I'm going to be GMing a group of brand new players through Rise of The Runelords, starting this summer. Two have played a bit of 4th edition, the other two have never played a tabletop RPG but are just silly excited about it. I am a relatively inexperienced GM.
I have the Core Rulebook and Advanced players guide. I've told my players we'll be 'soft' limiting character creation to those sources.(Soft limit as I've shown them the srd and told them if they feel like looking around and see something they really want it wouldn't be an automatic no. Just wanted to avoid option paralysis)
Considering that they are new players and I am a new gm, what advice do you have in regards to character options that I might dissuade them from going for to avoid too much complexity? What would be useful options to encourage new players to use? I am speaking mechanically: I already have a good idea how to encourage fluffiness.
In addition, I'd be interested in knowing what sort of ban list and/or House rules you usually use for character creation in your games.
Right now the only two things I am definitely saying no to are gunslingers (I don't like guns in my fantasy) and goblins (for story reasons) I am also considering granting an extra skill point to be placed in any profession at first level, to encourage and assist with back story creation.
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I would ban leadership.
Restrict them to a 20 point buy. Most adventure paths are made for 15 point buy and party of 4. But for beginners a 20 point buy is fair.
I would recommend using average HP per level. This keeps HP at respectable levels.
I recommend 2 traits. 1 from the adventure path which can be found in the player guide which ALL your players should read.
The adventure path players guide suggests giving them a free feat from the choices they list. For flavor I suggest doing so.
Limit races to core only. At least for this run.
Ban master summoner for sure as an archetype. I ban the class myself but that is up to you.
Limit crafting feats to 3 per class. Including auto crafting feats gained from classes. Not including arcane bond. This will help keep gold in check.
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Have considered just running Beginner Box?
If you want a creation guide, the Strategy Guide has gotten great reviews for doing just that.
If everyone is new, LESS is MORE. Directly limit this campaign to the CRB and APG. But always be ready to lift that limit when you and your group are ready to expand.
IMO the Biggest Deal in playing with new players is PLAYING. You are right to be wary of Option Paralysis. But not just for them, but you, too. Play simple, and get a good feel for the basics. Sorta like learning to drive in a parking lot so you get a feel for the clutch and steering (what, no clutch?) then to streets, then to freeways.
The most important rule to remember is Rule ZERO. You are the GM, the referee, the rest of the world. Your word is final and the players must know this. This is a responsibility. Be fair and hones with players, never take things personally (unless it truly is), let the players be rock stars, make consistent rulings (make notes on how something was adjudicated if you need reminders!). Or, to rephrase it: The players have to trust you with Rule ZERO. Earn that trust-it is the hallmark of a good GM.
House Rules? Yours will come in time, you will see what your table needs to do to make the game more enjoyable for everyone. (I do like the idea of a bonus Profession Skill point!)
Good luck and may the dice be ever in your favor... or is that a bit biased to hope that for a GM?
I'd discourage them from taking Summoner if they're new, because it's tricky to balance for a new GM. If you're banning Gunslingers for flavor reasons, I'd also recommend banning anything from the Technology Guide portion of the PRD.
Your idea of granting a skill point in profession is a fine one, but there is actually a similar solution already in the books, called traits. Rise of the Runelords has a free player's guide that offers campaign traits to choose from, and they provide each character with a plot hook and a little background material to invest them in the story. The Ultimate Campaign portion of the PRD has a lot more traits to pick and choose from with rules on how to randomly generate a background, but if you want a quick and easy way to do it, I heartily recommend poking at this page for a little while: Random Background Generator
There are some powerful traits that you may want to ban, but most are worth approximately half a feat, and won't imbalance the game. Most of them just give +1 to a skill and a little snippet of text to help you imagine your character's childhood.
Good luck! =]
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I like the extra skill towards profession, it won't change anything (well it's so negligible you mind as well say it won't) mechanically.
Original version of the Summoner(pre-Unchained) can be a real beast, it has a really high optimization floor and is easy to screw up.
AP's usually recommend a 15 point buy. I personally like 20 as it opens up a little more options for characters are are more MAD. Once your past the first few levels the extra points will be less noticeable and might help them with a little extra resilience during the early levels.
I like giving max HP for the first 2 levels and then doing something like Half Hit-Die +1 from then on out. It gives them more durability during the time when they are susceptible to crits killing them.
Some of the classes, like the Magus for example, can be a little tough to pick up on (most full spellcasters take some getting used to) because of odd mechanics. But once they have some play experience and/or read a little into the class most aren't bad.
Classes which make heavy use of Summoning or Pet's will take a little more management on the side of the players, so just make sure they pre-stat any summons they have (index cards are great) and to have a character sheet for their pet. Also, reading some of the guides on Animal Companions can help with all of the intricacies of animal companion control and how to handle them.
Pathfinder Class Guides <-This is a listing of optimization guides. I wouldn't recommend having your players fully optimize or anything (especially being new) but these guides all offer advice on how to build a solid class.
Leadership (which is CRB) can get really gonzo and is probably one of the most commonly banned feats in the entirety of the game.
I would recommend not having your players play a Rogue. It is a commonly held belief that the CRB Rogue has a lot of issues. There are a lot of archetypes (Alchemist+Ranger) that can get trap finding. The Slayer Class (ACG) is a good Combat Rogue replacement and the Investigator (ACG) + Archaeologist Bard both make really good skill monkeys who can do trap-finding and such (while still being combat viable).
As for most RPG's, having them try to build a balanced party will make things go easier.
From your perspective, I would make sure you pre-read through the Adventure Path, so you know where things are supposed to go. It just helps you with decision making.
It may take some of the fun out of traditional leveling but having the party just level up when the AP suggests is good for keeping them on pace.
Thank you, this is exactly the kind of advice I was looking for.
What are your thoughts on prepared casters for new players? I understand spontaneous would be less bookkeeping but is the hassle of choosing daily spells enough for me to encourage my players to go sorcerer over wizard? I would imagine it's not much of an issue at first level due to the limited number of spells and by the time the list grows long we'll have been playing awhile.
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the advantage of prepared casters is that they are strong no matter what you do and you can find out how to effectivly play them throughput your career. You just cant really do anything wrong. On the other hand those need players who know it takes some bookkeeping and time investment due to the sheer number of spells.
Spontaneous caster are easier to play but harder to build. You will have to help them there as you can easily mess up one of those really easily.