I've run several homebrew PF games, and never started at level 1 for several reasons. But I'm about to run an AP, so!
Since I'd like to start DMing with level three to five characters & know that's where chapter two typically begins, I'd like to know which APs, if any, might be more favorable for that. As in, are there APs where the story at the beginning isn't too important? If chapter one is all about setting up for the rest of the campaign I think it's fair to say I'd avoid running those games. But if chapter one of a few APs are more or less just ramping the party up? I'd love to know. Any thoughts welcome!
And if advice reveals pretty much every AP has important information in chapter 1 & level 1? Might just start from there too, much as I dislike those lowest levels.
I'd put forward Mummy's Mask.
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Take a look at the Legendary Planet AP from Legendary Games. The first book starts at level 2, and the campaign has been great so far. There's technically a prequel adventure that we skipped a large portion of following an untimely TPK. We built new characters at level 2 and jumped straight into the first full book and have been having a blast ever since (currently in book 2).
Jade Regent.
Serpent's Skull would work.
In this AP's case they miss uncovering the trail that unfolds the rest of the AP themselves, but you could engineer the big lure as a prequel to the rest of the AP, such as begin in the final temple of book 1 at level 3
Wow, nice! Some quick responses & thoughts tossed out, tis much appreciated. The group I'm playing with has recently played some Mummy's Mask, so I think that'd be out. I probably should've mentioned that in the initial post, my bad. Shame too, with two recommendations.
Legendary Planet, Jade Regent, & Serpent's Skull huh? I'll be looking deep into those tonight! Thanks for helping narrow down options, and still open to suggestions!
If you can establish the premise in backstory so the PCs know why they're delivering some books, I'd consider doing Carrion Crown starting at Book 2. It's a great AP, but book 1 is a haunt fest so unless your entire group is really keen on haunts, it can be a bit of a slog.
Also Second Darkness. It's thematically consistent book 2 through 6, and the shift from the first one (running a shady casino, yay!) to the rest of the AP is very jarring. The AP wants you never to care about your casino again.
So I'd go with that one.
Skull and Shackles could work. You get a bit less personal dislike for the sub-villain, but beyond that, volume 1 is mostly just to get you used to the piratey mechanics.
Skull and Shackles could work. You get a bit less personal dislike for the sub-villain, but beyond that, volume 1 is mostly just to get you used to the piratey mechanics.
Technically if you are level 3, you can start skip the ship grind and just get kidnapped, pressganged and escape after the ships split. No need to stage the whole island exploration bit.
Also, although I like book 1 of Carrion Crown, the exploration and grind is not so valuable to the plot. You can easily skip it after the burial and directly get to the hook for book 2. The whole AP has a "monster of the week" feel to it. Other than that, well, I think Giantslayer, Second Darkness Legacy of Fire, Skulls and Shackles and Kingmaker could work if you start from book 2 and just have a prologue where the plot-necessary ending bits of book 1 are handled. Considering that many APs get you to level 4 in the first book, it should not be too hard to start from 3 and have a 1-level prologue.
Shattered Star is another option.
Seconding skipping book 1 of Serpent's Skull, although it is an outstanding standalone adventure.
Chapter 1 of Serpent's Skull can make for an excellent jumping point into other campaigns: Skull and Shackles comes most readily to mind, but many of the others can be adapted to suite.
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I'd just run through chapter 1 with your higher level characters. It will be a bit of a cakewalk for a couple of sessions, but usually chapter 1 is very important to the storyline of the AP. For example, it would be almost impossible to fully experience Curse of the Crimson Throne if you skip chapter 1. The lower level encounters would provide less exp, so it shouldn't really effect later advancement.
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There's technically a prequel adventure that we skipped a large portion of following an untimely TPK.You too, huh? XD Yeah, that prologue can be NASTY. Fun stuff, though.
Not exactly "me too" since I'm in your group. =P
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Heresy!
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It might be considered heresy, but frankly you could really easily skip Burnt Ashes from Rise of the Runelords.
True nonetheless. Burnt Offerings is very self-containing, and apart from a certain NPC (ok, and maybe Shalelu), it has nothing that is really necessary to get the rest of the AP (as a player). And while having connected to said NPC adds a nice touch to what follows, you don't actually need it at all.
]I'd just run through chapter 1 with your higher level characters. It will be a bit of a cakewalk for a couple of sessions, but usually chapter 1 is very important to the storyline of the AP. For example, it would be almost impossible to fully experience Curse of the Crimson Throne if you skip chapter 1. The lower level encounters would provide less exp, so it shouldn't really effect later advancement.
Depending on the level the OP wants to the start the AP with, you could also use certain parts of chapter 1 to convey the necessary info. I mean, part 1 of Edge of Anarchy is really just an elaborate way to get the PCs together. You could easily start with part 2 even at level 3 or 4 considering the CR of most of the events during that part. Same goes for part 3; maybe just leave out the first encounter location (All the World's meat) if it seems to easy for your group. And if you want to use the Harrow Deck for the AP, you simply can combine Zellara's story with the Eel's End part.
Can also be as simple as narrating the events of the first chapters and then start with the Shingle Chase and follow the events from there.
In the end I think that this is something which can and should be done with most if not all APs, if you're willing to start at level 3 or 4. Just read through the first tome of a given AP, decide what's basically important and what's unimportant and cut off those parts you don't want to use. As the GM you should have read the first chapters anyway (for the setting information) so I think that this wouldn't mean too much additional effort.
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** spoiler omitted **
I'm not saying that you won't miss out on some very fun stuff, if you're not playing BO, but I do not agree so much with your second and third point.
This said you can basically use the same receipt I laid out for CotCT. You might want to start with the initial event just for creating athmosphere and make a connection to certain people as in part 2 and then immediately jump to the second adventure, because the rest is not really necessary as far as the overarching plot is concerned
Council of Thieves might actually be better if you skip book one. :-)
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** spoiler omitted **I'm not saying that you won't miss out on some very fun stuff, if you're not playing BO, but I do not agree so much with your second and third point.
** spoiler omitted **
This said you can basically use the same receipt I laid out for CotCT. You might want to start with the initial event just for creating athmosphere and make a connection to certain people as in part 2 and then immediately jump to the second adventure, because the rest is not really necessary as far as the overarching plot is concerned
There are some good ideas here. Combining two of them together ("just start at Level 3" and "skip the first book"), Jade Regent could, for example, be started at Level 3 in Book 1 by skipping the first half.
Wow again! Them's a lotta suggestions! A lot of variety though. Err, counting up the suggestions so far as I can tell!
Legendary Planet got 2, Jade Regent 3, Serpent's Skull 3, Carrion Crown 2, Way of the Wicked 1, Second Darkness 3, Skull & Shackles 3, Kingmaker 2, Giantslayer 1, Legacy of Fire 1, Shattered Star 1, Rise of the Rune Lords 2, Edge of Anarchy 1, Burnt Offerings 1, Council of Thieves 1.
At the pretty much guaranteed risk of cutting out amazing options, think I'll knock off single recommendations for consideration. As well as Kingmaker since I've played it much as well. Leaves Legendary Planet with 2, Jade Regent 3, Serpent's Skull 3, Carrion Crown 2, Second Darkness 3, Skull & Shackles 3, Rise of the Rune Lords 2.
Thank ye all! Lookin' at then offering these what's left for my future game then. Unless an unexpected landslide pops up or something.
FYI Burnt Offerings is book 1 of Rise of the Runelords so that's actually a 3rd vote. Edge of Anarchy is book 1 of Curse of the Crimson Throne so that's still just a single vote.
I can't contribute since I haven't gotten through any AP yet but I find this very interesting. :D
You could start Reign of Winter in Whitethrone, or just before. Having no relations to Taldor doesn't seem to have any impact to general storyline. You could spend a lot of time in Irrisen's civil war. We saw the opportunities for adventure there, but since we were from Taldor, there was absolutely no motivation for staying.
I'd just run through chapter 1 with your higher level characters. It will be a bit of a cakewalk for a couple of sessions, but usually chapter 1 is very important to the storyline of the AP. For example, it would be almost impossible to fully experience Curse of the Crimson Throne if you skip chapter 1. The lower level encounters would provide less exp, so it shouldn't really effect later advancement.
This basic idea is my recommendation and something I have done before. I ran JR for a group of E8 characters after completing a E8-modified version of RotRL by putting in time limits.