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vp21ct

2011-04-11, 02:15 PM

I've been considering doing a Pathfinder adventure path for my firends. Does anyone have any recommendations as to which one I should start with? I was thinking Kingmaker.

The thing is, I'm still a fairly novice DM. I'm pretty good with rules and stuff, superb with the story telling and having good NPCs, just not so great with things like balancing encounters, or setting up sidequests, and I want a campaign to help me practice that.

Arutema

2011-04-11, 03:56 PM

As a player, I've had a lot of fun with Kingmaker. The new mechanics come into play in volume 2 take some learning, but it's not too hard to grasp.

On the subject of encounter design, be warned that Kingmaker can be Nintendo Hard (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/NintendoHard), and some of the random encounters are almost a guaranteed TPK unless you can run away.

potatocubed

2011-04-11, 03:59 PM

Rise of the Runelords might not be a bad place to start, since it's intended to contain all of your iconic D&D elements: goblins, ogres, giants, evil archmages, etc. It's designed for 3.5, though, so if you wanted to run it with PF you'd have to convert as you went along.

Alternatively, Serpent's Skull is quite straightforward and set up for PF from the word go. People I know who've played it say it's good fun, too. It's also got plenty of room for expansion if you're feeling sidequesty.

(Kingmaker is cool, but I wouldn't recommend it for beginners. Likewise, Carrion Crown is shaping up to be decent but I'm not sure how noob-friendly it is.)

subject42

2011-04-11, 04:05 PM

Rise of the Runelords might not be a bad place to start, since it's intended to contain all of your iconic D&D elements: goblins, ogres, giants, evil archmages, etc. It's designed for 3.5, though, so if you wanted to run it with PF you'd have to convert as you went along.

RotRL is a lot of fun, but there are a few spots here and there where you have to be careful. I started as a player, then took over as DM in a run of the campaign once.

The first big sticking point is a Quasit in the first chapter. It's really hard to hit. Combined with poisonous attacks, this can be a real problem.

The second is a Lamia Matriarch in the second or third chapter. It's also really hard to hit, controls the fight on a tower (yay falling damage), and does ability drain.

If you aren't careful with those two fights the whole thing can turn into a TPK factory.

Otherworld Odd

2011-04-11, 04:20 PM

Kingmaker may be a little difficult for a new DM, as I'm pretty sure they introduced a lot of new things and it's a sandbox type adventure, which may be more difficult for a new DM.

I'm going to jump in and suggest Rise of the Runelords. It is fun and as long as you provide alternative routes to fights that your players might not win, it should be fine.

vp21ct

2011-04-11, 04:38 PM

The trouble is this: most of my players are really good, and have been playing for a long time, but have sort of burnt out on DMing. I really like DMing, but it's hard for me to deal with players who know the rules even better than me (this is helped with the game being Pathfinder, and I'm the only guy with all the rules for PF)

I also tend to have trouble with Sidequests, knowing where to put them in in relation to the larger story and the like. I know that they're important for adventure paths, since if the party just goes stright down the line, the CR will rise faster than they're level (unless you go with quick leveling, but then it get's skewed in the opposite direction, if memory serves right)

It strikes me that Kingmaker is very sidequest friendly, just put up a bounty or something like that, where as RotR doesn't have quite as much opourtunity for that sort of thing (At least, from the time I tried running it)

Grommen

2011-04-11, 09:26 PM

Second Darkness was fun in spots, but I would not recomend it for begining DM's. It's a very hands on plot, and some of the encounters (espically the last chapter) are just sick. Some of the nastiest things I've ever seen in print short of demons and gods. O wait some of them are demons and gods. Well damm that explains it.

Anyway From everything I've read they are all nice paths, with great detail. Not having read the Serpents Crown (hoping to actually play is as a character) it looks really good. Has elements of tomb raiding and high adventure. Who does not love a little India Jones :smallbiggrin:

Ravens_cry

2011-04-11, 09:35 PM

I found Legacy of Fire to be a lot of fun, but I can only comment from a players perspective. But from that perspective, an Arabian Nights themed campaign was a lot of fun and I want to go back to Katapesh and Osirion.

Otherworld Odd

2011-04-11, 10:03 PM

I was just suggesting RotRL because it's straightforward plot pretty much with *options* for sidequests. You said yourself you aren't good with sidequests and Kingmaker seems extremely sidequest oriented which may be hard to keep them all unified. It would probably end up being a bunch of little sidequests that don't relate to each other at all. I'm just speaking from opinion though but if you really want t run Kingmaker than run Kingmaker. Adventure paths don't really require side quests at all though usually. In RotRL or Legacy of Fire or similar you could just run the adventure path by itself.

Akal Saris

2011-04-12, 05:31 PM

I'll suggest Curse of the Crimson Throne as another excellent AP. Great storyline & a decent set-up, and a good balance of fights and RP. It's a little on the easy side, however, so you should feel free to add 1-2 more creatures to each combat if you're running for experienced PCs.

Otherworld Odd

2011-04-12, 06:15 PM

Hawriel

2011-04-12, 08:38 PM

vp21ct

2011-04-12, 10:43 PM

Kingmaker is a plot built around side quests. Very sandbox. So as a new DM I would not recomend it untill your 3rd campain. For practice I recomend getting Pathfinders one shot adventures or finding goodmen games 3rd ed adventures. Run 3 or 4 of thoughs then takle a full campaine.

That... is actually a remarkable idea. I could even use tenuous hooks to tie the one shot adventures together. Do you have links to where I can find Pathfinder's oneshots?

Ravens_cry

2011-04-12, 10:55 PM

Kingmaker is a plot built around side quests. Very sandbox. So as a new DM I would not recomend it untill your 3rd campain. For practice I recomend getting Pathfinders one shot adventures or finding goodmen games 3rd ed adventures. Run 3 or 4 of thoughs then takle a full campaine.
I agree. Though some of the quests were a little MMO, I have had more fun playing in the sandbox then actually moving the plot foreward.

Grommen

2011-04-12, 11:38 PM

That... is actually a remarkable idea. I could even use tenuous hooks to tie the one shot adventures together. Do you have links to where I can find Pathfinder's oneshots?

http://paizo.com/store/games/roleplayingGames/p/pathfinderRPG/paizo/pathfinderSocietyScenarios/season2/v5748btpy8gtz

Try these. They are made for the pathfinder society, but you can just forget those parts. Their small adventures designed to be played in 4 hours or less. In a regular game it can be a bit longer. Good framework for things, pretty simple and stuff.

O ya and cheep. Very cheep.

Hawriel

2011-04-13, 12:09 AM

That... is actually a remarkable idea. I could even use tenuous hooks to tie the one shot adventures together. Do you have links to where I can find Pathfinder's oneshots?

That's a good plan. The thing I like about Pathfinder's adventures weather one shot or full campain arc is that they leave you alot of room to change them how ever you like. Hell Pazio encurages it. Grab afew one shot adventures look them over and string your own story.

You should be able to down laod them on PDF from pazio's sight if you cant find them in a store.

Goodmen Games (yeah Im plugging them again) took four of their one shot adventures and turned them into a campaine box set.