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Does anybody who has run this campaign have tips on what classes would work really well in Reign of Winter as a group?
So far, I am thinking that the following work well, because they offer cold resistance or cold environment bonuses:
Barbarian (Invulnerable Rager archetype), rage powers (APG)
Paladin (Empyreal Knight archetype UC, but requires you to give up a lot)
Ranger (Infiltrator archetype Humanoid giant, outsider)
3 levels of Horizon Walker prestige class APG, good for Fighters/Rangers/Paladins etc.
Sorcerer: Boreal, Starsoul, Undead, Elemental (water), and Draconic (silver, white)
Wizard: Abjuration specialist
Druid (Arctic archetype)
Cleric/Druid/Inquisitor (water domain)
Witch (Winter Witch archetype, not prestige class)
Oracle Winter mystery, (black blooded archetype Inner Sea Magic)
I also noticed that the following races grant cold resistance:
Aasimar, Elf (customized), Tiefling, Suli, Undine, Kobold (customized)
And based on my reading of the AP, I noticed that the following skills and feats should be needed, any recommendations?
Spell Penetration (to combat spell resistance), Iron Will (lots of charms from what I've read), Linguistics, fire spells and cold resistance are your friends. Lots of traps in the AP, so Perception and Disable Device is encouraged, as is a Rogue’s trapfinding ability.
I wouldn't say that the AP is difficult enough to have to prep specifically for it. The first book is rough, but limiting yourself to these options is just going to allow you to brute-force through it. None of the other books need specialization in any of this.
From what I understand by reading through the AP before, the entire campaign takes place in subzero temps, with lots of deep snow. So, the party would do well to have cold resistance (lots of cold monsters), and some means of moving across snow easily (Boots of the Winterlands etc).
What do you mean, "brute force it"? I figure that by presenting my players with PC options that are suited for the environment, it might help. See, most of them are newbies, without even one campaign under their belts. Reign of Winter has a rep for being a PC killer, as did Carrion Crown (which I tried to run a few of them through).
Basically I just want my players to have a good time.
That -4 to attack with missile weapons during snowstorms is gonna suck. But I don't know of any way around it.
That -4 to attack with missile weapons during snowstorms is gonna suck. But I don't know of any way around it.
There's the Improved Precise Shot feat, but that isn't available until 11th level. Not super helpful.
Well, so far we have a Boreal Sorcerer in the party, and as for race, he's a custom. Made it with the Advanced Race Guide.
Trollan (based on Orko from the old series He Man and the Masters of the Universe)
Flight 30 perfect
+4 Charisma, +2 Dexterity, -2 Wisdom, -4 Strength
Light Blindness
Darkvision 60'
Size small, Outsider
Oh, he picked Mage Armor, Burning Hands for his 1st level spells, and Acid Splash, Detect Magic, Daze, Flare for his 0 level spells.
Took Combat Casting for his feat.
Magic is Life, Warded Against Witchery character traits.
Bluff, Fly, Spellcraft, and Use Magic Device are his skills.
Just made a goblin Unchained Rogue (Knife Master archetype).
Took Iron Will for her feat.
Indomitable Will, and haven't picked the other character trait. Got any advice as to which one she should take?
Acrobatics, Appraise, Bluff, Climb, Disable Device, Disguise, Dungeoneering, Local, Perception, Stealth are her skills.
I allowed her to buy a Travel Cloak, which among other things gives her 5 cold resistance, for 1200gp.
The next party member is an Arctic archetype Druid, an aasimar variant called garuda blooded I think. He gave up his animal companion in favor of the Water domain, took Toughness as his feat. As his character traits he took Armor Expert and Vigilante Witch Hunter. His skills are Climb, Heal, Perception, Sense Motive, and Survival.
Finally, the last party member is a straight up Ranger, combat style archery. His race is a custom one:
Wood Elf +2 Strength, +2 Dexterity, -2 Intelligence, Woodcraft trait from the ARG replaces Elven Magic. He also gave up his elven immunity for cold resistance 5, his only real concession to the game environment.
He took Iron Will as his feat, and Indomitable Faith, Warded Against Witchery as his character traits. He took for skills Climb, Handle Animal, Nature, Perception, Spellcraft, Stealth, and Survival.
From what I can guess, the Rogue is going to be flanking with the Druid a lot in combat, because the Ranger is going to sit still firing arrows.
Well, we got lucky and managed to get a 5th player. He chose a angelkin aasimar Paladin. Spent his feat on bastard sword prof, and his character traits are Armor Expert and Restless Wayfarer. His skills are Diplomacy, heal, geography, religion, and sense motive.
So finally we have a archery Ranger, a standard Paladin, a Knife Master Rogue, a Boreal Sorcerer, and an Arctic Druid.
Glad we got some additional healing capability in the Druid and Paladin. Also, the Rogue will be able to flank with both the Druid and Paladin.
What do you guys think of the party balance for this Reign of Winter AP?
The players for the Sorcerer and Druid are the only veterans. The guy running the Ranger is probably a rookie at best. Meanwhile the Paladin and Rogue are so green it hurts. Bear in mind that I've been gaming for what, 20 years now?
You think I should increase the difficulty later on?
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If the players are completely wrecking things while still having fun, and you're having fun, then no, there's no need to increase the difficulty.Likewise, if the players are struggling, there's no need.
All things being equal, however, with 5 players you should be increasing the CR of the encounters by 25%.
To be frank, it's not the monsters themselves I am thinking about. They don't do all that well with puzzles or riddles, and if I recall correctly Reign has that in spades. Lots of tricky NPC's.
Now, I figure that a Druid and a Paladin should make up for not having a Cleric healing the party. Or at least I hope they will. Perhaps I will poke the Sorcerer into buying a happy stick for the party.
I've told the party Ranger, Paladin, and Druid not to purchase body armor because they'll be getting some in treasure right at the beginning of the adventure. Likewise, I told the Ranger to save his money for his bow, and forgo buying a longsword right away (he's gonna get a loaner). That's about as far as I go for helping out the party with advance knowledge.
Based on your advice, I am going to wait and see for at least the first book if they are having a easy time of it. If so, I'll start adding enemies. I won't increase the treasure however, since the players intend to craft their own magic items.
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Having GMd the first two books so far, there haven't been any particularly tricky puzzles.
In reading ahead, the hut can be tricky sometimes, but it doesn't seem too bad, but I haven't actually run them yet.
Definitely encourage the PCs to buy healing items. I think Heldren has some potions and Waldsby has the couple that stock up on low level scrolls. I don't think they can acquire a wand (without GM fiat) before Whitethrone, though.
Make sure the PCs save enough for cold weather gear!
I read through the entire campaign a while ago. When I did, I noticed that the NPC's were very deceptive, and that there were puzzles later on.
I thought that since the caster level was low for wands, a Cure Light Wounds wand might be okay for the PC's to buy. It's only 750gp. Given that they also have a Druid and a Paladin in the party, I'm hoping they will be good for curing hp damage. I'm more worried about restorative magic like Lesser Restoration etc not being available because none of them is a Cleric.
I don't think the PC's will need much for cold weather outfits etc. I'm assuming that they all got one with their beginning gold, and they all have 5 points of cold resistance (or will shortly because of their class). Eventually I will poke them into getting Boots of the Winterlands to deal with the ice and snow movement penalties. They're cheap, anyway.
I'm more worried about restorative magic like Lesser Restoration etc not being available because none of them is a Cleric.
You could do what we did and make a level 2(or was it 3?) nanite hypogun available a ways in. Maybe a magical version that runs off eating wand charges rather than nanites. 5 charges per equivalent nanite charge cost would be reasonable. Higher level versions could be found in later loot.
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Snowshoes are much cheaper than boots of the winterlands. It's possible someone in Heldren has some stored in an attic for the summer.
Lesser restoration is available to both druids and paladins. Restoration is available to paladins. That means they can both make and use scrolls of those spells if necessary. In fact, the two of them can handle most duties of a cleric.
My players stopped in Ludovny, which I billed as a rich town due to it being the only official gateway town to Hoarwood, the provincial capital. They sold some amount of gear there and bought a wand of CWL among other things.
Regarding the "tricky, deceptive NPCs", just let your PCs interact with them. If they get tricked, then they can treat it as a learning experience, and influence their later interactions. If they get stuck on the puzzles (which start appearing in book 3), then you can start offering hints.
However, since this is the way you've decided to run your campaign, I will try my best to offer suggestions to any concerns you have.
Yes, I know that snowshoes are cheaper, but they only halve the penalties for traveling on deep snow.
If nothing else, this campaign will teach my players just how valuable a good Cleric IS to the party! As it is, I will make available lots of divine restorative scrolls if they decide to start blowing gold on spells.
There are no nanites in Golarion.
The campaign IS called "REIGN OF WINTER" after all, Serum. It's kinda obvious that the whole campaign is going to be dealing with subzero temps and lots of snow/ice. Also, most of my players are still unfamiliar with Pathfinder, being newbies.
Aasimar Wizard
Human Cavalier
Dwarven Fighter
Elf Oracle
Human RangerNobody gave a damn about cold resistance.
That seems hostile. Why?
There are no nanites in Golarion.
That's not entirely accurate. Granted, the party likely doesn't have access to them, which is why I suggested a custom wondrous item that mimics the effect using the charges from a wand as fuel. But scrolls would do the job just fine if that's the route you wanna go. No biggie.
Was just a suggestion of an option for you to consider.
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Both Waldsby and Heldren are too small to have a wand. Heck, their loot above and beyond that which gets rolled for is already described. It's totally in your purview to change that as the DM, though.
I sort of agree with Serum on this. Part of the theme of book 1 is the PCs having to deal with the cold weather. In an AP, the PCs are always fighting ~level appropriate foes. So part of the visual narrative of the PCs getting stronger is accomplished by their eventual ability to deal with such mundane threats much more easily, to the point that eventually you can ignore it entirely. Having an entire party that can ignore it completely feels (to me) like you're missing something.
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Yeah, one of the major draws of D&D/PF is that on low levels, you are a glorified thug/charlatan who struggles with extreme natural conditions and stuff like food and illumination, and once you level up, you progress towards a fantasy superhero who shrugs off most mortal concerns with ease. That journey is in itself one of the more satisfying parts of the game, IMHO. Skipping it robs D&D of much of its charm.
Yeah, one of the major draws of D&D/PF is that on low levels, you are a glorified thug/charlatan who struggles with extreme natural conditions and stuff like food and illumination, and once you level up, you progress towards a fantasy superhero who shrugs off most mortal concerns with ease. That journey is in itself one of the more satisfying parts of the game, IMHO. Skipping it robs D&D of much of its charm.
And this somehow justifies hostility on your part?
I don't see the harm in helping my players, most of which are newbies, in making PC's that suit the setting. I want them to get the basic game mechanics and learn to work together, not struggle with the game environment itself.
Oh, and I noticed that there was a nearly fully charged wand of Scorching Ray in the first town already for the PC's to buy. So, I figured that a happy stick wouldn't be out of the question, especially since it was cheaper.
Exalted Resistance racial triat. And yes, I asked.Hmmmmm...Aasimar Wizard
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Nobody gave a damn about cold resistance.
I noted that both the Wizard and the Elf would have access to cold resistance racially speaking, the latter through the ARG. Wouldn't surprise me if both characters had cold resistance 5.
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Personally, I don't think anyone was being hostile in this thread. You asked for opinions/advice and that's what you're getting. Whether you agree with it or not is up to you. The point Gorbacz was trying to make is that you do not need to build PC's specifically to combat the cold/elements.
I'm midway through the second book as a GM and I have to say that the challenges posed by the environment to the PC's has been one of my favourite parts. It was refreshing to see the group come together and burn precious resources to combat the elements. Now that they are level 5, it's no longer a real challenge and I have work to find other unique challenges.
You can prep/build your PC's to completely negate the cold hazards in this AP but, I think you would be missing out on an element that makes, at least the first book, so much fun and so memorable.
At the end of the day, you are the GM; run your game as you see fit.
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Yeah, one of the major draws of D&D/PF is that on low levels, you are a glorified thug/charlatan who struggles with extreme natural conditions and stuff like food and illumination, and once you level up, you progress towards a fantasy superhero who shrugs off most mortal concerns with ease. That journey is in itself one of the more satisfying parts of the game, IMHO. Skipping it robs D&D of much of its charm.And this somehow justifies hostility on your part?
The only hostility is the one you want to see. Which, in itself, says a lot.
Well, based on the first game session, you guys needn't have worried about the play balance (everyone having cold resistance). The group survived and won, but just barely. They just hit 2nd level and rescued the noblewoman. However, half of the party was down for the count at the time of the last battle, having made ample use out of the Heal skill to recover several times up until then. This is something my players almost never do, because they normally have ample healing.
Oh, it wasn't just the lodge that had them sweating. The Druid kept running out of Cure spells, so they rested several times using the Heal skill.
To be frank, I really liked that the players won by the skin of their proverbial teeth at the lodge. That's just how I like a boss fight!
An evil or shadowy party. Lots of necromancy as cold environments and fey effects bounce of the undead. And guns, lots of guns.
Well that's how my party got through
An evil or shadowy party. Lots of necromancy as cold environments and fey effects bounce of the undead. And guns, lots of guns.
Well that's how my party got through
I don't mind necromancers in my game, since I ruled that non-intelligent automatons like skeletons and zombies aren't Evil, they're neutral at worst. Their creation is at most unlawful, since the souls themselves are gone.
I outlawed guns in my game since I think that the use of Touch AC within the first range increment is overpowered. Also it doesn't really fit the medieval fantasy environment.
Having said that, you have to have advance notice of the guns in the 5th Reign of the Winter AP book to focus on guns. Your Gunslingers obviously know about that, and were willing to wait. Me, I think that's cheating, to know that much about the campaign before you start. However, other GM's are different. How did they manage to get their ammunition for their guns? You can't really shop in this AP much.
Not all of my players are into adapting their PC's to the cold. The Ranger, Paladin, and Rogue don't have anything specific beyond 5 cold resistance to deal with it. I am trying to convince at least the Ranger into taking 3 levels of Horizon Walker to get that 20 cold resistance. Maybe the Paladin as well, I dunno.
How did they manage to get their ammunition for their guns? You can't really shop in this AP much.
I'd assume they crafted it, since gunslingers start with that as a capability or you can just grab the feat.
And lack of shopping is less of a thing once the party finds the
Just posted a thread about Druid armor in this AP. Specifically, finding enough white dragon hide to make a breastplate.
Just posted a thread about Druid armor in this AP. Specifically, finding enough white dragon hide to make a breastplate.
I don't remember his size, but at bare minimum, he's probably big enough to use for Hide armor for a medium creature. If he's Huge, then banded mail would be an option.
Just posted a thread about Druid armor in this AP. Specifically, finding enough white dragon hide to make a breastplate.I don't remember his size, but at bare minimum, he's probably big enough to use for Hide armor for a medium creature. If he's Huge, then banded mail would be an option.
Another thought, the third book has armor made of ice.
I don't think my player will want to wait to the third book to get a decent suit of armor and enchant it. I think I'll just fake it by saying Logrivich the white dragon in the second book has enough hide to make a breastplate. Until then, ye old druid will have to make do with a bone breastplate.
I don't think my player will want to wait to the third book to get a decent suit of armor and enchant it. I think I'll just fake it by saying Logrivich the white dragon in the second book has enough hide to make a breastplate. Until then, ye old druid will have to make do with a bone breastplate.
Just make sure no one speaks draconic and it should be easy enough to get it at the very beginning of the book. :P
But a breastplate probably works.
Nertz. Turns out you need at least a Gargantuan white dragon to produce a breastplate. Maybe I could make do with Logrivich's hide to supplement whatever the PC's could purchase in Whitethrone? But, where would they go to get said breastplate pieces? The city is all messed up.
Nertz. Turns out you need at least a Gargantuan white dragon to produce a breastplate. Maybe I could make do with Logrivich's hide to supplement whatever the PC's could purchase in Whitethrone? But, where would they go to get said breastplate pieces? The city is all messed up.
See my reply in the other thread for my suggestion.
The first book gave my party the most trouble as we started without a healer and we were unprepared for the cold.
As for party composition you need the classic party
An arcane utility caster
A healer
A tank
A damage dealer
Only prepping for cold is ridiculous as a wand of endure elements has you covered. The casters should be able to keep the martials alive whenever their armor gets chilled and at least one player should be able to handle social situations. A GM should let players know that there's such thing as a wand of endure elements. Cold Iron is life, so is the ancestral weapon trait.
What killed my party was a lack of leadership and no incentive other than the geas to keep going after watching our friends get picked off.