Pre-generated characters at levels 4 and 7 dont seem much use to me as it means you risk a custom character dying without actually being able to gain Experience, Money, or Prestige.
In the Pathfinder society Rules (2014) page 36 section 5 says you can "apply the chronicle sheet" to a low level non-pregenerated character. Its quite clear about reducing whatever gold is earned to only 500 maximum. It doesnt say anything about experience. Ive played few higher level scenarios and the experience is high enough to quality for more than a level gained for each scenario.
Ive avoided higher level scenarios because I thought I would gain low gold but high experience, the reverse of my goal.
A PFS group member mentioned that the experience would also be reduced if I use in in this way. Is that true and if so where can i find the FAQ or source?
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A PFS group member mentioned that the experience would also be reduced if I use in in this way. Is that true and if so where can i find the FAQ or source?
As Ryzoken says, XP is 1 point per scenario and 3 points per adventure. The only reduction from applying to a 1st level character is in gold rewards.
Step 3: Award the character XP based on his advancement track. A PC receives XP only if he survives the scenario or is raised from the dead by the scenario’s conclusion and completed at least three encounters over the course of the adventure. A character using the standard advancement track earns 1 XP; a character on the slow advancement track earns 1/2 XP.
If the player is playing a non-1st-level pregenerated character, he may choose instead to apply this Chronicle sheet to a 1st-level character by reducing this value to 500 gp (or 250 gp for the slow advancement track) for completing a scenario or 1,398 gp (or 699 gp for the slow advancement track) for completing a module.
Okay so Scenarios are Okay, but Modules stay away from as they cause high xp low money?
So, is The Emerald Spire considered a module? If I am GMing a run through the spire and do not want to apply the higher level chronicle sheets to a high level character, I can apply them to a level 1 character and award myself 1398 gp and 3 XP?
Based on chronicle sheets at level 1, you would need 500 gold and 2 prestige per 1 experience point.
So converting a Module you would be losing gold and especially prestige. Considering anything other than non-magical equipment requires high levels of prestige that is a major weakness.
Fully completing all parts of a module also gives bonus experience(or so Ive heard) making that even more a problem.
Honestly I see so many problems with Gold and Prestige through this method. Its more profitable to wait until you fully unlock the modules.
Note: Not alot of experience with modules, but why so little prestige?
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Based on chronicle sheets at level 1, you would need 500 gold and 2 prestige per 1 experience point.
So converting a Module you would be losing gold and especially prestige. Considering anything other than non-magical equipment requires high levels of prestige that is a major weakness.
Unless you really bomb your missions, the fame cap on wealth quickly becomes irrelevant. It only really applies in the low levels where you don't have enough money to exceed it anyway.
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Unless you really bomb your missions, the fame cap on wealth quickly becomes irrelevant. It only really applies in the low levels where you don't have enough money to exceed it anyway.Based on chronicle sheets at level 1, you would need 500 gold and 2 prestige per 1 experience point.
So converting a Module you would be losing gold and especially prestige. Considering anything other than non-magical equipment requires high levels of prestige that is a major weakness.
Well up until you hit 9 fame it serves to limit what you can buy. If you want to buy a handy haversack (or anything else 1,500+ that's not on the always available list) your best case scenario is chronicle 5, when you're just about ready to hit level 3. Playing modules will accelerate the chronicle count, but not the XP count. 5 standard chronicles = Level 2 with 2xp, and a fame score of 10 if every mission got both prestige. Throw a module in there, and when you hit level 2.2 your maximum possible fame is only 6.
But that's a quibble. As said, once you get to at least 9 fame then the spending ceiling becomes largely irrelevant. Because then you begin buying things like handy haversacks, and by the time you accumulate more gold for massive purchases you've also accumulated fame and moved your ceiling up for anything you can feasibly afford... unless of course you never spend gold on anything and are trying to save up for a 80,000gp staff as your first purchase...
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Whether Fame starvation is an issue is very class/build dependent. For full-casters that are often spending a lot of their money on modestly-priced spell enhancements (rods, pearls,...) and scrolls it's rarely an issue.
However, for a full-martial that want's to get to a +3* (possible adamantine) weapon as soon as possible, running a lot of modules is definitely an issue. My Seeker-in-training** went through all of Thornkeep at normal progression. I felt Fame starvation acutely at mid-levels.
*Remember, Fame is compared against total price, not the incremental upgrade from +2 to +3.
**Currently working through Eyes.
Venture-Lieutenant, Netherlands—Leiden
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@Gino: I'm quite surprised you managed to hit the fame ceiling. I was just checking because I thought I might have hit it with my slayer (+3 mithral klar at L6) but was easily under it. Fame is keeping ahead of available wealth for me.
I think part of the idea of Fame is to implement the idea that only a certain % of your WBL should be invested in a single item. Both to prevent people beelinging to uber-items, and to nudge them into a healthy well-rounded base.
Are you sure you weren't overdoing it by reaching for a +3 sword before your Fame let you?
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Venture-Agent, Minnesota—Minneapolis
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I have hit the fame ceiling on one of my characters as well, a Bloodrager trying to get Furious on their weapon as soon as possible. I would have to check my records, but I think the cap slowed it down by one or two scenarios.
It usually hits in the early levels (less than level 3), but it can hit when you are focused on one item. I haven't seen it be a major impediment to a character yet, just an occasional inconvenience.
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@Gino: I'm quite surprised you managed to hit the fame ceiling. I was just checking because I thought I might have hit it with my slayer (+3 mithral klar at L6) but was easily under it. Fame is keeping ahead of available wealth for me.
I think part of the idea of Fame is to implement the idea that only a certain % of your WBL should be invested in a single item. Both to prevent people beelinging to uber-items, and to nudge them into a healthy well-rounded base.
Are you sure you weren't overdoing it by reaching for a +3 sword before your Fame let you?
Actually, I just looked closer. It was +1 Adamantine. 5000+gp. Fame 18. With five levels only providing 4 Fame each, that wouldn't be available till L6. Any +3 weapon is 18000+gp. Fame 36, which is L7, at "full" prestige. For Gordd, (assuming the only Fame starvation was Thornkeep) that's late L8. Five scenarios later is non-trivial.
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Not alot of experience with modules, but why so little prestige?
As with most questions about Society, there's some history behind the answer that's useful to provide context. Prestige hasn't always been earned in the same manner as it is today.
From the perspective of Campaign Leadership, you should average somewhere between a 50%-100% success rate regarding Prestige (or some equivalent range, I can't recall exactly).
In the very early Seasons, when Core was virtually all that was available, and 4 person parties were expected, it was actually somewhat difficult to always get full Prestige. Combats didn't always go your way and there simply weren't a lot of options for variability between builds.
As parties increased to 6, and more books were released, it became easier to acquire Prestige from the same scenarios. By Season 4, it was assumed by players that everyone would get full Prestige. If you didn't, you were doing something wrong (a mindset that obviously still persists today), and Campaign Leadership wanted to address that.
So scenarios became increasingly more difficult. Some factions disappeared. Faction missions all but disappeared. Combats became more intricate. Secondary Success Conditions were introduced. And Season 7 became known as "The Year of the Skill Check", because it's harder for optimized characters to diversify.
But Modules were addressed as well. If the assumption was that every 3xp meant 4-5pp, then Modules would always be lacking. So if you look at more recent Module Chronicle Sheets (like Emerald Spire or Hell's Rebels, to name a couple) you find increased Prestige Awards on a handful of Chronicles to bump up the average.
I like to think that today is about as close as we've come to being balanced for quite some time.
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So, is The Emerald Spire considered a module? If I am GMing a run through the spire and do not want to apply the higher level chronicle sheets to a high level character, I can apply them to a level 1 character and award myself 1398 gp and 3 XP?
With a caveat
"A GM can assign credit for running an adventure in
any of the same ways a player can, and must follow the
same rules as a player when applying credit to a character." Guild Guide p.16
So it would have to be the levels for which you can play a pregen. So the levels of Emerald Spire for 10th and 12th level PCs you'd have to apply the GM credit to a legal character of that level or "hold" the chronicles.
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Venture-Captain, California—Sacramento
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If the GM with a low-level character runs any higher tier scenarios that don’t include a subtier for her [character], she takes the lowest subtier Chronicle sheet from that scenario and holds it for her PC. Then, once her PC achieves the appropriate level for that Chronicle sheet to be applied, it is immediately applied at that time.
You can apply credit to a newly created, 1st-level Roleplaying Guild character from a higher-level [adventure]. When doing so, reduce the gp reward to 500 gp if the adventure grants 1 XP or 1,398 gp if it grants 3 XP. You do not benefit from any boons until your Roleplaying Guild character reaches the minimum level listed on the Chronicle sheet, unless otherwise noted.
GM out of tier credits follow the same rules as Pregen only scenarios and modules / APs. You receive credit at the lowest level you could have received credit at, not the level of the pregen played. And you can *always* reduce the gold of an adventure to apply it to a 1st level PC if you did not play it with a character in the correct tier.
Well anyone know how to greatly increase the money and/or prestige from games?
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Venture-Captain, California—Sacramento
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I don't think you understand. The gold listed on the chronicle sheet is the *maximum * you can get if you do everything right.
You can't raise that amount, because that amount is the maximum.
You *can* get less than that, if you mess up. In some cases a lot less.
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Well anyone know how to greatly increase the money and/or prestige from games?
There is no way to increase Fame gained per scenario.
As Ryzoken mentioned, you can use your downtime action (you get one downtime action at the end of each scenario played) to attempt a Day Job roll. That money is added to whatever you earn on the chronicle for completing the mission. There are a lot of options floating around including Convention Boons and Faction Journal Cards that can increase the amount earned in a day job but even without jumping through hoops it's fairly easy to earn 10-100 gold per downtime. See the Guide for more details.
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Well anyone know how to greatly increase the money and/or prestige from games?
Keep in mind that everyone else at your table is utilizing roughly the same amount of gold and Prestige that you are.
There's really no need to increase yours above theirs.
Plus, it makes it difficult for Campaign Leadership to design scenarios if they can't predict what resources you have available.
If there was some loophole for increased wealth, you can probably bet that everyone would eventually exploit it.
And scenario difficulty would equally increase.
And then you'd be no better off than when you started.
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PFS does indeed already give a sweet deal to players as-is. Want an obscure magic item? There's always one for sale if you have the gold (and fame).
Want an adamantine weapon? You don't have to go on a gather quest just to get the allegedly rare mineral. There's never any worry about 733t loot weapons not coinciding with your Weapon Focus/Specialization feats. Heck, you don't even have to go on sidequests just to find a buyer who can afford to liquidate loot into currency.
Best of all, the only GM permission you need for wacky magic items is appearing on the PFS legality page.
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Venture-Captain, California—Sacramento
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Well anyone know how to greatly increase the money and/or prestige from games?
If you did come up with a way to do it legally, it would be illegal.
For a while, the team has been batting around a few broad-strokes FAQ entries to which the answer is essentially "No." One is "I've found a loophole that allows me to get infinite gold. Does it work?" Another is "I've found an exploit that allows me to reap infinite power. Does it work?"
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Well anyone know how to greatly increase the money and/or prestige from games?
Prestige - Complete primary and secondary success conditions.
Money - Don't die and don't fail missions.
You'll greatly increase your rewards and also enjoy the game more if you make a useful character who helps the party to succeed.
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For a while, I didn't have *any* 7+ characters, and in some cases the only way to participate and get a given scenario for a given character (held for) was to play pregens.
In addition, because of the 'gating' phenomenon, there would never be tables for the levels I needed to *level up* said characters, resulting in a slight 'backlog' of 'credits'.
If one plays the pregen *as an actual character* and not Disposable Clone 'x', it can be just as rewarding as playing a 'personally built' character, imo.