is a good option, with the first and third modules being free.
I'm DMing now way of the wicked and I don't think it's suitable for new players as it's too easy to get them lost in a manic-homicidal kind of evil and that's not the key to this AP. I think it's more suitable to mature players who can roleplay a more sith-like kind of evil xD
I've played Curse of the Crimson Throne with a non-good character and I had a lot of fun with it. It's not a hard to DM AP as far as I know and a very enjoyable one.I'm playing Reign of Winter and I'm loving it too but it needs some fixing to run smoothly as it has some plotholes and a lot of railroading so it's not as easy as the former to DM.
I'm going to start a Skull and Shackles campaign soon and I think it can be a fun option too. It's not very focused on morality, so it might fit your players.
EDIT: The bad side of Skull and Shackles is that it's not as combat oriented.