Pathfinder 1E What's good what's not in PF?

[Olive]

In case anyone is interested, the brief campaign write up I sent to the players today...

I've not got all the details nailed down yet but I'm doing a homebrew campaign based in the Endless Islands of Oileán - a psuedo-Irish archipelago. There's a few differences to normal D&D game for this world:
1) Races. I've got a limited race list. Common: Human (the dominant race of the Islands), Elf (wood), Half-Elf, Gnome Uncommon: Changeling (Fey descended).
2) Slightly changed class list. Common: Barbarian, Bard, Druid, Fighter, Ranger, Rogue. Uncommon: Cleric, Oracle, Paladin, Sorcerer, Witch, Wizard
3) a few magic changes, mostly that summoning spells are severely restricted/don't exist as such and that knowing an individual's True Name can help give you power over that individual.

You can see all the rules, spells, skills, feats etc in the very well-maintained Pathfinder System reference Document, online here: http://www.d20pfsrd.com/. Simon is keen to play a witch...

The world is, basically, an archipelago of semi-civilised islands, ruled by a series of petty chiefs and kings. There's no central government but there occasionally is an annual moot known as the Daoine Riail (system like the Icelandic Althing where chiefs and kings meet to decide on laws). This helps validate their law so only those who want to be seen as despots ignore it. There once was a legendary High King, Laoch, who united the Islands. He is known for many deeds, including teaching the faeries how to play tricks without killing the people they were tricking.
Some islands are human, others gnome or elf or monster-run. Some are larger, some are smaller. Some are abandoned with dangerous ruins, others hold farms and trading towns.

The main religion of the Islands is Druidic - broad nature worship. It's an official religion, central to the Daoine Riail, and it's main components are druids (clergy), bards (lawspeakers and communicators) and soothsayers (oracles). There are other regions, through evangelists and refugees from the Magocracy, so feel free to choose to play someone who doesn't fall into this. I've got ideas for Fraveshi (LG zorostrianist style demon fighting religion) and the Deus Curia (LN law-based religion with spontaneous spell casting) but we can come up with more...

To the southeast of the Islands is the world's major power centre - the Magocracy of Prodest (sort of psuedo-Roman Republic, but only those with magical power can hold office). They have been expanding centuries and now control most of the main continent. The Islands contain many refugees from their rule and as a result they are quite cosmopolitan.

Anyone know of a lawspeaker archetype bard?

 

[KidSnide]

In case anyone is interested, the brief campaign write up I sent to the players today...

I don't have anything to add to your PF-related questions, but that sounds like a terrific campaign setting.

-KS

 

[Kinak]

Setting sounds great! What are you thinking of for the campaign story?

Nothing exact for the lawspeaker, but the detective archetype from the APG might work.

At this point my monsters consist of defenses appropriate to how tough they should be vis-a-vis my party. Attacks that do what I want, when I want them to, and HP tailored to how long I want the fight to last. No more feats, no more skills, if I want my monster to swim, it can, if I want it cleave, it does. Which gives me monsters that can fit on one of those 4e power-cards, exactly as I like.

Yeah, that's the way to do it. I still lean a bit on the Bestiary chart to keep things in roughly the intended range, but all the powers are create out of whole cloth.

Cheers!
Kinak

 

[Olive]

Thanks!

I don't really have a campaign story. I sort of free wheel it a bit. First adventure will be a way to introduce them to the powers that be and a mission to retrieve a body from somewhere - fairly straight forward. Character gen is tonight so we'll see what they want to do then.

 

[Olive]

Character roll up went well - a witch, a bard and a fighter. They will probably be accompanied by some sort of GMPC for a bit of the game.