Pathfinder 1E Back to the basics

[gamerprinter]

We have 3 GMs at our table, sometimes we rotate the GMs chair while in the same setting, though more often each will run a short campaign where each is the only GM for that game. All 3 GMs create our own settings, I don't think I've played in anything, but Greyhawk, in the earliest days, and even back in 1e we were developing our own settings then. We did run Dark Sun back in 2e (I was a player, and for whatever reason, I hate Dark Sun), because a 4th GM, who has since passed away loved psionics and loved Dark Sun. Now we might have borrowed aspects of Menzobarrenzan boxed set in one of our Underdark games, but even then we didn't use that city as is. I've never been a fan of the kitchen sink.

Consider that I've even published a homebrew for Pathfinder through Rite Publishing with the Kaidan setting of Japanese horror (PFRPG) which is an extremely specific setting, not just feudal Japan, but as the first of its kind with Japanese horror as its theme. Kaidan, although designed for PF is very gritty, but more esoteric than down to earth.

 

[Lord Mhoram]

Actually with all the great stuff from 3rd party companies, I am seriously considering running a game with no Paizo classes allowed, only 3rd party ones.

 

[TarionzCousin]

I envy you. My group is in love with kitchen sink stuff. Three GMs in the group share a setting including:

• Dragonlance
• Forgotten Realms
• Greyhawk
• Lord of the Rings
• Star Trek
• Star Wars
• Dark Sun
• Planescape
• Spelljammer
• In Nomine

Three major worlds with travel between them using several different methods of planar travel, plus other stuff they felt like adding.

All this in one game setting? I think this may be a record.

 

[Razjah]

All this in one game setting? I think this may be a record.

Yeah. It is... extensive. They took the worlds of Dragonlance, FR, and Greyhawk and put them in the same plane. So Prime Material Plane is three worlds and an asteroid or two. There are two suns or something. Spelljammer, Sigil, high end spells and a Celestial Road are the ways that I know can get a person from one world to another. During a PF game like 2 years ago the Table Lands teleport/crashed into Krynn (I forget where). There are In Nomine angels and demons available to be used by GMs (last campaign used them a lot). I don't know how LotRs got involved and we haven't been to the FR planet enough in the games I've played with this group to understand. Same with Star Trek and Star Wars. But they exist.

Aside from me, the group is mainly players in the 40-50 range. They've been gaming since they were in college. The other guy has been with the group for a long time too. This setting evolved since 1e or 2e and kept going, now in Pathfinder. There is history and reasoning in this setting, I just don't know it and don't want to read a novel to know what the hell is going on.

Oh, and add plenty of the high level NPCs giving out quests.

 

[Razjah]

Back more on topic:

but since IMHO pathfinder shine with archetypes, you could search those "fighters handbook" guides or something like that. I'm talking about those guides in witch the autor discuss different option to reach the character you want. If you could ignore the maximization, you will find filtered options.

This would be my only concern with limiting archetypes. Though I suppose you can wait for players to ask if an archetype is allowed and you can still apply thematic restrictions to the allowed archetypes.

 

[Kinak]

We recently made a bunch of characters for shared play (basically, whoever wants to shows up, grabs a character and sits down). They're pretty carefully chosen to keep the complexity down, so lots of Core Rulebook stuff.

I don't think any of them have non-core feats or spells, but a few simpler non-core classes are in and races are all over. And we found the right archetypes, like the archeologist bard, can actually make things easier to track.

Cheers!
Kinak

 

[GameOgre]

Dude, I would so slap a Klingon Wizard on a quest to find the one ring so I could defeat Iuz and turn into the Universes first World Dragon(think Dark Sun's dragon only more EPIC!) in that game!

 

[pickin_grinnin]

No, I want even more character options. I'm not a min-maxer/optimizer, but I enjoy designing unique characters. I prefer classless systems, but it's hard to find anyone around here who will play anything other than Pathfinder and D&D.

Having said that, I enjoy playing Fighters.

 

[carmachu]

I am playing in a new PF campaign on Saturday and was creating a new character. I soon got tired of looking at all the options out there and went with a simple fighter. Made it straight out of the PHB, except for the traits. Do you ever get the urge to chuck all the 'extra stuff' out there and go with a basic pc straight out of the PHB? Or is it just me?

Yes. I sold almost everything. My plan is to start again with a new game some day with just one or two books and no softcover splats. Pathfinder has too much stuff. I want to do the same thing and just use only a few things.