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Alruane
Senior Scribe
USA
434 Posts |
 Posted - 08 Dec 2013 : 11:15:03
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So, my fellow sages, I have decided to return to the game. Still working out the bugs, looking up info, so on and so forth. I have decided to stick with Pathfinder above all else. I don't wish to try 4e, and 3.5e is alien to me again, as it has been over 10 years since I last played under those rules. So Pathfinder looks like the best idea for me, thanks to some fellow sages, I took it into consideration. I would just like some seasoned players to help me out with it.
Where I should start, general info, preferred beginner characters (I want to go the traditional wizard route), and the ESSENTIAL materials I shall need. I really miss the game, and hope to find a group online so I can PBeM, eventually. But for now, just grasping the rules and creating my character are of top importance to this fellow sage. This is a big request from everyone, but I hope this scroll will be littered with knowledge for this humble sage to use. I'll put a list of things I shall need below, thank you EVERYONE for your help.
~Alruane
- Materials Needed To Start.
- Advice On First Character.
- General Information To Ease Into.
- Any Other Information That Will Help A Beginner.
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" I wonder if you are destined to be forgotten. Will your life fade in the shadow of greater beings?"
~Joneleth Irenicus
"Wisdom? My dear boy, wisdom is knowing that you do not know everything. Wisdom is realizing, a wise man ALWAYS has questions. Not answers."
~Alruane |
Edited by - Alruane on 08 Dec 2013 12:42:53
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hashimashadoo
Master of Realmslore
United Kingdom
1150 Posts |
Posted - 08 Dec 2013 : 18:07:05
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Well first off, if 3.5 is alien to you then Pathfinder is going to be just as alien. It's primarily based on the 3.5 SRD.
That being said, all you really need in terms of resources is the Core Rulebook unless you plan on DMing right off the bat as then you'll need a monster book as well. Don't make the mistake of diving straight into the Pathfinder only rules as you're likely to be overwhelmed. As I say, stick to the Core Rulebook at first.
Your first character should be a middle-of-the-road type. Don't focus entirely on damage dealing , buffing or utility spells, pick selections of all of them or you'll find yourself useless in certain situations. I'd steer clear of item crafting feats for your first character (though PF is much more friendly to crafters than DnD) but you might want to dabble in metamagic when you feel ready. |
When life turns it's back on you...sneak attack for extra damage.
Head admin of the FR wiki:
https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/ |
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Alruane
Senior Scribe
USA
434 Posts |
Posted - 08 Dec 2013 : 21:20:53
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quote:
Originally posted by hashimashadoo
Well first off, if 3.5 is alien to you then Pathfinder is going to be just as alien. It's primarily based on the 3.5 SRD.
That being said, all you really need in terms of resources is the Core Rulebook unless you plan on DMing right off the bat as then you'll need a monster book as well. Don't make the mistake of diving straight into the Pathfinder only rules as you're likely to be overwhelmed. As I say, stick to the Core Rulebook at first.
Your first character should be a middle-of-the-road type. Don't focus entirely on damage dealing , buffing or utility spells, pick selections of all of them or you'll find yourself useless in certain situations. I'd steer clear of item crafting feats for your first character (though PF is much more friendly to crafters than DnD) but you might want to dabble in metamagic when you feel ready.
I've done some research, Pathfinder is MUCH easier to understand. They have differences, but it's simply BASED off 3.5. There are various differences, but regardless, I like Pathfinder much better. Already reading the Core Rulebook, and I do plan on DMing my Realm I have been working on for some time now. It's very easy to grasp, like riding a bike. You never seem to forget eh? Haha
No worries, but thank you for the advice, I plan on making a different starter Character for now. I plan on making my Elven Ranger, seems a LOT easier and will let me slide back into the game with no complaints. I shall create him secondary, that way I can become familiar with most of Pathfinders mechanics and such. Thanks for the advice, hashimashadoo.  |
" I wonder if you are destined to be forgotten. Will your life fade in the shadow of greater beings?"
~Joneleth Irenicus
"Wisdom? My dear boy, wisdom is knowing that you do not know everything. Wisdom is realizing, a wise man ALWAYS has questions. Not answers."
~Alruane |
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Alruane
Senior Scribe
USA
434 Posts |
Posted - 10 Dec 2013 : 11:00:34
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| Well I am literally back to the beginning as a novice player, so I decided to get Pathfinder BB, and then once I get better I am going to get the Core Player Rulebook, and the Bestiary Book. I plan on being the DM of my own realm. Best to learn this way, and I have heard NOTHING but good things about the Pathfinder BB. |
" I wonder if you are destined to be forgotten. Will your life fade in the shadow of greater beings?"
~Joneleth Irenicus
"Wisdom? My dear boy, wisdom is knowing that you do not know everything. Wisdom is realizing, a wise man ALWAYS has questions. Not answers."
~Alruane |
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idilippy
Senior Scribe
USA
417 Posts |
Posted - 10 Dec 2013 : 20:59:59
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I recommend the Beginner's Box, it seems like an awesome resource and I've liked looking through it (haven't played with it). Once you are ready to go on to further things these two sites are invaluable:
http://www.d20pfsrd.com/ Site with all open content for Pathfinder, including some 3rd party products.
http://paizo.com/pathfinderRPG/prd/ Paizo's site with just their material, organized by book.
I buy (almost) every Pathfinder book to support them (and to have awesome books and pdfs, because they are awesome) but these sites are fantastic resources for reference that have all the rules the books have. |
Edited by - idilippy on 10 Dec 2013 21:00:49 |
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Alruane
Senior Scribe
USA
434 Posts |
Posted - 10 Dec 2013 : 21:22:01
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quote:
Originally posted by idilippy
I recommend the Beginner's Box, it seems like an awesome resource and I've liked looking through it (haven't played with it). Once you are ready to go on to further things these two sites are invaluable:
http://www.d20pfsrd.com/ Site with all open content for Pathfinder, including some 3rd party products.
http://paizo.com/pathfinderRPG/prd/ Paizo's site with just their material, organized by book.
I buy (almost) every Pathfinder book to support them (and to have awesome books and pdfs, because they are awesome) but these sites are fantastic resources for reference that have all the rules the books have.
Funny thing is, I bought the Beginner Box set and it's on it's way here this week! So excited for that. But thanks for the resources, I usually frequent Paizo, I downloaded 4 of their PDF's the other day actually. I can't wait to delve into this more closely, it all seems so exciting! |
" I wonder if you are destined to be forgotten. Will your life fade in the shadow of greater beings?"
~Joneleth Irenicus
"Wisdom? My dear boy, wisdom is knowing that you do not know everything. Wisdom is realizing, a wise man ALWAYS has questions. Not answers."
~Alruane |
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idilippy
Senior Scribe
USA
417 Posts |
Posted - 10 Dec 2013 : 23:04:31
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| I, personally, really enjoy running (and occasionally playing) the Pathfinder system (even though at times I groan under the weight of its many, many rules and options) and love Paizo for releasing all of their rules for free to the public. I think 2e will always be the system I look back on as a favorite (linked as it always will be with the 1e and 2e Realms for me) but Pathfinder has been my go-to system for a while and likely will be for some time to come. |
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Alruane
Senior Scribe
USA
434 Posts |
Posted - 10 Dec 2013 : 23:35:05
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quote:
Originally posted by idilippy
I, personally, really enjoy running (and occasionally playing) the Pathfinder system (even though at times I groan under the weight of its many, many rules and options) and love Paizo for releasing all of their rules for free to the public. I think 2e will always be the system I look back on as a favorite (linked as it always will be with the 1e and 2e Realms for me) but Pathfinder has been my go-to system for a while and likely will be for some time to come.
Granted I understand the reasoning for the rules, but the best part of any D&D (or relative respective system) is you can, all in all, make your own rules for your campaign! So yes, the rules can be a bit irritating but there is ways around that. Shaping them to any DM's will and making it enjoyable for PCs and the DM alike! I noticed that to, I really respect that Paizo released the rules and PDF's containing game essential rules and breakdowns of the system. It warms my heart to know they favor good times and fun for fans over making a quick buck. I never had the privilege of playing 1e or 2e, I started my experience with D&D with 3.5e back in 2001. I always wanted to see how 1e and 2e played though. I agree, from all I read and have seen thus far---Pathfinder is the system for me. It's just streamlined for better understanding, and they cater to the fans without trying to steal EVERY. LAST. CENT from you. Well done Paizo! |
" I wonder if you are destined to be forgotten. Will your life fade in the shadow of greater beings?"
~Joneleth Irenicus
"Wisdom? My dear boy, wisdom is knowing that you do not know everything. Wisdom is realizing, a wise man ALWAYS has questions. Not answers."
~Alruane |
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Fendrikor
Learned Scribe
Australia
189 Posts |
Posted - 31 Jan 2014 : 14:38:17
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One thing i noticed with pathfinder, running a converted 3.5 Module (city of the spiderqueen) is lone monsters tend to have alot more hitpoints, there is less save or die, death is less scary and money is much more important.
Currently i have one wizard in my party, who is a Elf Wizard.
Though he is of the Diviner subschool (i think its in advanced players guide), he had a hard time choosing between that and Generalist Wizard - which i dubbed - MetaMage as its best Class feature is messing with and applying penalty free meta magics.
In the end he chose diviner for the bonus to initiative and the ability to act in the surprise round - this alows him a high chance of simply casting 'dimension door' to escape a trap scenario, or teleport with anyone standing next to him.
Focus on getting the highest DC's you can on your Spell saves... I would agree that going middle of the road is best - At level 10 Especially my group would THOROUGHLY recommend getting your DC's as high as possible as things seem to have good saves.
NOTE: Fighter sorts are much more resilient to fear effects (including phantasmal killer) now that they have the Bravery feature.
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'Do not meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup' |
Edited by - Fendrikor on 31 Jan 2014 14:45:45 |
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Cards77
Senior Scribe
USA
745 Posts |
Posted - 26 Feb 2014 : 15:32:27
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For wizards...going diviner or conjuration school is the best. Pathfinder places a premium on battlefield control, so going with a wizard using summoned creatures and conjuration subschool can be a very potent combination. I have the Bestiary and the Bestiary Box and use a standard battle mat. It really adds to the combat. This is an excellent guide: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1xjPIOH8F8a0l74BdDF7Q23nCfZ-YX68Xr6JmmtznMw4/edit
Overall I've really enjoyed Pathfinder after playing 2nd, 3rd and 3.5. PF is really 3.75. I like it because many of the stupid broken 3.5 rules are gone (grappling anyone?) and instead of waiting your whole campaign to get into one of the 5 viable prestige classes, PF actually makes the core classes, flexible, useful, worth playing and keeping though I DO NOT like PF clerics. I tend to treat clerics just as 3.5 did.
PF works even better for smaller groups as you can almost build a viable stand up combat rogue thanks to PF boosting hit dice for most classes.
Also PF finally makes ranger a viable and powerful option after 3 and 3.5 completely gutted it. Ranger is now a useful and frankly a badass class, and the undisputed king of archery combat (as they should be).
My next PC will be a rogue/ranger no question.
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Edited by - Cards77 on 26 Feb 2014 15:33:15 |
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Pathfinder For Returning Player.
