To Run Two APs!

[kenmarable]

Maybe this is not the case in Merric's games - I know it has never been the case in mine.

Same here. In fact, except for the occassional Big-Grand-All-Session-Battle, we have rarely had a cleric casting buffs and heals during combat. If we're lucky and see combat coming, we'll do buffing beforehand. And in most cases, we just soak up the damage, and then crawl to the healer once the foes have been vanquished (or chug a potion if we need healing in the middle of battle). So cleric as "support only" isn't their necessary role.


Back to the original topic, I'll also give a recommendation for getting the SCAP hardcover. Admittedly, this is second hand*, but I have heard many good things about the improvements in the hardcover, and not a single negative comment.

Plus, I could be wrong, but weren't the first few adventures right before the 3.0/3.5 shift? So that might be another reason to go for the hardcover (boy, I'm starting to sound like a Paizo shill. It's just so easy to shill for them though!)

It would be interesting to hear how they go, and how well each AP flows in comparison to the others.


* My wife started DMing SCAP as her first DMing experience but quickly got frustrated because those probably aren't the best "new to DMing" adventures including oddities like the level jump between adventures. WotC's more recent ones look better for new DMs, but it seemed like a good idea at the time. However, after so many months of willing myself to avoid those adventures in Dungeon I still can't bring myself to read them or the hardcover.

 

[Bagpuss]

Clerics have always been: God first, party second. . .

My Cleric is...
Ale, God, Killing things, Party

But then he is a Dwarven cleric of Hanseath (Dwarven God of War, carousing and alcohol)

I think I've yet to cast a healing spell during combat. The only Bluff spell I use regularly is Enlarge Person (on myself), and other than that swift or immediate spells, so I can continue to swing my great axe. Blade of Blood (more damage) and Knight's Move (get in position for Whirlwind Attack), are favourites. Admittedly once the fight is over I might use a wand of lesser vigor, or if I have spells left at the end of the day blow them on healing.


On the original topic, interesting group for Savage Tide, I think they will have real trouble with the opening of Bullywug Gambit (TPK not out of the question). The wizard will most likely run short of offensive spells and they lack any heavy melee hitters, or frontline fighter types (all have poor hit dice and naff Fortitude saves). I know our parties Swashbuckler had trouble at that point and only the warmage, barbarian and fighter were doing effective damage.

 

[Wik]

The party is somewhat caster-light. I'll be interested to see how it plays.

Shouldn't be a problem. Take a look at the characters in my sig - For the longest time, the best caster we had was a paladin... and we just added the warlock. While another player DID have a sorcerer/cleric in the group before he moved, he wasn't very effective at intelligent spell-casting, and didn't add much.

Really, with a few exceptions,a caster-light group isn't going to have too much of a problem in the first couple of adventures, I'd say. Mind you, our group has come pretty close to losing a member two three times each adventure.

I really like how you actually have SAILORS in your group. My group doesn't, which makes a lot of the Sea Wyvern Stuff a little boring. I also like that you have an Olman character... should make things easier once you hit the Isle of Dread.

 

[Drowbane]

It's none of my businss, but I think it's a terrible mistake to have a new player play the cleric.

I wholehearted agree (on both counts ).

Noobs just don't make effective clerics. Asking one to attempt it is... well, asking alot.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

My Cleric is...
Ale, God, Killing things, Party

But then he is a Dwarven cleric of Hanseath (Dwarven God of War, carousing and alcohol)

Awesome choice. I'm playing a cleric of Harrimast (the Freeport god of pirates) in an abortive campaign myself. I can't imagine playing a cleric of a healing-centered god. It would take a very different mindset than mine. Whenever I play a healer in an MMORPG, I simply forget to heal everyone, including myself, oops.

 

[Hussar]

Y'know, we should get a STAP thread similar to the World's Largest Dungeon thread going here. I know that one was an enormous help to me for the WLD. I won't be running the STAP for some time, but, I'd love to pick people's brains.

 

[Evilhalfling]

I'm stealing Sea Wyrven's Wake from the ST - only running it backwards because the PCs are all ready on a distant tropic island, and just trying to get home. It will be ramped up a bit because they are 8th level already. If I have time, it will end with the beginning of Tides of Dread. One of the players wives is due in late may, so the group will be shifting some.

 

[MerricB]

It's later on that casters become important - particularly for utility spells.

At present, I'm replacing a few magic items in There is No Honour with items from the MIC - a least crystal of swift return, for one thing.

Cheers!

 

[takasi]

We finished Age of Worms last year and jumped into the Savage Tide; we're finishing the Lightless Depths now. I'm also playing in Shackled City every week (we're 6th level).

Thanks to MapTool, I'm also running Mysteries of the Moonsea, War of the Burning Sky and an Eberron AP. And those are just the "Adventure Paths". I also have two homebrews going (King of Sutter and our Shackled City backup for when the DM can't make it called Tale of Sutter). And I'm also playing in d20 Sci-Fi (Moreau/Ninja Turtle Style), Spycraft and Call of Cthulu campaigns.

In the last few months I've been playing RPGs every day for at least two hours and sometimes up to 12.

I'm sure Paizo and others here are happy with this.