My PF Questions

SeaJay · Jul 28, 2011

Patryn of Elvenshae said:
Generally, every doubling of the number of monsters increases the CR-equivalent by 2.

So two CR8 creatures are roughly equivalent to a CR10 (8+2); 4 of them (2 * 2) are roughly equivalent to a CR12.

8 would be roughly equivalent to CR 14; 6, though is somewhere between a CR14 and a CR12, so the number should be pretty close to the CR13 value.

This calculation method tends to break down once you start hitting really large numbers of opponents; 128 CR 1 orcs are not a realistic challenge for level 15 characters.

So the advice would be to forget trying to work it out because it is not an exact science, and just go with what's printed.

Patryn of Elvenshae said:
I don't calculate XP in my games; I just have the players level up at appropriate times.

Interesting idea. What's your criteria for deciding when they level up?

Patryn of Elvenshae · Jul 28, 2011

I wouldn't forget working it out, actually - I'd just keep in mind that they're guidelines, and can't be exact. But for most purposes, they'll be pretty close.

To your second question: Elapsed time, mostly.

For instance, I ran an adventure where the PCs started at 1st-level and were investigating some murders / a fire / a disappeared town councilman. I had a rough plan in my head for how the adventure would go, and at key points (a discovery, a major fight, etc.) they advanced a level.

In terms of actual encounters met and overcome, they were probably well short of the recommended amount, but we didn't get to play very often, so stretching out the levels until they would have levelled normally would have mean that they'd only gain about a single level and a half in a year of playing, and that's far too slow for my liking.

Plus, I like to get out of the low levels faster, rather than slower, and then slow down leveling slightly after they party reaches 5th- or 6th-level or so. Normally, I'd start at 3rd level in PF or 3.5, but I had a bunch of house rules that I wanted the players to get comfortable with before they hit higher levels.

SeaJay · Jul 28, 2011

It's interesting that PF gives 3 modes of xp growth as well.

I'd probably go with the middle one

SeaJay · Jul 28, 2011

When you roll damage multiple times, do you add any and all bonuses to each individual damage roll, or just the once?

Patryn of Elvenshae · Jul 29, 2011

I assume you mean in cases like a critical hit, where you roll damage twice?

In such cases, you roll twice, and add all modifiers twice. The only thing that doesn't get added twice is additional damage represented as dice, like a Rogue's sneak attack dice or the flaming weapon property.

Ferinstance, consider a Power Attacking (for 2) 14-Strength 3rd-level Rogue with a flaming rapier +1 who crits a target he's flanking.

Normal damage is:

1d6 (Sword) + 2 (Strength) + 1 (Magic Sword) + 1d6 (Flaming) = 1d6+3+1d6

With Power Attack and sneak attack you increase that to:

1d6+3+1d6 + 2 (PA) + 2d6 (Sneak Attack) = 1d6+5+3d6

On a crit, you do not double the extra damage dice. So, a critical hit with this weapon (rapiers have a x2 crit multiplier) will do:

(1d6+5)x2 +3d6 = 2d6+10+3d6 = 5d6+10

Make sense?

SeaJay · Jul 29, 2011

Patryn of Elvenshae said:
Make sense?

It makes sense, I just need to wrap my head around the math

Thank you

SeaJay · Jul 30, 2011

I'm not sure how to choose feats.

For example, a 1st level sorcerer gets a bonus feat 'Eschew Materials', so I take that, then it says on the xp table, that I get a feat at 1st level as well. Also, I get a bunch of bonus feats from the sorcerer's bloodline: celestial.

Where can I choose this feat from?

IronWolf · Jul 30, 2011

Malgwyn said:
I'm not sure how to choose feats.

For example, a 1st level sorcerer gets a bonus feat 'Eschew Materials', so I take that, then it says on the xp table, that I get a feat at 1st level as well. Also, I get a bunch of bonus feats from the sorcerer's bloodline: celestial.

Where can I choose this feat from?

Yes, Eschew Materials is a feat given just for being a sorcerer and then you get your normal feat at first level. If you are human you get a bonus feat for being human which can be chosen from the normal feat list.

The bloodline bonus feats don't kick in until level 7 and then at every six levels past that. These feats need to be chosen from the bonus feat list for the bloodline. So for example, the celestial bonus feats are listed here.

SeaJay · Jul 30, 2011

IronWolf said:
Yes, Eschew Materials is a feat given just for being a sorcerer and then you get your normal feat at first level. If you are human you get a bonus feat for being human which can be chosen from the normal feat list.

The bloodline bonus feats don't kick in until level 7 and then at every six levels past that. These feats need to be chosen from the bonus feat list for the bloodline. So for example, the celestial bonus feats are listed here.

Ok so if the bloodline bonus feats don't kick in until 7th level, where do I choose my feats from?

Shisumo · Jul 30, 2011

Every character gets a feat at every odd level (1st, 3rd, 5th, etc.). These feats can be chosen from the entire feat list - the only requirement is that you meet the feat's prerequisites.

Other sources of feats, such as the bonus feats that the sorcerer bloodlines offer, typically say which feats you can pick from.