Does anyone have any advice for learning the more specific rules such as those that appear in the chapter on environment? The rules governing wilderness, traps, doors, weather, etc. are daunting to say the least. Furthermore, I don't want to have to interrupt my games to look up a lot of environment modifiers.
Learn the rules by using them. Craft settings in which the rules are required, and then put the PCs through those places.
Mark L. Chance | Spes Magna Games
Does anyone have any advice for learning the more specific rules such as those that appear in the chapter on environment? The rules governing wilderness, traps, doors, weather, etc. are daunting to say the least. Furthermore, I don't want to have to interrupt my games to look up a lot of environment modifiers.
Make cheat-sheets for yourself while preparing your adventures. Include the obscure details in the encounter notes/write-up.
I created a bunch of sheets to go with my GM Screen .. for example, a pair for Overland travel with things like encounter distances in each type of terrain, weather effects, the random weather chart, and so on.. anything I thought would be useful when running overland travel.
Does anyone have any advice for learning the more specific rules such as those that appear in the chapter on environment? The rules governing wilderness, traps, doors, weather, etc. are daunting to say the least. Furthermore, I don't want to have to interrupt my games to look up a lot of environment modifiers.Make cheat-sheets for yourself while preparing your adventures. Include the obscure details in the encounter notes/write-up.
I created a bunch of sheets to go with my GM Screen .. for example, a pair for Overland travel with things like encounter distances in each type of terrain, weather effects, the random weather chart, and so on.. anything I thought would be useful when running overland travel.
That's a good idea. I guess an Excel sheet would work well for this sort of thing.
Make cheat-sheets for yourself while preparing your adventures. Include the obscure details in the encounter notes/write-up.
I created a bunch of sheets to go with my GM Screen .. for example, a pair for Overland travel with things like encounter distances in each type of terrain, weather effects, the random weather chart, and so on.. anything I thought would be useful when running overland travel.
Incidentally, is any of this information on the Pathfinder GM screen? I was going to use a Ravenloft GM screen because I want to run Mistfinder, but I might change if the PF screen has more relevant information.
Incidentally, is any of this information on the Pathfinder GM screen? I was going to use a Ravenloft GM screen because I want to run Mistfinder, but I might change if the PF screen has more relevant information.
Make cheat-sheets for yourself while preparing your adventures. Include the obscure details in the encounter notes/write-up.
I created a bunch of sheets to go with my GM Screen .. for example, a pair for Overland travel with things like encounter distances in each type of terrain, weather effects, the random weather chart, and so on.. anything I thought would be useful when running overland travel.
No, sadly. The Pathfinder GM screen is wonderfully sturdy (made from hardcover book grade cardboard), but it is disappointing in the contents.
Panel 1 and Panel 2: Skill Tasks & DCs, Wind effects on flight
Panel 3: Quick reference for Combat (Attack and AC modifiers, Combat Maneuver summary, Two-Weapon Fighting modifiers, and Concentration modifiers) plus the descriptions of some of the common Conditions.
Panel 4: Hardness and Hit Points for common objects, weapons, and substances; plus the XP and Treasure by CR tables.
The XP and Treasure per encounter tables do not really strike me as being the sorts of things I would want or need to access "on the fly" at the table. The hardness and hit point references, however are just the sort of thing that come up all the time. I would have preferred to trade the XP and Treasure tables for a short one-column summary of the Damaging an Object rules to go with the other tables on that panel.
I made, and am adding, pages of reference sheets for myself:
Sheet 1: Overland Movement (Tables 7-6, 7-8, and 7-9). Table 7-8 has been expanded a bit to show the DC to avoid getting lost, the maxmimum encounter distance, and to list Hazards appropriate to the terrain row. I also added the "Time to Explore / Cross 1 12-mile Hex" informatiom from Kingmaker here.
Sheet 2: Random Weather, Weather Effects, Wind Effects (all from Chapter 13) and common Survival Check DCs.
Sheet 3: "Social Interactions" contains the chart for influencing NPC attitudes with Diplomacy, a table of DC Modifiers based on Requests made, Sidebar text on using Intimidate to get temporary co-operation, Bluff modifiers, and Sense Motive DCs.
Sheet 4: "Combat Actions" contains charts of common Standard Actions, Move Actions, Swift/Immediate Actions, Free Actions, and the 5-foot step organized as "Standard Action + Move Action + Swift/Immediate Action + 5-ft step + Free Actions", "Full-Round + Swift/Immediate Action + 5-ft step + Feee Actions", and "Special Combinations"
Sheet 5: Simple Templates from the Bestiary (and one from a module) (work in progress)
Sheet 6: Size modifiers for Stealth and Fly skills (new sheet, still in-progress).