Best pathfinder books according to redditors
We found 229 Reddit comments discussing the best pathfinder books. We ranked the 67 resulting products by number of redditors who mentioned them. Here are the top 20.
We found 229 Reddit comments discussing the best pathfinder books. We ranked the 67 resulting products by number of redditors who mentioned them. Here are the top 20.
If the thing holding you back from being a GM is minis, I suggest looking to Pathfinder's Battle Pawn series. They have a series where they print their monsters on hard card stock and insert them into plastic bases. Much cheaper than miniatures.
If you buy the Bestiary 1 box you'll get most of the most commonly used monster in RPG games. You could pick up the NPC Codex pawns for a variety of NPC "minis" and minis for players to choose from as well. Round it out with their Villain Codex set and you'll have a wide variety of pawns that will be capable of handling the cast majority of situations. If you don't have just the right Pawn, you'll at least have one that can make for a suitable stand in.
All total it's about $120, which is a lot, but to get even half the equivalent in miniatures, you'd spend hundreds more.
Sure they're not quite as fun as minis, but the thing about minis is, unless you have a lot of disposable cash, getting a good collection isn't easy. Minis are expensive, and prepainted ones even more so. So building up your collection at an affordable rate takes a lot of time and there are some minis that you'll never be able to get without spending hundreds of dollars on, because they were a limited time item. For example, the Colossal Red Dragon costs One Thousand Dollars if you want to own one. To put in perspective as to how much this minis price has changed when it was first released, it was sold for $74.99... Quite a big difference, huh?
There is a starters pack that has pregen characters and more simplified rules and comes with an adventure it is fairly cheap.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1601256302/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1526747913&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65&keywords=pathfinder+starter+box
It explains and focuses on what you need to know, it's how I started GMing. It's easier than reading that huge core book and get your bearings.
Lets include more nonsense in this pointless debate.
4e D&D outsells Pathfinder!
4e Amazon Sales Rank: #4,549
Pathfinder Amazon Sales Rank: #14,423
Lets all just play the game you enjoy. Who cares which sells better.
Just an FYI to everyone downvoting, The Lazy Dungeon Master is actually a real book outlining a novel approach to planning a D&D campaign based on preparing a platform for improv rather than planning out every encounter and the whole story in advance, rather than just being a sarky comment.
Needs? Dice and the PHB.
Wants? Lots of generators, luckily some great ones have been appearing on the app stores for mobile.
I personally love random tables, Table Fables is a great little book I picked up not long ago.
and if you are playing online, pyromancers is a great dungeon creators tool.
First off, the Inner Sea World Guide has all the information you need about the lore, and to sparknotes that just doesn't even do it justice. However, I will try.
Races: Humans (many varieties actually), halflings, gnomes, dwarves, elves, half-elves and half-orcs. There are more advanced ones, but these are the core playable races. Strangely there are fewer "types" of non-human races, but a plethora of different types of humans.
Cultures: So many it's hard to know where to start. The different types of humans cover many of the cultural differences. You really need to narrow your question down if you want an explanation of them. Examples: Varisians are like gypsies, Chelaxians are like caucasian opportunists, and Shaonti are like barbarian vagabonds.
Countries: Depending on where in the world you want to set your campaign, there are so many options here. Varisia is well-covered and kind of a frontier "America" like setting. Ustalav is a Transylvania-like country with lots of undead and spooky atmosphere. There are many more, but if you can dream it, you can probably find something similar in the setting.
Major players: Nothing like Elminster or Drizzt in terms of popularity, but you will see Ameiko Kaijitsu a fair amount. Babba Yaga is an ice witch I think and a big player in a recent adventure path.
Important events: Also very region specific and well covered in the book I recommended. Something that happened in Geb has very little impact in the Greenlands. That being said, a god was once killed and was replaced by a super good paladin (the new god Iomedae).
My biggest recommendation is looking at the Inner Sea World Guide and deciding what area looks cool. Each area is covered in 2-3 pages, it has religions, all the human races, and it has a few neat tidbits about prevalent factions and so on as well. You sound like someone who likes to make up your own stuff built off of an established lore, so this next recommendation may interest you quite a bit less. However, if you like pre-made campaigns of exceptional quality, I would recommend the Paizo adventure paths. They are phenomenal; the detail is beyond imagining, and they are actually very fun and generally well-balanced. If you go that route my top recommendations are: Rise of the Runelords for the group that likes a linear, vanilla adventure; Kingmaker for the group that likes an open world where they can have a real impact; and I also enjoyed the first book of the Carrion Crown adventure path, but I wasn't as into the second one. There are six books to each adventure path (all inclusive in the anniversary edition of the Rise of the Runelords), and they usually go from level 1 to level 16-20. There are also one-shots called modules that are pretty fun and some are free.
Overall, there's way too much to cover, but there are a few resources for you to check out for help. The one thing Paizo does really well are its Adventure Path books, so I can't recommend them enough (even for people dead set on making up their own stuff). You can at least draw some ideas from them if nothing else. They also really help you understand the "canon" as they bring you through a series of events that "actually happen" in the world.
For initiative tracking, Improved Initiative and Kobold Fight Club are great resources. They do initative, round number, HP, AC, everything at a quick glance. They work on mobile, though I would suggest using either a tablet or laptop.
Another thing I did was simply have all the characters and monsters written on small pieces of paper and I would hand those on my DM screen. The page on the left is whose turn it is, after they go I just move it to the right.
It's really good to have something physical and simple. For something really nice and useful, you could pick up the Paizo Combat Pad is fantastic, or you can be cheap like me and get a magnetic whiteboard and some permanent markers to make the lines.
For your questions, it all comes down to how the other guy put it. How detailed do you want to be. In Q2 you mentioned not being able to carry a loaded crossbow, but loading isn't part of the action, its part of the attack, meaning that it doesn't really matter in gameplay terms, just in terms of how descriptive you want to be.
As for loot. LMoP is where I started as well, and it's great. I do suggest to try and not use it like "This is how the adventure is" and rather as a guide for how you could run the adventure. Add your own flare to it. The book might not be saying that the goblins have loot on them, but if you want them to have a couple coppers, or maybe they kept some gold when they ambushed Gundren and Sildar, there's nothing wrong with that. At the same time, if you don't think these guys would have anything on them, then they don't.
I am also a relatively new DM who's gone through many of the things I'm sure you will, and quite recently. If you have any questions about LMoP, basic rules, or just looking for suggestions, feel free to send me a DM. Good luck!
Inner Sea Gods http://www.amazon.ca/Pathfinder-Campaign-Setting-Inner-Gods/dp/1601255977/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1404741210&sr=8-1&keywords=inner+sea+gods
OK I'll be straight with you. Your best bet is to either go on eBay or a similar site and pick and choose what minis you want, or if you're OK with cardboard tokens, I'd pick up something like the Villain's Codex. I do hear that eBay has gotten more expensive since D&D has taken off in the last couple years, but it's still probably cheaper than buying a brick and hoping.
But as a person who owns way too many miniatures, I get it. Here's what I'd say:
Avoid:
Avoid Skulls and Shackles unless you want a lot of pirate themed minis (and SHARKS THAT WILL NEVER BE USEFUL FOR ANYTHING ELSE). Shattered Star is super elemental heavy, so avoid that one as well. Rusty Dragon Inn is a fantastic set but it mostly has NPCs and furniture.
Caveats:
If you're OK with possibly getting Rasputin or a Russian soldier with a grenade or machine gun, Reign of Winter is a really good set. I love [Wrath of the Righteous] (http://www.pathfinderminis.com/gallery11.htm) but a lot of their heroic minis are demonic.
Best Sets for hero minis:
Either Legends of Golarion or the brand new Crown of Fangs set. Have a look at the gallery and see what you think.
Here you go
I've got this fun little book that I love, called Table Fables. It's a set of random die roll charts on lots of different things from menu items at a tavern to odd trinkets to dastardly potions. The book also has a soft touch cover that's fun to feel. They also have a digital version for sale.
The potion table is my favorite. I've had a character decide to drink one and vomit up gold coins for 1d4 minutes. Another time a character drank one that made him ecstatically euphoric (happy) about everything for 1d4 hours, including when he got stabbed later. This one was awesome because one of my heavy roleplay players was the one who drank it.
Characters in my game have found a fancy case of the "good" cigars (2gp/cigar!), rotten jars of strawberry jam, a magical spice pouch (1/dawn, if the spice pouch is empty, I roll a 1d4 oz of a random 1d20 spice off the spice table on page 43), and many more things. There are tables for food, food quality, npcs, dreams and nightmares, random magic and non-magic items. It's really entertaining to use.
He's free to run his game however he likes, and reject everything but the core book if he wants to keep his game simple. That's fine! But don't call something homebrew if it's not homebrew.
d20pfsrd cites sources. As you can see at the bottom of the entry, the Phoenix bloodline, for example, appeared in the Pathfinder Player Companion: Heroes of Golarion, which is an official Pathfinder book.
That means it was made by the same people who made the game, and it's designed to be balanced with it.
It may ruin a bit of the nostalgia, but Pathfinder might be of interest to you. The game is, at its core, identical to 3.5e, but with minor improvements throughout. It does lose the D&D name, but retains more of the flavour than 4e did. Plus, you can get it new, and you don't need to buy a Dungeon Master's Guide, as all that info is in the core rulebook! Neato!
Have you read The Lazy Dungeon Master?
You should. It's a godsend for over-preppers like yourself.
I've been doing this for a LONG time, and I can have a 6-hour session down to 3 pages of bullets and a bunch of open tabs in D&D Beyond. I manage larger arcs with a mind map tool that I take about a half hour on in between sessions in the worst case.
I recommend this book. It makes life a lot easier and focuses your time to what really matters
https://www.amazon.com/Lazy-Dungeon-Master-Michael-Shea-ebook/dp/B00ADV2H8O
I used to spend hours upon hours making maps, fleshing out everything, etc. Two things happened:
Here's the main points of being a great DM:
Well this got a lot more attention than I expected. Quick list of everything in use - 1) TV1 = GH Track Android App for monster health and conditions, 2) TV2 = Gloomy Companion for monster ability cards, both are cast via chrome cast, 3) [Duchess Gaming Table] (https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1296268806/the-duchess-a-gaming-table-from-boardgametablescom), 4) painted minis from /u/PintsizedProdigies, 5) Uberstax for the card holders, 6) 3-ring binder with fully sleeved items and ability cards, 7) Boye Knit Tally Counters for health and exp tracking, 8)Pathfinder Combat Pad for tracking initiative and 9) expanding accordion folder for organizing and storing map tiles. Think that's it. And I bought this house somewhat for this room, sunroom with 7 sliding glass doors.
Pathfinder core rulebook, $49.99 at release (see the list price entry).
http://www.amazon.com/Pathfinder-Roleplaying-Game-Core-Rulebook/dp/1601251505
I always have at least a small pocket notebook and something to write with. I can doodle, make notes about stuff I need to bring next time, stuff I need to do etc.
For a larger group, some sort of paper or notebooks and colored pens/pencils/markers. Also, coloring books.
Also, pocket sized Pathfinder (paper role-playing game) books and some dice.
Also, a Kindle with a shit-ton of books.
It's pricey, but AEG's Ultimate Toolbox has tons of good stuff in it. I've also heard good things about the Table Fables books available on Amazon, but don't have any personal experience with them.
 
Lately, Hubris has been my go-to for adding in weird terrain features and plot hooks.
Artisan DiceCould give better suggestions if I knew your budget
Pathfinder core rulebook or Dnd 5th edition player's handbook
And then some dice
Yes, and that's the easiest way.
Of course if you want to jump in the deep end, all you need is the core rulebook, the beastiary, and a set of dice.
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Pathfinder-Roleplaying-Game-Core-Rulebook/dp/1601251505/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1269579875&sr=8-1
I always found this to be the biggest problem with tabletop gaming. It's just SO EXPENSIVE. I was just in a game store last weekend and everything was $40 at minimum it seemed like. I would buy a ton of the books if they were in the $10-$20 range, but there's only so much I can afford. Same goes for board games, I want the Settlers of Catan expansions, but I'm not paying $43+tax for them.
Googled it.
​
Most of the articles that came up still dealt with the microscopic tardigrades that are well known, as well as the one that was featured in the latest Star Trek TV series.
​
The one you're referring to, however, is from a character sheet from something called "Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Ultimate Wilderness".
​
In other words, it's fictional.
​
I HIGHLY recommend Paizo's flipmats. They are cheap and you can use wet erase, dry erase, and apparently sharpie.
I swapped from my old wet erase Chessex to them. You can even get them with terrain on them (and I got some white chalk pens so you can see the ink on the dark terrain) if that floats your boat.
They fold up to a squareish shape the size of a piece of paper and they cost under $20.
The basic one is $14 on Amazon: https://smile.amazon.com/Paizo-Inc-PZO30024-Pathfinder-Flip-Mat/dp/1601255381/ref=sr_1_2?crid=39IMFAIP4GZIU&keywords=paizo+flip-mat&qid=1568080272&s=gateway&sprefix=paizo+%2Caps%2C125&sr=8-2
They have a larger one for $20: https://smile.amazon.com/Pathfinder-Flip-Mat-Bigger-Jason-Engle/dp/1601257821/ref=sr_1_1?crid=39IMFAIP4GZIU&keywords=paizo+flip-mat&qid=1568080294&s=gateway&sprefix=paizo+%2Caps%2C125&sr=8-1
I HIGHLY recommend them... I've used a ton of things in my over 30 years of gaming and these are what we've landed on that hits that sweet spot of utility + convenience + cost effectiveness.
I like to draw the outline of areas at home with wet erase pens then when I'm at the table, I fill in details with dry erase as they explore/do things. A LOT less messy that way.
You should find out which version and/or edition he is using. Then get him a player's handbook in that format. Player's Handbook 5e
There are other RPG formats:
ICRPG
Pathfinder Roleplaying Game: Core Rulebook
We found this place very handy.
Bud's Place Games
8033 Parkway Dr, Leeds, AL 35094
(205) 699-1066
https://goo.gl/maps/7aYwwxPAQ8M2
I highly recommend The Lazy Dungeon Master
As a DM you have a view of all of the elements of your game and how they tie together. Your players only ever experience the part that they touch in the course of play. What that means is you can have a relatively general idea of things, and then flesh them out when your players actually interact with them.
It’s about curating their perceptions. It’s illusion. It takes practice to do well, but you can do just ok and your players will still probably feel like you had it all planned out from the beginning.
You know what your players want to do. Let them drive the interactions and flesh out the details as they touch them. If they ask your NPC’s name, name her, otherwise don’t worry about it. If they’re going to see this NPC again, write down all of the details you give her.
http://www.amazon.com/Pathfinder-Roleplaying-Game-Core-Rulebook/dp/1601251505
576 pages. Nice.
Lots of great advice here. I'll try not to repeat too much.
Regarding your struggle to describe things, have you tried using tables? If I draw a blank on what a room looks like, I grab a list of 20 or 100 room descriptions and roll some dice.
There's a ton of free ones everywhere, and here is a list of all the tables in the DMG. If you want to really break it down, scroll down to "Dressing and Embelishment" here for 100 floors, 100 walls, 100 ceilings, and much much more. Finally, Table Fables has a bunch of good ones in one neat little package. My copy is filled up with tabs and gets used almost every week.
Regarding your players not engaging in RP, I solved this problem in my game by putting them in situations that they had to act their way out of.
For example, I introduced a lodge run by retired adventurers that have valuable information about monster weaknesses and such. They're just a bunch of old dude who want to drink and relive their glory days all day long; so to apply for membership you had to tell a tale of your most glorious adventures. Whomever told the best tale wins! Even if the RP is cringey, most players will come up with some pretty hilarious stuff and everyone will have a good time.
Another idea is to give them a mission where they have to assume a false identity and deceive someone. Or just make them need to persuade somebody. Royalty or nobility work great for this because they don't care about gold and have bodyguards, so they can't be bribed or intimidated; making the party's only option to engage in some RP.
Another good trick too spice up combat a little is to have your monsters say creepy shit during battle. Little things can go a long way to adding some depth or making a generic orc encounter more memorable.
Lastly, check out r/dmacademy. Super supportive community and tons of great advice.
Good luck!
http://www.amazon.com/Pathfinder-Roleplaying-Game-Paizo-Combat/dp/1601255470/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1397558469&sr=8-1&keywords=combat+pad
It's for pathfinder but in reality you can use it for literally any game you choose.
I feel your pain. I joined this subreddit recently because I had been lurking and because I had been reading threads and picked up Star Wars: Edge of Empires, Numenera, Eclipse Phase, and Delta Green.
Absolutely! I plan to use my Pathfinder modules extensively. For the most part, the only conversion to be done is on traps and monsters. Once the Monster Manual releases, you should be able to find the new stats for the same creature or find a comparable creature.
I can't recommend the Pathfinder AdventurePath series of adventures enough. They take your group from level 1 to 15 or 20 in full campaign of adventures.
Here's the list:
http://paizo.com/pathfinder/adventurePath
Rise of the RuneLords is really good, especially the new hardback updated super edition. $46 for an entire CAMPAIGN of adventures! Your FLGS might have it as well for a bit more (but good to support them).
http://www.amazon.com/Pathfinder-Adventure-Path-Runelords-Anniversary/dp/1601254369/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1404695616&sr=8-1&keywords=rise+of+the+runelords
Amazon has them for cheap! And their shipping isn't too bad, assuming you order from your country's Amazon. So long as they're not shipping overseas, though, it still shouldn't come to too much.
(Edit: http://www.amazon.com/Pathfinder-Roleplaying-Game-Core-Rulebook/dp/1601251505/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1405582330&sr=8-1&keywords=Pathfinder&dpPl=1 )
A piece of paper with male, female and family names. I use OneNote for my campaign notes and i use Discord for Cam-Calls and Screensharing battlemaps via Affinity Photo. I also use Table Fables, Table Fables II and the Character Compendium (books). Usually also some scribble paper.
Use the Lost Mine of Phandelver starter set. It's a pretty straight forward adventure and being the starter set is catered to new players. Also is only like $15.
In my opinion the Pathfinder NPC Codex is a great place to start when it comes to figures. Basically any PC will have something in their that vaguely represents them until folks start getting actual minis. Having players have tokens is way more important than the enemies. 200 something tokens for $30 isn't bad.
Were you looking for bad guys though they also have bestiary boxes.
You may try a technique called "The Lazy DM" . or the "Minimalist DM"
Basically, only plan the first 15 minutes of a session, do broad stoke planning on areas of interest (that can be interchangeable) and just improvise the rest.
Since you can't reliably plan for what the players are going to do past 15 minutes of play.... accept it and instead learn to adapt quickly and confidently to what and where the players are moving the story. keep a list of pre planned battle encounters \ interesting hooks and NPCs you can drop in anywhere in the story.. and you are good to go.
here is a great book with many authors, stories, and ideas you can read https://www.amazon.com/Lazy-Dungeon-Master-Michael-Shea-ebook/dp/B00ADV2H8O
All the creative energy you can spend building the world, npcs, factions and relations are great. And i enjoy Dms who can pull it off. but, 75% of your world building won't get explored. instead focus your creative energies in creating scenarios \ and fun encounters that can be switched in and out at will.
Plan broad strokes... and fill in the detail when the players arrive to a new location.
IE you know there is a BIG BAD ENEMY to the east... well the players went west.
Either invent a new evil organization on the fly... (all you need is a name.... then stall for time) or move your BBE to the west.
NOTE: this is an example of an improv heavy DM style.. but, it works great for true sandbox exploring.
As mentioned by u/pb_rpg the Waterdeep City Encounters of DMsGuild is a great asset to have to hand. Additionally, the book Table Fables comes in handy quite frequently when improvising pickpocketed items or fleshing out shops.
I can greatly recommend the Beginner's Box. It's not free, but if you split the cost among 4 players and DM it goes down to 7 Euro each. https://www.amazon.de/Pathfinder-DEC132328-Pathfinder-Rollenspiel-Einsteigerbox/dp/1601256302/ref=mp_s_a_1_fkmrnull_2?crid=2VCG2RCWEDPKJ&keywords=pathfinder+beginner+box&qid=1556896408&s=gateway&sprefix=Pathfinder+beginner+&sr=8-2-fkmrnull
It uses a simplified ruleset that can be used up to level 5 and you can upgrade the characters to the core rules anytime you want. Plus there is an adventure included, some pawns, 4 pregenerated characters (5 if you include the barbarian you can download) and a map. And you can download additional adventures at Ulisses Spiele.
Also the character sheets are just two Din A4 pages with all information neatly arranged. So you can test the whole system for weeks on end before committing to buy more.
I personally learned to play with the beginner box rules and from there it was easy to expand via AoN and the likes. I just think it's much easier to get started if you have a book you can read back to front
https://www.amazon.com/Pathfinder-Combat-Pad-Paizo-Staff/dp/1601255470
https://www.amazon.com/Lazy-Dungeon-Master-Michael-Shea-ebook/dp/B00ADV2H8O/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=lazy+dm&qid=1549847978&s=gateway&sr=8-3
Rise of the Runelords, except I converted it to D&D 5ed. We played every-other week for two years (with a 3 month break in the middle while our druid had a baby in real life.) Lots of fun, despite the constant point A to B structure.
i just picked up the Inner World Guide a few weeks ago and it's a great starting point. Lots and lots of information about Golarion and its workings.
Ah. Yeah, sorry you bought the wrong product if you want to get in to Pathfinder =(
It's not your fault though! There are a ton of products for Pathfinder. If you want to get started in it, I'd suggest getting the Beginner box if you are completely new to tabletop RPGs, or going directly to the Pathfinder Core Rule Book if you feel more confident about it all.
The way the game is played is that you have a party of people (usually 3-5 people) who are role playing as various characters doing their thing in the world, and one more person (the DM, GM, Sotryteller, whatever name you call him) who is the world. He plays all the non-player characters, the monsters, the environment, all of it.
If you have any specific questions, I'm more than happy to answer them!
Either the Pathfinder Beginner Box or the D&D Red Box Starter Set will give you everything you need to start playing a simplified version of the full games, all in one box. Buy it, invite friends over, unwrap the box, start playing.
The rules are written in such a way as to let players get started immediately, but the person running the game (the Dungeon Master or Game Master) will probably want to look through it for a few minutes beforehand.
If you like the tutorials, you might move on to the full games. I like Pathfinder, so I'll focus on that one.
If you want to play the "full" Pathfinder game, you don't need the Beginner Box, instead you need:
All other books you will see listed are optional: they provide more options, more content, more ideas. Don't buy them until you need more. You may never.
You only need one set of books and dice, but having more copies will make life easier. It's totally optional. All of the important Pathfinder content is available for free on the internet in multiple locations, so technically you could skip the books altogether if you needed to. In practice it's nice to have a hard copy.
Also, there are thousands of RPGs out there you could play instead of D&D or Pathfinder, but I would say try them after you've gotten your feet at least slightly wet.
The best thing you can do is to find someone who has some experience to show you the ropes for at least a few sessions. If you start asking around among your friends, you're likely to find someone who has a fairly decent grasp of it. Failing that, find a local gaming store and ask around for someone willing to GM for you. Tabletop gaming is one of those hobbies that makes 100x more sense once you've actually done it.
As for a game system, i personally like to suggest starting with D&D 4th edition. It's simple, most gamers know how to play it, and the general fantasy setting is one you're going to see a lot in other games. Once you have some experience under your belt, i suggest you try out some other games/genres (i like Pathfinder, Vampire: The Masquerade, and Savage Worlds).
Good luck and have fun! Feel free to ask me any additional questions :)
Ultimate Wilderness, coming late in the year.
"A new 20-level base class, the shifter, puts animalistic powers into the hands―or claws―of player characters and villains alike, with a host of new class features derived from animalistic allegiances."
I got mine from the previous Pathfinder Bundle, so I'm not sure other than keeping an eye out for a discount at your local game stores. Also, if you get emails from Barnes & Noble, you will get a 30% off one item sooner or later you can use on the physical copy. Buying used is also an option too.
Apparently, there is a Pocket Edition of the rules that goes for about $20. B&N has it too, if you want to wait for a 30% off coupon.
If you're completely new to DnD, I'd go for either DnD 3.5 or Pathfinder. Neal uses an apparently very homebrewed 2nd Edition, so, you're not going to be playing the same game with regular old 2e stuff. It's clunky and aged, and he (presumably) still uses it because it's what he's always used, so he's used to it, and he's ironed out the kinks.
So, yeah, the most recent edition of DnD is 4e, which is commonly considered to be a little bit too dumbed down, but it doesn't really matter that much if you're new. Still, the books are expensive, so you should try to look into the different versions and find out which one sounds like you'd prefer it. 3.5 and Pathfinder are very similar, as Pathfinder is actually based on 3.5 with a couple things done to streamline some of the combat. Also,the art in the books is really pretty (completely superficial, but it's nice,) and you don't have to buy a rule book, player handbook, AND a bestiary, just the core book and a bestiary if you're DMing, so it's like thirty bucks cheaper, AND Pathfinder is backwards compatible with 3.5 books, so... yeah, that's also nice. They also have a DM's guide which is all about how to make and run a game. Pathfinder and 3.5 both have a bunch of ancillary resource books too, like NPC and equipment books. I know Neal has at least one weapons book, but they aren't necessary; they're just extra guidance.
Just so you know, this is a box of tokens - it is NOT a collection of stat blocks. If you want the stat blocks, you need the NPC Codex ( http://www.amazon.com/Pathfinder-Roleplaying-Game-NPC-Codex/dp/1601254679 ), which is a separate hardback book (MSRP $39.99). Having just bought the NPC Codex last night and having seen it used in other games to good effect, I can definitely recommend it.
The NPC Codex is very backwards compatible with 3.5 in terms of spells and most of the stat stuff, but some of the new additional class abilities might be unclear.
For a third edition version of the NPC Codex, check out Enemies & Allies ( http://www.amazon.com/Enemies-Allies-Dungeons-Dragons-3rd/dp/0786918527 ) which you can get for under $5 these days.
Pathfinder has the Kingmaker Adventure Path. It's a set of modules designed to take the players from level 1 to level 15, where they have a chance to rule the region. It contains rules for conquering, governing, etc.
So are you gonna buy the Pathfinder Player Companion: Heroes of Golarion which contains the Phoenix Bloodline and escalate the discussion or do you switch to another bloodline?
Anyways, I wasn't aware of this bloodline and I agree: it's really nice :)
I use two books:
The first is very detailed and dense. It's more about how the structure of society functions, which can lead to roleplay; the latter is more adventuring specific.
The book on medieval society will seem, at first, to be needlessly pedantic, but the point isn't really to make the players know all that stuff. It's more just giving you lots of detail that you can then pull out the parts that might lead to something interesting. Let's say they own a manor. Who's land was it previously? They need people to work it. Did they steal those peasants from another lord who now hates them? Are there druids that live in their forest and are they angering them by their constant logging?
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/1542678595/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1524433086&sr=8-2&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65&keywords=tables+fables
I've heard a good idea is to have a list of random names in your notebook, whenever you need to name something just fill in who that name goes to.
Alex - jewellery merchant in yartar
Ben - llama herder by goldenfields
Patricia -
You know, like that
I've found reading books on the subject like the Lazy DM or watching youtube Channels (Matthew Mercer on Geek & Sundry, Matthew Colville, and How to be a Great GM can help.
I recommend pathfinder pawns. They have a set called pathfinder pawns heroes & villains that your PCs could use (over 100 pawns). The bestiaries have hundreds of monsters.
I have the Savage Worlds Customizable GM Screen, and it's awesome. If I have enough prep time, I can print any charts -- like random encounter tables -- I'll need for that session out. It's so much more useful than the standard GM screen, which is typically loaded with the charts you use most often and thus are most likely to have memorized. Plus it's landscape orientation, so it both spans further across the table, while being easier to see and reach over.
But my favorite feature is that I can put artwork reflective of my campaign on the player's side, instead of the sort of generic artwork most screens feature.
Some other really useful toys I've picked up over the years include:
I checked the Getting Started/Learning to Play thread and he recommends starting out with the Red Box starter set since it's only $20 but it's actually $90 on Amazon. (I PM'd him about it.) He recommends 4e or Pathfinder. The thread is old but it was updated 12 days ago.
Is this an okay alternative?: 5e D&D Starter Set
Or perhaps I should start out with the Pathfinder Beginner Box? as mentioned in the Choosing an edition thread.
I have 4 players and I would be the DM. Their attention spans tend to drift if things get TOO complicated and they are better at keeping up when someone already knows the rules instead of everyone learning at the same time. That being said, I want to be able to jump into something that will basically introduce us to the game mechanics in an easy and smooth as possible kind of way.
I really want to get into D&D with this group of friends and they already like some of the more "involved" board games in the world. I just need to keep them captivated. It might be folly to try but I want to give it a shot. I feel like there is a whole world of gaming that I am missing out on.
Thanks for the advice.
Edit: Sorry to drop this on you in this thread but I figured it was as good a place as any...
Edit: My fear is that the 5e will be overcomplicated and using Pathfinder would be easier... I don't know. Ahhh.
I'm still a kid at heart!
I was playing D&D with my friends and we got throw into jail. Me being a druid just did a little animal transformation into a bear and busted us out. On my escape from the town I turned into an eagle. The mayor of the town who had us arrested and quite the douchebag, was outside addressing a crowd. I said to the DM, I am gonna shit on his head! DM said ok roll and I got a natural 20 and yelled out CRITICAL SHIT! Everyone burst out laughing.
Pathfinder
Here's the best value one I could find https://www.amazon.co.uk/Pathfinder-Flip-Mat-Bigger-Jason-Engle/dp/1601257821/ref=pd_vtph_21_tr_t_2?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=PTM1B48WV81Y0YX31XD7
Table Fables! It's a list of helpful D&D tables for weather, items, status conditions, etc.
Good advice here in this thread. Earlier this year I combined two separate campaigns / groups into one. I'll skip my experiences / philosophy and jump straight into what's working.
What's Working
Inner Sea World Guide - lore about Golarion in general, and a world history. Lots and lots of really cool info, the "go-to" book for lore in Golarion/Pathfinder
Inner Sea Gods - lore about the core deities in Golarion and their religions, as well as some info about some of the outlying, less-common deities/religions.
Pathfinder Player Companion: Varisia, Birthplace of Legends Quite a few adventure paths take place or start in Varisia, particularly the city of Sandpoint.
Pathfinder Campaign Setting: Magnimar, City of Monuments A major city in Varisia that also is involved in a number of adventure paths.
The Rise of the Runelords adventure path is a great introduction for new players and new GMs into Golarion and pathfinder in general.
Ninja edit: www.pathfinderwiki.com is another great resource, and is just lore-based as opposed to including things like stats for creatures and that sort of thing. More detail is in the books that are referenced for each page, but that site will get you started with things like the gods, various countries, and prominent events in Golarion history.
https://www.amazon.com/Pathfinder-Roleplaying-Game-Beginner-Box/dp/1601256302/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1486619272&sr=8-2&keywords=pathfinder
You're going to have to spend some money. Because, no.
Sounds like your players want to play the Kingmaker AP. Might be a good resource to borrow from. - https://www.amazon.ca/Pathfinder-Adventure-Path-Kingmaker-Stolen/dp/1601252293
​
I feel the same way when I DM and of all the vids / posts / tips etc out there these have probably been the most helpful resources:
https://www.amazon.com/Lazy-Dungeon-Master-Michael-Shea-ebook/dp/B00ADV2H8O/ref=sr_1_3?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1539288037&sr=1-3&keywords=lazy+dungeon+master
​
https://www.amazon.com/Return-Lazy-Dungeon-Master-Michael-ebook/dp/B07H51KHWB/ref=sr_1_4?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1539288037&sr=1-4&keywords=lazy+dungeon+master
​
At least for me. For instance I was getting lost in NPCs and various other info in the DnD Starter Kit module but those books helped me cut a lot of unneeded things out of the module and create a better experience / NPC's etc.
There's a book I found that doesn't compromise to any game or system. Maybe focused to fantasy games. It's awesome. I've never played Pathfinder and I love it:
https://www.amazon.com/Pathfinder-Roleplaying-Game-GameMastery-Guide/dp/160125217X
Other good resource would be a customizable DM screen that he can use for all his games: http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/129022/DriveThruRPG-Game-Master-Screen-landscape
Depends on what races/creatures you have in your book. Different races behave differently in different universes, but I personally prefer the treatment given to races and monsters in DnD because of how thorough and fleshed out it is.
Dungeons and Dragons Monster Rulebook for monsters (Dragons, Beholders etc)
Complete Book of Humanoids for humanoid races (Centaurs, Dark elves, Ogres etc)
Dungeons and Dragons Players Handbook for more conventional races (Humans, Dwarves, Elves)
​
Even if you don't play DnD, those books are worth a read.
If you prefer an all-in-one read then the Pathfinder manual is pretty good- It's a compressed (slightly less detailed and not as comprehensive) tome containing all 3 of the above classes of information
Pathfinder RPG Rulebook
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All very good advice!
As I DM more and become more comfortable in the role with an ongoing campaign, I find that I use my "detailed" notes less and less. In the beginning, I did kind of a brain dump to build up the framework of the story but I found that I haven't open up my Google Docs link in a couple of sessions. I have been predominantly sticking with 1-2 pages of handwritten maps, plot points, and names and using those to guide the session. It's a whole lot less stressful than trying to refer back to my notes over and over again.
I highly recommend the book The Lazy Dungeon Master by Mike Shea (written for 4e but very little is edition specific...I know there is a new version out but I haven't gotten around to reading it yet). Following the advice in that book greatly helped me mellow out and cut down on my overprep.
Pathfinder has a book called "Ultimate Campaign" that has a lot of rules for building anything from a castle to an entire town, from running a guild to a city, to an entire Kingdom.
The rules are close enough to 3.5 that you should easily be able to adapt them. It's rather interesting, they use things like construction points (iirc) etc that are generated by the amount of resources the area you control has (and which can be bought with gold). It could be a good baseline for what you need.
It even has rules for building and recruiting armies, and having large scale battles and wars. It's quite fascinating really.
OK let's get really random here and generate a backstory using the background Generator section of the Pathfinder Ultimate Campaign book (pg. 16-51)! I will adapt a few things that aren't in it like tiefling family dynamics as well as not worrying about traits and their bonuses as we are talking about 5e.
First pass as to reduce the number of times to call the rollme bot will require more than one, after each pass I will parse the rolls into results and add into our list of backstory points.
Second pass we got some great results that work pretty well already, only a few more rolls for the final details.
All Rolls Done now we figure this all out...
The Tiefling was born into a young family in a large town. Peasants to begin with, they faced even more hardship after Razjio's other worldy features were seen by the townsfolk. What little work they once had dried up, and soon they were in the streets as beggars. A third child a year later meant that many nights the devil-boy went hungry. Seven winters after his birth both his father and mother succumbed to the sewer plague. At that point he made his way to (insert campaign specific city) never seeing his older brother or his younger sister since. After a few failed attempts at pickpocketing he found his way into a monastic orphanage.
After years of silent study and transcription the young Razjio was elevated to the Order of the Body, the martial sect of the brothers. He took to his study with a certain zeal but even though he trained just as hard as the other initiates his waistline continued to grow. What the brothers did not know was that he secreted away any food he could acquire and gluttonously ate it at times of stress. No stress was greater than his first experience with love. Griselle was a lovely girl, probably the first to actually show any romantic interest of the young lad. After a brief affair her father, a middle level Bishop of (insert LG god)'s temple, she was sent away to (insert far flung city that would require great wealth for our PC to go to) without Razjio's knowledge. After finally learning of his loss he made his way to the temple of Hades and swore an oath of revenge against the holy man. A cleric of the temple then approached him with a plan. Hades had passed to this cleric some deeply embarrassing information about Griselle's father. It seems that the old fart had been embezzling a lords amount of temple funds away for himself and a second family that he kept in (insert "suburb" of city). Razjio called upon brother (pick name for The Hunter), the monk who ensured his entrance into the Order of the Body, for help in bringing this information to the Archbishop of (LG god) with the most quickness. Within a fortnight her father was striped of his title, excommunicated, and thrown into the dungeons below the city.
The damage was done however as Griselle was gone, far out of Razjio's current reach. Even with her far away he only entertains thoughts of her in his heart.
He now is ordered out into the world to do the bidding of his Order but he tends to look for ways to benefit himself first with a special eye out for a new meal to taste.
Hopefully that might work...
Step 1 - Homeland, Family, and Childhood (Tiefling stuff adapted mostly from Humans)
-Race
Already rolled: Tiefling
-Homeland d100:2 - Town or Village
-Parents d100:95 - Both of your parents are dead.
-Siblings d100:62 - 1d2:2 - 2 Siblings - 1 is older and 1 is younger than you.
-Circumstance of Birth d100:21 - Lower class birth (roll 2d20 on parents' profession)
-Parents' Profession d100:86 - re-roll as per Lower class birth 2d20:23 - Serfs/Peasants
-Major Childhood Event d100:50 Troubled First Love: Your first love was everything you imagined it would be. That is, until you were separated from your beloved. This may have been the result of distance, changing perspectives, death, or differences in class or family. Some have said this made you jaded—you think it has granted you insight on how the world really works. You roll a d12 instead of a d20 on Table 1–56: Romantic Relationships. (result is a 11 already so we'll keep it)
Step 2 - Adolescence and Training
-Monk Backgrounds d100:2 - Belicose Historian: What started as a scholar’s curiosity in exotic fighting styles bloomed into a fanatical desire not just to learn about martial arts, but to master them.
-Influential Associates d100:1 - The Hunter: This person was a lone wolf who nonetheless cautiously allowed you to become a member of her solitary pack. She taught you how to thrive on your own in spite of the many perils and natural dangers of your native environment.
Step 3 - Moral Conflicts, Relationships, and Drawbacks
-Conflicts d20:5 - Humiliation: You publicly humiliated or scandalized someone with either true or slanderous information.
-Conflict Subject d20:8 - Clergy
-Conflict Motivation d10:4 - Religion
-Romantic Relationships d20:11 - Current Lover
-Relationship with fellow adventurer (included only as inspiration) d100:3 - Family or as close as family, d100:59 - Former fellow inmates or former inmate and captor, d100:84 - follow (or followed) the same faith or cult
-Character Drawback d100:37 - Pleasure: You crave luxury, entertainment, and pleasure. You might indulge in every passing fancy or hold strong against a temptation that constantly eats at you.
+/u/rollme
If you have a little cash to spend, pick up Table Fables I and II. It’s a gigantic collection of tables to randomly generate anything you could want.
Table Fables I
Table Fables II
Group your participants. If you've got 5 goblins of the same type then they all go on one initiative. Or you could just roll the lowest initiative modifier for all your monsters and they all go on that roll. (I typically go lowest if I'm doing this because it'll be way more monsters than players and dogpiling can be un fun.)
Pathfinder made a magnetic combat pad and it's the single best thing i've ever purchased as a DM.
Phew This'll be a long a post, but certainly reward to read by the end of it. Playing D&D/Pathfinder really is the Nerdiest, Nerd thing I've ever done, and it is a lot of fun! Watch +DawnforgedCast's Session 0 video and download his checklist here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q0FmGxmJLiw It's meant for a GameMaster/Dungeon Master, but that checklist will help you out greatly in understanding what you want when starting out in a new group, with or without veteran players. If you aren't able to find a group locally (I don't recommend online groups for your first introduction) then taking up the mantle of leadership as the GameMaster/Dungeon Master, can be both exciting and overwhelming at the same time. However, if you're one with a vivid imagination, or are good with thinking on the fly (believe me, it gets better with time) then you'll already have a headstart on the majority of GMs out there. A great beginning module that has a little bit of everything, adventure hook (i.e., reason why your players should be doing this), NPC interaction, wilderness adventuring, dungeon crawling, is the Hollow's Last Hope module for 1st Level Players as it works for both D&D and Pathfinder. You don't really need the print version, since you can download it for FREE at Paizo's website https://pathfinderwiki.com/wiki/Hollow%27s_Last_Hope
I greatly recommend you get the Pathfinder RPG: Beginner Box ($25-$35) https://www.amazon.com/dp/1601256302 it is a different game, but the rule set is uber-simplified and honestly, superior to the D&D Starter Set ($15), and is worth the extra money. The Beginner Box literally has the all of the beginning needs for play. Pre-generated characters, blank character sheets for the four classes (Wizard, Rogue, Cleric, and Fighter) with either of the three races (Elf, Dwarf, and Human) that are easy to introduce new players to, a flip out map that you can use dry-erase- or wet-erase markers, and permanent markers on (all of which can be erased off, I use these wet-erase makers that are $9 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00006IFGW because I'll draw camp fires with brown, yellow, orange, and red colors, green helps with trees and shrubbery, blue for water, and black for everything else), a Hero's handbook, and really, really, good GM guide, plus thick, cardboard punch-out marker pawns of various Monsters, NPCs, Player characters, and other creatures, that amount to a wealth of miniatures that would take a lot of money and time to paint them all up, plus they're easier to store in the box. Unfortunately, it only comes with one set of dice, so it wouldn't hurt to get these on these 7 sets ($12) on the cheap https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MDJNE93 and pass them out to your players, or if they have their own, then you'll have plenty of extra multiples of dice, which will come in handy during combat with spellcasters and sneak attacks by Rogues. I handed them out to my players after they told me what their favorite colors were. =P
That'd would be all you'd really need to start, $30ish Beginner Box, plus $10 for markers, and $10 more if you or your players need dice. Now, what follows is what I used for my first GMing of a game, based on many different people's recommendations. In order to make combat work in a logical way that I could understand, I bought the Pathfinder Combat Pad $20 https://www.amazon.com/dp/1601255470, along with those wet-erase markers from earlier. It's usefulness has been far better, and worth it's price in gold, to use than a cheap $1 store notebook, when I would have to erase or rewrite when players would defeat monsters or would hold their actions, or would tell them the wrong initiative bonus to start (lol!). Again, rather use a dollar store binder, I bought the Pathfinder GM Screen $16ish https://www.amazon.com/dp/1601252161, because it was short enough for me to look over rather than 3-ring binders or a paper folder at the actual game table. Speaking the table, I bought the Chessex Battlemats https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0015IQO2O this is a link to the smaller one ($20), since I bought the Megamat ($35), only because I had a large table, and players could use it as a coaster for drinks too (even though I did have coasters, to prevent spillage). As an added bonus, I recently discovered the Condition cards $10 https://www.amazon.com/dp/1601252854, to use with Pathfinder, and they are great to hand out to players (as you would already know these conditions since it's written behind the GM Screen) so they know what condition they are in at a glance. Keep in mind though, you only get 4 or each, so if you are lucky enough to have more players, it wouldn't hurt to buy an extra set (however, it would be strange if all of your players had the same condition).
Now, let's say you enjoy Pathfinder, and you bought the Core Rulebook $20 https://www.amazon.com/dp/1601258879 (if it's a hardcover, always look inside for the Sixth edition printing, the paperback will already be that edition) but are getting tired of looking up Monster stats online, then grab the Paperback version of the first Bestiary $16 https://www.amazon.com/dp/1601258887 which has the great majority of all of the "regular" monsters in either D&D or Pathfinder. If you're not much of an artist, then there's the recently released Pathfinder Traps and Treasures Pawns Collection $25 https://www.amazon.com/dp/1601259719 but be warned that you only want to place on the board AFTER the players find out what it is or after they trip it since it does have text explaining what it is as a trap, and if you're use the treasure ones, make sure you add whatever is actually printed on the tile is IN the list of treasure you give the players, because they can and will ask about, "can't I grab that cup or sword, it's on the tile?" ;)
Lastly, if you enjoy being the GameMaster/Dungeon Master, the storyteller, the world builder, then I'd recommend getting the Pathfinder Gamemastery Guide $15 https://www.amazon.com/dp/1601259492, which again, can be applied to both RPG games. And if you what better weather effects to throw at your party than what is presented in the CRB and GMG, then Pathfinder Ultimate Wilderness $30 https://www.amazon.com/dp/1601259867 has all that you need, and then some, plus some cool spells and tons of new animal companions and familiars for spellcasters alike, and a new shapeshifting melee-fighting class called the Shifter, which is pretty neat to use (albeit, you may want to check out Paizo's website for any official errata or clarifications, just in case). If you want to actually create a campaign and are having a hard time coming up with ideas, locations, groups/factions, kingdoms, races, then one more purchase, which is what +DawnforgedCast used for his Pathfinder games seen here is the Inner Sea World Guide $45 https://www.amazon.com/dp/1601252692 It is pricey, but again, very much worth it, to create your own world or to use the pre-made world, as well. Remember, the Beginner Box, Markers, and Dice is really all you need, the rest of this is to expand out. I hope this helps you and anyone else out as well. =P
Go buy Paizo's GameMastery guide!
(http://www.amazon.com/Pathfinder-Roleplaying-Game-GameMastery-Guide/dp/160125217X)
Honestly, this will tell you everything you need to know about GM'ing a game, regardless of system. Sure, it's tailored to PF, but there is SO much general advice in here on everything like world building, prep time, creating NPC, dealing with difficult players, etc. can't recommend it enough. It has helped me a ton. :)
> I seriously doubt any human being chose to discount it.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/1640781684/ref=tmm_other_meta_binding_new_olp_sr?ie=UTF8&condition=new&qid=&sr=
go look at the second seller, that's the reason why the amazon price is so low. i'm not sure how that seller is affording to sell it so cheap from germany.
The Red Box for 4th Edition Dungeons & Dragons is more of a quick start than a full game. If you're wanting to run a full game in that edition, you'll want to pick up one of the following books:
I'd also recommend the Rules Compendium as it has all the rules needed to run and play the game (outside character creation).
These books are under $20 and you may be able to pick them up for less than $10 used. They're also Prime eligible (depending on the seller) on Amazon. They're also digest sized, making them easy to take with you when you travel. The Rules Compendium is available as a digital download as well.
You can also find multiple character creation programs online, such as Hero Lab that are detailed enough you don't actually need the books. I believe the Dungeons & Dragons Insider character generator is still available online. Unfortunately, these require a subscription or software purchase. Other programs can do the same thing, but they're fan created and some of them go way over what's legally allowed by the license to do.
These all assume you're wanting to stick with 4th Edition. If not, you can easily ditch it and make use of the accessories of the Red Box. If you want to go with D&D Next (the playtest of the edition that will launch this summer), you can pick up either of the Encounters seasons written for that edition because they include the playtest rules. Ghosts of Dragonspear Castle and Dreams of the Red Wizard: Scourge of the Sword Coast are available now.
You can also go with Pathfinder, which is a modified version of Dungeons & Dragons 3.5 edition. The Pathfinder Beginner's Box is one of the best introductory bundles I've ever seen, and it has rules for character creation and advancement for 1st through 5th levels (though you're limited to Fighter, Wizard, Rogue, and Cleric and Human, Dwarf, Elf, and Halfling). However, you can use the Pathfinder Reference Document to expand on that for free.
If you are like me and prefer a physical book over pdfs, you can try and search "Pathfinder CRB softcover" on Amazon. It's pocket sized (if you wear cargo pants) and only costs $25 which is a pretty good deal compared to the hardcover. Note: I have the student Amazon prime for Pathfinder sales. A lot of their stuff goes on sale occasionally which is really nice.
What I do for my friends is show them the Core Rule Book and get them to know what their classes do, how combat works, etc. Then I allow them to use nearly any material they can find online from Paizo sources, or third party sources that I can approve. The beauty of Pathfinder is that the Core Rules are pretty sick, but there is a world of content outside of it too (like, over 40 classes or something like that, not counting prestige classes).
Link to softcover https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1601258879/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1491394704&sr=8-2&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=pathfinder+core+rulebook&dpPl=1&dpID=518q5G6xFfL&ref=plSrch
You may want something to track initiative. This Pathfinder Combat Pad looks similar to the one my group uses, I'm not sure if it's the exact one.
You could use paper, but from watching my GMs it's much easier to be able to set the magnetic labels in order every time initiative is rolled, and you can write enemy status in the notes section, and save yourself a lot of scratch paper.
Alternatively, some people just fold index cards in half to make tents and put the tents on top of the GM screen, with the names on both sides. That way they can be rearranged as needed and everybody sees the order. So, you know, you can just add index cards to the order.
This book has some of the best tables in it I've ever used. Other DMs around me borrow it on sessions as well. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1542678595/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Isn't there a beginner box for Pathfindet? I think it goes everything with less detail.
It comes with premade characters, a small encounter and some dice I believe. Here's the Amazon link:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1601256302/ref=mp_s_a_1_sc_1?qid=1452385993&sr=8-1-spell&pi=AC_SX110_SY165_QL70&keywords=pathfindet+beginner+box
Table Fables 1 and Table Fables 2 are a couple pretty awesome books for worldbuilding inspiration. Volume 1 has a bunch of tables with inspiration for loot, magical items, tavern names, festivals and celebrations, etc. Even menu inspiration for what's being served in that tavern you just had to name. Volume 2 has a lot more general world inspiration- villain motives, quests and plot hooks, etc. Kind of like a big collection of writing prompts to get a story moving. They aren't edition-specific or game-specific, so if your friend GMs other fantasy-type games, these would still be relevant.
If you got 34$ . Or make all the players chip in... Get one of these Pathfinder boxes. It's what we used to start for our minis and for the bad guys until we could afford custom minis
https://www.amazon.com/Pathfinder-Pawns-Villain-Codex-Box/dp/1601259255/ref=pd_aw_fbt_21_img_2/145-6248616-2512338?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=1601259255&pd_rd_r=91edd721-f847-46b9-b08c-88d953c8405e&pd_rd_w=YWR6B&pd_rd_wg=FxX23&pf_rd_p=3ecc74bd-d08f-44bd-96f3-d0c2b89f563a&pf_rd_r=2YWZSVXZZMDP76J2H1ZQ&psc=1&refRID=2YWZSVXZZMDP76J2H1ZQ
Here is a link to the Pathfinder core book that cardboardfish has and I have a PDF of. I'd totally be willing to buy a physical one as well.
It's really not as complex as it seems. The rule books are thick, yes, but once you cover the basics you can get into action and use the rule book as a reference. That's why I recommend getting a starter box. It will give you the basic rules (maybe 30 minutes of reading), leave the complex ones for later, and let you learn as you play. It will guide both the DM and the PCs at the same time.
Also, I'm not sure what you mean by "the" rule book. There are quite a few different versions. D&D V1 and AD&D V2 are considered ancient. They're really, really old and outdated. I'd recommend you start with version 3.5 OR "Pathfinder," which is very, very similar to D&D in its gameplay under a slightly different name. Check this out.
It's a great way to break into the world of tabletop RPG, and you can supplement your collection if you decide you enjoy it.
All it really requires is you saying to three or four friends/family members "Hey, wanna try this out?"
Not sure what you are referring to, the core book is $30
I make use of a wide variety of tools ranging from donjon to Table Fables and a bunch of things in between. I would like to say that I take the time to generate a list of names in advance, but in practice I don't really do that and I will just whip out one of many tools and have that name prepared in a few short seconds with a description if I can't think of one on my own.
However, if you are more... motivated than I am then you should make sure to have a list already made. Also, remember to cross names off the list as you use them.
If you have another $30 or so I'd try and pick up a physical copy of the Beginner's Box. It comes with dice, quite a few handy physical props (pawns and a flip mat) and a greatly simplified set of the rules. It also has a short 'solo adventure' to get your feet wet and introduce some concepts.
http://www.amazon.com/Pathfinder-Roleplaying-Game-Beginner-Box/dp/1601256302/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1398370528&sr=8-1&keywords=Pathfinder+Beginner%27s+Box
I'd then read the rest of the BB thoroughly, then watch the following video of one of the Pathfinder developers DMing a newbish group through that same BB adventure, following along in the adventure to see if understand.
http://www.twitch.tv/npccast/c/3193589
(Also see a similar thread with helpful info on http://paizo.com/threads/rzs2qqoh?New-Guy-want-to-start-Pathfinder-RPG).
Alternatively, or in addition, you could see if a local game store runs any open Pathfinder sessions and hopefully join one that is friendly to newcomers. An alternative is to watch the www.roll20.net LFG forums - every couple of weeks it seems someone DM's an "Intro to Pathfinder" or beginner-friendly session/campaign, and all you need is a computer and a microphone.
https://app.roll20.net/forum/category/22
Good luck and welcome to a great hobby!
I would recommend:
Or
Pathfinder: Flip Mat: Bigger Basic https://www.amazon.ca/dp/1601257821/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_HS1wDbEBZSEMR
I use this one, works really well for me.
I use one of these: https://smile.amazon.com/Pathfinder-Combat-Pad-Paizo-Staff/dp/1601255470/
$19. That gets you both the board and a bunch of dry-erase magnets.
I recommend the Flip Mats for battle mats. You can use wet or dry erase markers on them, they fold up to be able to fit in the D&D Beginner Box, and are pretty solidly put together.
I have a (3/4 ft wide by 2.5ft long) metal lightweight metal thing that I got from Ikea a while back that I have attached to the wall and I usually just write on it with erasable marker and when players pass we erase their name. A friend of mine uses a magnetic pathfinder initiative tracker that has a little arrow that we move to the current players turn and when a player passes in that one, we just move their name to the other column on the board
Pathfinder Combat Pad https://www.amazon.com/dp/1601255470/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_1YqDAbVNZ6FKP
> You have previously mentioned familiarity with pathfinder... WotC owns >the franchise, they're publishing books for it.
Well I can't be blamed for misconstruing this.
That you can get the books cheaper than list price on Amazon doesn't matter. I can get anything cheaper on Amazon, including other RPGs. The cost difference is still the same and you should support your local game stores. They are central to having an active local gaming community.
Nevermind that two copies of Pathfinder at $31 is less than your $66 set anyway. Lets not even worry about Pathfinder though. It is essentially just an improved version of 3.5. The award winning SotC is also $30 from amazon and you could get two of those as well. You could get the core Savage Worlds rules plus the Fantasy Companion and Deadlands for that price. Thats good for at least 3 completely different campaign settings.
I can see that we will never agree on this. Consider taking Savage Worlds for a test drive. It won't cost you anything but time.
Pathfinder Combat Pad (Works for D&D)
https://www.amazon.com/Pathfinder-Combat-Pad-Paizo-Staff/dp/1601255470/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1483556431&sr=8-1&keywords=pathfinder+combat+pad
If you are going to be playing in person, the Pathfinder Pawns are a great starter tool if they are available in Europe.
Thanks for posting this. I will definitely be trying this in my next game. Currently I use one of these to track the combat in my games. It works okay, but I love the player view that you have here.
A few thoughts that I have after playing with it:
Anyways, I love the idea of this and I can't wait to give it a try at the table soon. Thanks for making this and sharing it with us!
Not sure about adventure paths, but the beginner box set was how I got my group going.
Comes with a decent intro adventure, pregen character sheets, a bare bones rule book for the most important bits, character and enemy pieces, and a battle map (for this adventure and a blank for your own maps)
Pathfinder Roleplaying Game: Beginner Box https://www.amazon.com/dp/1601256302/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_AUqMBbWQJZWVW
https://www.amazon.com/Pathfinder-Roleplaying-Game-NPC-Codex/dp/1601254679
The best help I've had are from Matthew Colville's Running the Game playlist, which has been incredibly helpful, and also Sly Flourish's Lazy Dungeon Master
But don't feel like you have to listen to all the videos or read/listen to the whole book. Just make sure you prepare enough for the first session which is usually 3 encounters or so and some RP scenes like introducing the player characters. Also, remember the phrase "What do you do?", it's a good prompt to show that you want player input. I like to print all of the monster stat blocks that I could need for that session into one or two convenient pages and have the notes or pages of the adventure I'm running in a binder. Once you have one session you'll have experience to build and reflect on. As long as you keep trying to get better, it's hard to be terrible.
Inner Sea Gods
Just pick up one of these. Only 576 pages.
You seem like you want to prepare. I'm also a person who prepares, so here are things you can do to come feeling like you have:
Email (or text or whatever) the GM and ask what version you're playing.
4th edition, D&D 3.5, Pathfinder or 5th edition are all very likely candidates, and all play different enough you will want to know a bit of the difference. The first night you don't necessarily need to have your own copy of the book, but it will be a lot easier if you do going forward.
If the group is totally new, everyone will be rolling characters. If you meant the group is new to you, and they're already playing, ask what character classes they have already.
You may be happy looking up what 'good' character classes are for that edition are (depends on how competitive you are)
Bring a cheat sheet on it the edition you're playing, a small notebook, 2 mechanical pencils, and a set of polyhedral dice
Cheat sheets:
5th Edition: http://www.enworld.org/forum/rpgdownloads.php?do=download&downloadid=1042
4th Edition: http://kassoon.com/dnd/crib-sheet/
Pathfinder Edition: https://sites.google.com/site/paolospathfinderpage/cheat-sheets
3.5 Edition: http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?231897-3-5-Rules-Cheat-Sheets
You really need to look into which version it is to get specific recommendations from /r/rpg that will be at all helpful. Once you do get that answer on what edition you're playing, find 2 easy to play classes by asking here, or looking up "tier lists" on the internet.
If you're really up for it, after finding out what version it is, go buy the players handbook for that version, read it, and watch an hour or two of "Actual play" on the internet for that version.
__
Most of D&D is about 1> Standing in the right place 2> Hitting the baddie with your big stick/magic spell 3> Not falling into traps 4> Getting loot. The game is incredibly oriented on loot and small magical items that give bonuses to attack and defense. So when an item comes up that's appropriate to your character, ask for it! Don't be a hog, but don't make the mistake of not taking enough.
When making your character, there are a lot of okay choices, a couple really really bad ones, and some superlative ones. You're unlikely to figure out the superlative ones without looking them up, but you'll probably be able to avoid the really horrible ones.
If you're worrying about the Roleplaying part, instead of the game playing part, the book "Impro" is excellent at explaining how to play characters well (the chapter on status is worthwhile on life in general)
I use this.
I have the non-Pathfinder version but it doesn't really matter...
https://www.amazon.com/Pathfinder-Combat-Pad-Paizo-Staff/dp/1601255470/ref=pd_bxgy_21_img_2?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=1601255470&pd_rd_r=PKVNP9XPR69H957M4BY7&pd_rd_w=CU5UX&pd_rd_wg=J6K5T&psc=1&refRID=PKVNP9XPR69H957M4BY7
Combat pad or bust
Pathfinder Combat Pad https://www.amazon.com/dp/1601255470/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_4MK3BbCZA912M
If you are interested, check out the preview pages, for example on amazon
The main advice I got from it is spending preparation time on the most important/immediate parts of your adventure while staying flexible (consider 3 possible paths the adventure could continue on). There's some more advice on how to improve your game or make your life as a DM easier, often giving simple tools for it (at least simple steps you could follow to achieve it). The table of contents (shown in the preview on amazon) should give you a good idea on what's included.
Pathfinder Core Rulebook.
If you want to go all out I'd recommend these books:
https://www.amazon.com/Dungeons-Dragons-Monster-Rulebook-Roleplaying/dp/0786965614/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1549840456&sr=8-6&keywords=dungeons+and+dragons
https://www.amazon.com/Xanathars-Guide-Everything-Wizards-Team/dp/0786966114/ref=sr_1_10?ie=UTF8&qid=1549840456&sr=8-10&keywords=dungeons+and+dragons
https://www.amazon.com/Volos-Guide-Monsters-Wizards-Team/dp/0786966017/ref=sr_1_14?ie=UTF8&qid=1549840456&sr=8-14&keywords=dungeons+and+dragons
Enough dice for you and whoever you're playing with:
https://www.amazon.com/Wiz-Dice-Pack-Random-Polyhedral/dp/B01KN7REWQ/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1549840537&sr=8-4&keywords=1+pound+of+dice
If you want minis:
https://www.amazon.com/Pathfinder-Roleplaying-Game-Codex-Pawns/dp/1601254725/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1549840982&sr=8-4&keywords=monster+codex+box
https://www.amazon.com/Paizo-Inc-Pathfinder-Pawns-Bestiary/dp/1601255616/ref=pd_sbs_14_1?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=1601255616&pd_rd_r=d89745e3-2d8a-11e9-bc59-4fcf3b72f982&pd_rd_w=Ip8Jz&pd_rd_wg=d87AF&pf_rd_p=588939de-d3f8-42f1-a3d8-d556eae5797d&pf_rd_r=CQ2TM4MZQSVKFXX2GYRS&psc=1&refRID=CQ2TM4MZQSVKFXX2GYRS
https://www.amazon.com/Pathfinder-Pawns-Villain-Codex-Box/dp/1601259255/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1549840982&sr=8-3&keywords=monster+codex+box
Check out Table Fables. It has a good table to roll from.
I'm a fairly budget DM (but I had an edge as you'll see). Here is what my solution for minis was:
Via BGG I was able to for a few of the Dungeon and Dragon Board Games ex: Wrath of Ashardalon. This gave me a decent enough set of minis but most importantly: multiples of many of them as many of them come in groups of 2-4. This is kind of a cheat as I have a large collection of board games and was looking to swap some out anyway.
Then I purchased Pathfinder Beginner Box. Its a good price and you get a playmat, mini adventure, dice and a bunch of Pathfinder Pawns. These pawns are great and come with bases which lead me to my next purchases.
I was very happy with the way the Pathfinder Pawns worked out for me to "fill in the blanks" where I didn't have any minis. Pathfinder offers a lot of sets for their different adventure paths for between $15-20 via amazon. They don't come with bases but the beginner box solved that for me. Best part of these sets, in my opinion, is they come with plenty of multiples.
My players use a mix of minis from the board games and their own painted ones they bring. I pick a mix of minis and pawns with a preference towards all of one if I can help it. The pawns are fantastic and if I didn't have the option of the board game I would be totally happy just using those. The only thing I might do in that situation would be to pick up individual minis for "bosses". While the art on the Pathfinder Pawns are generally good to excellent quality scale is really lost on the larger creatures imo.
As for actually running combat, I'm style finding my DM style but I've settled on a mix of 4 similar yet different methods depending on what I want the encounter to emphasize.
For quick, "uncomplicated" encounters or ones that I may want to not emphasize combat I use theater of the mind. In my experience the second a grid comes out players think combat. The speed of theater of the mind is appealing to me. As for technique: with theater of the mind I tend to narrate everything except killing blows and run turn order by starting with the characters name and a description of the state of the battle every turn.
If TotM seems a bit too imprecise I break out the minis/pawns and run what I call Table of the Mind. We put the minis/pawns on the table and use them without a grid. Keeps things quick and snappy but gives the players something to reference. For this method and all others below I assign initiative to one of my PCs.
If environmental effects are more of a factor I use "zones". I stole this from Sly Flourish. I tend to use it less often than any other method but I like having it in my bag of tricks so I'll mention it here. Essentially I place the pawns/minis on index cards with each card representing a vague location in the battle and features within that location.
For complicated encounters or for those I get DM Crafty with nothing beats a good ol grid map. The flipmat from the beginner box is always in my bag but I have a larger Chessex map for bigger battles. I like to supplement it with either interesting mechanics or bling. I'm working on a one shot right now for my friend's birthday where two of the battles will take place on gridded maps one of which involves me placing cardboard "trees" on it and the other a complex series of teleportation doors. PCs love bling and I love blinging out. It's amazing what you can do with cardboard and paper; it's equally amazing how a description of a battle changes my awful craft skills into an epic fight!. I do not think I could run my teleporting door encounter without a map to ground my players. It would be too confusing and demand too much memory from all involved.
Sorry this got so long O.o
This is the log of our Kingmaker campaign set in the continent of Xen'drik. It's a fun path and works really well in this setting. There is a pretty good amount of non-Path content and modules as well. The campaign has been going for over a year now (both in and out of game) so there is quite a bit there if anyone is interested in how we've adapted it.
The basic structure is that the dragonmarked houses are establishing a colony deeper into Xen'drik to lay claim to this new and strange land while others do the same. Each player started with one character (which turned out to be a bunch of gently-bred types who had no idea how to survive in the wild) and then once the kingdom was established each player got a second character to help fill out the government. Each player sends one character on expeditions. The feel of the game is more Indiana Jones than film noir, but with politics.
The only thing the game does assume is that everyone has the Core Rulebook and the PFS Guide
You can get a pdf version here for 9.99 : http://paizo.com/products/btpy88yj?Pathfinder-Roleplaying-Game-Core-Rulebook
Or if you want the physical copy go to amazon and save a lot of money here: http://www.amazon.com/Pathfinder-Roleplaying-Game-Core-Rulebook/dp/1601251505/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1377006408&sr=8-1&keywords=pathfinder+core+rulebook
Now the guide to PFS play can be found for free at : http://paizo.com/products/btpy84k4?Guide-to-Pathfinder-Society-Organized-Play
Alright, let's plan on next Tuesday at game night. (It starts at 6pm, but don't worry about arriving on the dot.) I will bring a Pathfinder core rulebook and have it out on the table next to me.
This book: https://www.amazon.com/Pathfinder-Core-Rulebook-Jason-Bulmahn/dp/1640781684/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=pathfinder+2e&qid=1570635150&sr=8-1
We can meet and greet and work out what our schedules look like, and all those sorts of details.
https://www.amazon.com/Pathfinder-Adventure-Path-Runelords-Anniversary/dp/1601254369
Sorry to be a pain but would this be the book to get?
I use the tracker on Roll20 but one of my friends has used the gamemastery combat pad before and he likes it.
Amazon Store Link
YouTube Review of it
Do you have an adventure picked out? There are free Pathfinder Society adventures that you can run I'd recommend The Phantom Phenomena and then First Steps Part I: In Service to Lore. Both have lots of little quests you're doing so your players can feel like they accomplished lots of things in however long your session is. Or else the Pathfinder Box is great too. It comes with over 80 pawns you can use to represent characters and monsters and does a really good job at introducing people to the game.
I'd also recommend using pre-gen characters and not spending time on character creation on your first play. It's best to get people up and playing so they can learn how the system actually works before deciding what they want their character to be.
Yes and Sly Flourish spends a great deal of time talking about this in his excellent book, The Lazy Dungeon Master.
The problem is if I spend 5 hours designing something that I love dearly and want to spring on my players, by the gods, they are going to go through it and ... that is railroading. Sly talks about how to spend those 5 hours smartly and prep for adventures that are flexible for you and the players and comfortable and enjoyable for you.
Pathfinder Pawns seem like a pretty good way to go
The Sims 3
For a giveaway, I'd probably have people post something relevant to the game they're interested in such as personal art, favorite song from the OST, or favorite YouTuber's video related to the game. Something along those lines.
On the subject of RPG content, my favorite system is Pathfinder because it's one whole system in a book and it's a well-made system. Basically D&D 3.75. d20 stuff is probably the best system-independent content. I haven't looked much into that sort of thing. I've mainly played D&D and White Wolf games.
I was looking it at it here
http://www.amazon.ca/Pathfinder-Roleplaying-Game-GameMastery-Guide/dp/160125217X/ref=sr_1_16?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1381444983&sr=1-16&keywords=pathfinder
or
http://www.chapters.indigo.ca/books/pathfinder-roleplaying-game-gamemastery-guide/9781601252173-item.html?ikwid=pathfinder+game+mastery&ikwsec=Books&gcs_requestid=0CIigspWsjboCFYpo5wodcTcAAA
Would this be the proper place to start?
??? Like for inspiration?
For world building/city feels/flavor I like "Invisible Cities", which is a collection of tales from Marco Polo put together by Italo Calvino, translated from italian by William Weaver (here's a link I found on google for it)
For character creation, honestly read any fantasy. Wheel of Time has characters you can easily make character sheets for, excepting maybe Rand al'Thor. I also just read "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss, which was great for learning how a wizard/bard might work, as well as an innkeeper. Also, recorded book is boss.
But if you want to buy just one book, and you want something amazing and fast and simple I highly recommend "Table Fables" by Madeline Hale (it's on amazon for less than $11). This book has roll-to-make lists for almost everything, from PC and NPC creation to random loot, to monster attacks! This helps especially with random encounters and smoothing-over awkward "wait I have nothing planned for THAT direction"-moments, it's great! Here's a link to that too!.
Hope that helps, that's what I use, PM me if you need anymore help :) also, I think the more you read the more fun these games get
Agreed. The Pathfinder Rulebook really simplifies things for a new player. You can buy it here
I use the pathfinder initiative tracker, you can look it up in Amazon and it's cheap, it has magnetic pieces that are dry erase safe, so you just write the characters name on them and as people give you their initiative you put the pieces in decending order. It also let's you write anything you need on here like HP, A.C., any of that sort.
www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1601255470/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1495106512&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65&keywords=pathfinder+initiative+tracker&dpPl=1&dpID=519vNFbpH7L&ref=plSrch
Since he is 10 I would go with a beginner's box.
Pathfinder is a wonderful place to start. It is what most people will recomend and with the beginner's box it will be a relatively cheap and fast way to find out if it is the game for him.
We also have the D&D 5th Edition Starter Set too. While I would not personally recommend it for reasons of personal preference it is a very beginner friendly rule set.
There are many other options (that can get freaking expensive) but those are the most beginner friendly and economical ways to start.
nods
And if 5-player becomes a thing, there are accessories out there that we swear by:
Pathfinder magnetic board: Incredible for tracking initiative and monster health/status effects
Service that lets you print 5th and 6th player attack modifier decks
According to the Core Rulebook p246, if an animal companion is Awakened, it is no longer a companion:
> An awakened animal gets 3d6 Intelligence, +1d3 Charisma, and +2 HD. Its type becomes magical beast (augmented animal). An awakened animal can’t serve as an animal companion, familiar, or special mount.
This is also in the description of the spell on d20PFSRD.
So the GM failed in that one, by allowing them to have an Awakened animal companion in the first place. And as a GM myself, if a Druid was abusing the class feature in that manner, at the very least, he'd be facing an alignment change, if not more severe penalties. After all, he's supposed to be a protector of nature, not a serial murderer of the animals he's chosen as his companions.
There are a lot of entry points. Which one is best will probably depend on your level of gamerness (if that's a word?).
If you don't do much tabletop gaming (or your only boardgames are from Hasbro), the D&D fifth edition starter set is a great place to start. Eventually, your group will have to get the DM Guide,, Player's Handbook, and maybe the Monster Manual after you finish the sessions from the starter set.
If you're more of a gamer, and you like min/maxing, let me recommend Pathfinder. It's an offshoot of the 3.5th edition of D&D (considered by many to be the heyday of D&D's systems. Here's their beginner box - the great thing about pathfinder is that after you finish that box, you don't need to buy anything. Ever again. there are resource pages all over the internet where all of the source material is available for free. (premade campaigns, you'll have to buy if you want to use them, though, but that's the same as D&D).
Another option if you're a starwars fan, is the new Star Wars RPG by fantasy flight. There are different source books and begginer boxes depending on if you want to focus your adventures around smugglers and normal folk on the edge of civilization or members of the rebellion
Pathfinder, aka D&D 3.75.
That said, I've really Pathfinder's native Golarion setting in Fate Accelerated. The setting is interesting and very D&D but Fate makes for very light and easy rules reducing everyone's cognitive load at the table and increasing the amount of fun we all have.
Unless it's significantly cheaper I'd suggest buying he anniversary edition. Fully updated for Pathfinder.
Unless that's what you meant in which case you can ignore me!