Curse of the Crimson Throne Question

[Malachei]

I'm trying to convince a friend to DM a campaign -- and because of his time constraints, he would probably like to use a published one and then adapt it as needed.

I've recommended Curse of the Crimson Throne, as it sounds great and has received a lot of praise.

I'm considering a Warblade (we'll be using 3.5 material), or a Wizard, both are existing character concepts I've wanted to play for a long time. I've been saving my Swordsage concept for when I get a chance to play in Council of Thieves.

But I heard that Curse of the Crimson Throne is urban-themed, as well, and now I'm wondering if non-skill-monkey characters would be at a disadvantage.

So my question to those familiar with the advanture path is: Would Curse of the Crimson Throne be a good campaign for a Warblade or a Wizard, or would it greatly favor skill-monkeys?

No spoilers, please. Thanks!

 

[Abciximab]

You say you are using 3.5 materials, does that mean it’s 3.5 only or Pathfinder rules using 3.5 as well?

I have found Wizards in Pathfinder can be very skilled (no more 1/2 point progression in skills that are not class skills). I am currently running a Pathfinder Human Wizard and I am the go to guy for most skills (Except Climb and Swim, I've just started putting ranks in them.) A lot of extra skill ranks each level with Humans with high int.

I expect the same could be true in a straight 3.5 game, you would just progress slower. Just having the Knowledge skills adds a lot though, you tend to miss storyline when you lack a character in the party trained in Knowledge.

A warblade would have his own area of expertise of course, but my advice to all players in all Paizo APs ~ never dump skills (Int).

 

[Malachei]

We're using 3.5 rules with houserules that share aspects with PF, including condensed skills.

But that's not really the point of my post. I mentioned the rules only because of the Warblade class.

The only thing I am really considering is whether I have the right characters for the AP. I like urban campaign elements, but an urban campaign might have a lot of elements that favor rogues, swordsages and the like.

Of course, I don't want any spoilers, so I'm asking for general advice from people who have played / run / read Curse of the Crimson Throne.

 

[Abciximab]

I've read it and (Like all Paizo APs) skills and abilities of all types are important. As a player in CotCT, I think it boils down to how you want your character to be useful. Characters or builds that excel in an Urban setting would be very useful. If you were considering a Ranger, the Urban Archetype might be cool to try.

My point from my first post is that you can have a character with skills similar to a Rogue in pathfinder (though perhaps not as good at certain things). You can have a Wizard with ranks in Perception. With the Vagabond Child Trait any class can have Disable Device as a Class Skill.

Is the skill set of a Rogue useful in CotCT? Absolutely, but so are many other abilities (not just skills).

I'm not too familiar with the skill set of the Warblade, so I can't offer much advice there, but I think a skilled Wizard would be a good addition to the party.

 

[Malachei]

Obviously, a Warblade (better fighter) or a Wizard will have a hard time duplicating a Rogue's skillset.

May question was not about skills, primarily, but more about roles, themes and the encounter design.

An example: If Savage Tide has a pirate feel to it, with the party traveling by ship etc., then being a pirate might be more appropriate in this adventure path than being a knight. Maybe you could still have a lot of fun being a knight (and watch your horse play the dwarf-at-sea), but the feel of the campaign would probably favor pirates, and a Swashbuckler might have a great time.

Now before people comment that you can have fun in most roles in most campaigns... I know that. I have, at times, great fun playing a character not designed to fit the campaign theme. But this time, I'm looking for a good fit. I'd probably hate to be a 3.5 rogue in an undead- and construct-heavy adventure. I'd also dislike being a Paladin in Council of Thieves.

I don't want to have any spoilers, but I wanted to know whether the theme of Curse of the Crimson Throne fits the average party mix (i.e. fine for a Warblade or Wizard), or whether it greatly favors other characters, like, for instance, rogues.

 

[RithTheAwakener]

I am currently DMing this AP for my group, and we're heading to the end of the third module.

A nice thing for you guys is that the AP is the (I believe) last AP Paizo made that is still mostly using the 3.5 Rule set, so your DM won't have to alter very much at all.

All classes are well represented in the AP, and your group won't be hurt if their class balance is a little lopsided. My group consists of a Paladin (soon to be Antipaladin), Rogue, Wizard/Rogue Arcane Trickster, Barbarian, Cleric, Monk. So far they have chosen gameplay paths that have not required much use from the classic Rogue abilities; they tend to be the bulls in the china shop, and everything is working out just fine.

In short, all classes will work perfectly well, even without the traditional D&D group makeup.