Easy and fun camping for beginners

[Traitoreous]

Hello. I'll be starting a campaign soon with four beginners as players. I have told them the rules and I have played some small combats with them so they understand the idea. I'm not going to count xp since I don't want to make this last forever. What do you think would be good encounters for the first few levels? Something that is easy to understand as an enemy. I'm not thinking about using goblins or similar creatures. For now the party members want to be: a human paladin, human cleric, dwarf rogue and a gnome sorcerer.

If there is some general advice for playing with beginners I'd like to hear that too.

[Janthkin]

I suspect your auto-correct is at fault for the subject line. I came in looking for a thread about resting safely at low levels. :P

Here are a few recent threads targeted at a similar topic:
http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?481075-What-to-throw-at-new-players&highlight=new+player
http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?475907-Best-ways-to-help-a-New-Player&highlight=new+player
http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?473252-Pathfinder-Tips-for-a-new-GM-working-with-brand-new-players&highlight=new+player
http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?451180-Best-Adventure-Path-for-New-Players&highlight=new+player

Edit: oops, forgot a thread: http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?478878-Help-designing-an-encounter-for-my-first-session-DMing

[Bobby Baratheon]

You could throw some animals at them. Animals are pretty easy to adjust in difficulty level, owing to both the vast amount of templates out there and the number of animals/magical beasts. They can be nifty plot hooks, too. Why are all the bears of Bear Forest going insane and attacking people? Let's find out!

[ExLibrisMortis]

I would avoid undead, even though zombies and skeletons are classic starter mobs. It's no fun for the rogue to be facing immune monsters.

Animals are always good, anything from wolves to sharks to vultures, depending on the surroundings.

Humanoid robbers are classic, and can be scared off or captured, too, increasing possible strategies for the players.

[Campbellk8105]

When I was new, and to this day my favorite campaign started out with our female cleric taking a wagon into town for some supplies and offering an older fellow a ride in. After pulling back his hood it revealed a much younger face than she had seen before as he mutters the words, "You ever think it might be because you're a wh*re?" Then proceeded to stab her in the gut and run away.. Ahh, good times.

Orcs are always fun. Nothing says welcome to 3.5 like a level 1 falchion crit!

On a more serious note, where is the campaign going to take place in? I've always been a fan of kobolds at low levels.

[Tevo77777]

Wolves. Drunken thugs. Bandits without decent weapons.

[ksbsnowowl]

Sunless Citadel (http://www.dmsguild.com/product/3727/The-Sunless-Citadel-3e?term=Sunless&filters=0_0_0_0_45348_0&it=1). Excellent starter adventure.

Here is my campaign journal of running this adventure:
http://www.minmaxboards.com/index.php?topic=14113.0