GMing Advice

[Explosive Cheese]

So my first game is starting, and I'm going to be spamming y'all with advice requests.

PLAYERS FROM MY GAME (dabocim, grimtina, Merbak, Shoelip), THIS IS SPOILER TERRITORY! TURN BACK NOW!

IF I FIND OUT YOU'VE BEEN READING THIS, YOU WILL FACE DAYLE'S WRATH!







Item number one on the agenda:
I want to start my players off with very limited equipment, and I was thinking of giving the fighter types just one weapon and one set of armour. And I was wondering what the equivalent would be for spellcasters (one sorcerer and one cleric)?
The limited equipment is only for the first encounter really, I intend to have a powerful NPC (one of two, depending on PC choice) in the next scene supply them with whatever choice of basic equipment they want, within reason. If they refuse both paths, I might have them find a cache of equipment in the woods, but they won't get to choose the items, and there'll be much less equipment than they'll otherwise have gotten.

[treehouse]

Personally, I'd advise not gearing your PCs. What is the intention here, exactly?

[Explosive Cheese]

I didn't mean select the gear for them, I meant to give them the opportunity to gear themselves, but in an in-game context.

Basically, a party of four gamers from real life find themselves in their characters' bodies in a clearing, with limited equipment. There'll be a combat encounter to start the game off, and that'll lead to them going to either a city, or a wizard's fort (set up two possible chains, I think the city's more likely), where they'll be thanked for obtaining an item gained in the combat encounter (a big glowing ruby), and offered rest and equipment, gear, etc. as well as the next bit of plot.

I just kind of wanted to run with the whole, in-character whenever possible theme, so I tried to set it up so they'd get their gear in character.

[BigRedRod]

I don't really understand why you want them to start with limited gear. It sounds more like they should start with nothing, which of course is a pain (but you can leave some handy bits and pieces around for them to improvise weapons from).

The equivalent of a weapon for a spellcaster is an implement. Have a look at power descriptions, the key words tell you if they need such an item to be used.

[Explosive Cheese]

Thanks BRR. None of this is solid anyway, so suggestions for other ways to start the game are appreciated.

Also, aren't implements and powers 4E things?

Just to clear up any mixup, I'm running a Pathfinder game.

[BigRedRod]

Well if you provide an outline of what you have then we could suggest things.

[Explosive Cheese]

This is the ramblings I've jotted down in the private forum. It's really just a rough outline, and most of it will change as I go along. More of a brainstorm exercise really. Not sure if this will help except to confuse you.

Characters start off with limited equipment (maybe just one weapon and armour, and equivalent for spellcasters?)

After people are done with introductions to the game, have X (determine appropriate number for a taxing encounter) mind-controlled humans enter the clearing.

Ways to deal with them:
Combat.
Shoelip can try to break the control; if he does, they stand in shock for half a minute, and then want to run away in terror, dropping everything. If they're stopped, questioning reveals that a man in a cloak enchanted them, and they don't remember anything else, although they do provide a clue to finding the wizard (by finding the location where they had been brainwashed.


If they're dead, or they flea:
The characters find among the treasures a brilliant and large ruby. As one of them holds it aloft, guards (too many to fight in their state) brush into the clearing. They claim that the humans they had defeated had stolen the ruby from the Queen, and ask the group to accompany them back to the city.

Once at the city:
Queen thanks the group for returning the jewel to her. Offers them choice of basic equipment from the city (within reason). Offers them a quest to find the missing Sapphire cousin to the Ruby.

Evil (?) Wizard is behind the thefts and brainwashings. Group needs to trace him. He has the Sapphire.



If the group breaks the control, and questions them:
When they arrive at the brainwash location, the man in the cloak reveals himself. He offers to take them back to his lair, and to equip them. If they refuse, the he vanishes, and the guards find the group, and story continues as above. If they accept, he takes them to his lair, and equips them. Offers quest to find the Sapphire, which in this scenario, is missing in the woods (presumably in the clutches of some beast(s))




Turns out (much later) that the Wizard and Queen were once lovers, and had found the Ruby and Sapphire while adventuring. They settled down and founded a city. The gems are magically powerful, and when used in harmony, tend to promote peace. Otherwise, tend to promote discord. The Queen and Wizard had a falling out, and the Wizard was banished from the city, though he managed to secure the Sapphire before leaving. This happened 5 years ago, and since then, the two have been raiding each other's forces for the gems, and have tended to swap them. If one side ever gained both, it would mean the end for the other.

[BigRedRod]

We need to focus on what comes before that first sentence :)

Why do the party have limited equipment? What happened to the rest of their stuff? Or why do they have anything at all? I'm vaguely aware of your premise, so maybe you can explain a bit better exactly what is going on?

[Explosive Cheese]

Well, at the beginning of the game, the players have only just awakened to find themselves in the bodies of the characters they designed. These people didn't exist in that world until that instant, so it's kind of up to me at this point what they start with.

I could either just have them start with starting gold which they can choose equipment with, like a standard game, or I could give them nothing but what they're wearing, and give them an opportunity to get the gear in-game.
Since these people didn't exist before the game started, there's no particular reason why they wouldn't have any gear while in the woods.

Actually, I guess I could have them all start naked in the woods... That might be interesting, especially since one of them is playing a female gamer in a male gnome's body...

[BigRedRod]

I don't think there's anything gained by starting them with restricted equipment.

[treehouse]

I'm gonna go with BRR on this. If they're inhabiting the bodies of characters that they've created, well, 1st level characters start off with some gear.

This is a very important rule for DMing in general - the two things players care more about than anything else (including advancing the story) are gear and experience. The mechanics of D&D are always about advancement, and those are the two ways you advance.

How about this, though? If you're not wanting them to start off with a bunch of 'extra' stuff, just ask them to spend their money on armor and weapons, and perhaps a potion.

[Croaker]

I mean, if it's REALLY important to your opening plot, you can have them 'buy' stuff and then receive it from a patron later. Just be up front about it. Really up front about it.

"You guys won't have any of the things you buy for the first encounter, as part of the plot."

That might work for a tabletop game, but given the already-slow nature of PbP you should plan on starting in media res -- throw them into the middle of a charged situation and get to the good stuff.

I'll also echo the sentiment about loot and XP. Never, ever arbitrarily take away something a player has bought with gold or experience.

[Explosive Cheese]

Hmmm... It's not crucial to the plot, I just thought it might work. Eh, I'll ask my players what they prefer.

[Explosive Cheese]

So I polled my players, and this is what they want to do. 3 of them want to start sans items, getting their gear after the first encounter. 1 of them is going to start with average gold's worth of items, completing to max starting gold with the others. He has yet to get back to me on what exactly is his starting equipment.

They're going to start in a clearing, and are going to have to improvise any weapons they want to use for the first encounter, which will be combat. The group consists of a fighter, a rogue (the one with the items), a sorcerer, and a cleric. I plan to give the cleric a one-time opportunity to prepare the spells on the spot.

I'm trying now to design the encounter. Is a small Air Elemental, as a CR 1 creature, a good challenge for an under-equipped party of 4? Too challenging? Not enough?

[Croaker]

CR 1 = Encounter Level 1 = routine challenge for four level 1 PCs.

Of course, it doesn't actually work out this way, but at level 1 it's close enough.

Bear in mind that your Air Elemental only gets one turn for every four the party gets, which can skew things quite a bit in my experience. If you roll poorly for initiative the party could ice the little fucker before it even gets a chance to move.

[Explosive Cheese]

Well, the sorcerer has no offensive spells (he does have a melee touch attack that allows him to frighten though) and from what I can gather, Shoelip plans to play the cleric in a more supporting role, less direct combat. That leaves the unarmed fighter and the rogue as those that'll be dealing the damage. And I was planning on having the Air Elemental ambush them, so that should cover poor initiative. Does that sound reasonable?

[Explosive Cheese]

Another question:

Trying to build the treasure here (I have an idea for the air elemental to transform back into a human upon death, related to a plot I might put in front of the PC's, which explains how they'll get the loot). I looked it up in the table, and found that for high-fantasy game, at normal progression, with Party Level and Challenge Rating 1, the treasure should be 520 gp. I can handle most of the creation, either doing a bit of randoming, or choosing bits and pieces, but I'm wondering if I should include anything masterwork in the mix? Probably not, cause I don't want about half the loot in one item, I guess, though if I do a masterwork quarterstaff, I can tie it to the plot, and don't have to worry why a normal villager (turned Air Elemental) has access to 520 gp's worth of items.

Also, should I put any low level scrolls or potions?

[Ergonomic Cat]

I wouldn't do a MW item, because then one person comes out much better, and everyone else feels a bit slighted.

A couple potions of CLW would be a godsend at low levels. Or even Minor Vigor, or Aid, or Shield. Life is cheap at level 1, and having a safety net is always a good idea.