Pathfinder Adventures in Waterdeep
Placeholder. I (Mythic) am gearing up to run some pathfinder here, just laying out some foundation stuff here before I put up the recruitment thread.
Useful Links
Pathfinder SRD
Waterdeep / Forgotten Realms
- Adventurer's Guide
- Waterdeep Wiki
- Lands of Faerun
- Interactive Map of Waterdeep
- Non-Interactive Super High Quality Map of Waterdeep
House Rules
- Guns ARE allowed but limited to Early Firearms only. No Advanced Firearms. You need to be a Gunslinger or some other class which explicitly understands guns to use them, otherwise it would be equivalent to a Fighter trying to cast Fireball - pointless. I'm also declaring that guns and ammunition is extremely rare, it will be very hard to find ammo or gunsmiths to the point you will likely have to craft your guns and ammo by yourself.
- Oriental Martial Arts Classes (Monk/Brawler/Ninja/Samurai/etc) - I'm not going to sugar coat it - I don't like these classes in traditional fantasy settings. I have no problem with the class mechanics and abilities, but oriental martial arts classes really don't belong in traditional european-themed fantasy RPGs. It kills immersion for me so they are a hard no.
- Aliens & Futuristic Characters - This ties into the rule directly above about immersion. Aliens, robots, etc don't belong in my fantasy games. I'm open to things like Aasimar's and such as they are not aliens, they were people who mated with some extra planar being. Same with Oreads and other such creatures - I'm good with them as long as they aren't aliens or robots or something typically belonging to a futuristic sci-fi game.
- Mythic Characters - At this time I do not plan on using the mythic system. That may change at some point, but right now assume you will not become a mythic hero. I don't have anything against the mythic systems, but I don't foresee the game heading in that direction, at least for now. So don't build your character around the goal of accessing certain mythic abilities or powers as it's not guaranteed to happen. Again, subject to change.
- Meta Gaming - I really don't like metagamers. Metagaming happens when your character does something based on what you (the player) knows. You can roll Knowledge checks as needed to determine if your character knows something under many circumstances, but other times you simply wouldn't know something. Don't metagame. It will end very badly for you.
- Power Gaming - I tolerate power gaming up to a certain extent. If you are not aware, power gaming is the process of building up your character in such a way that they are 1) able to kill anything, and/or 2) unable to be killed by anything, or 3) a combination of 1 and 2. I have no problem with trying to improve your character, in fact I highly suggest it. But there is a very big difference in your character growing and your character becoming godlike.
- Loot & Treasure - Assuming you find a buyer for your treasure and loot, expect to sell loot for 50% of it's value. You can, of course, try to haggle and barter, but that might end up working against you if the dice are not kind.
- Expenses & Consumables - We will informally be tracking ammunition, food, sleep, etc. Basic lifestyle stuff. I'm not super detailed on this, but it's going to be assumed that you have daily expenses just to live. This won't play a huge role in the game, but you should be aware of the cost of living in the city and making sure you have the funds available.
- See https://www.d20pfsrd.com/equipment/goods-and-services/hirelings-servants-services for the average cost of staying at an inn
- See https://www.d20pfsrd.com/equipmenT/goods-and-services/hunting-camping-survival-gear/#table-food-drink for the average cost of meals
Character Creation
Level
Everybody starts at level 1 with 0 experience points.
Attribute Points
We are using the 25 point-buy system. Spend your points before applying racial modifiers to your attributes (this makes getting higher stats cheaper for races with bonuses). You cannot buy an attribute above 18, only racial modifiers can get you to 19 or higher at the start of the game.
Hit Points
You start with the maximum possible for your chosen class/constitution bonus.
Alignments
You may not play an Evil alignment under any circumstances.
Divine characters like Clerics and Warpriests must stay within 1 alignment step of their deity. Failure to do so will count as becoming an Ex-Cleric or Ex-Warpriest, etc. Atoning will shift their alignment back to be in line with their deity.
- Oracles are not subject to this, their powers are forced upon them by the gods, they did not gain their powers via worship and sacrifice.
- Shamans are not subject to this, their powers come from relationships with spirits, not deities.
- Paladins and Druids are not subject to this, they already get nerfed into the ground if their alignment shifts so no additional penalty here.
Deities
Speaking of deities, we will be using the Forgotten Realms pantheon, not the Galorian pantheon. Here is a great resource for looking up deities, and for domains/etc for Clerics: https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Portal:Deities
Races Allowed
- All Core, Standard, Featured races are allowed
- Uncommon and Monstrous races will be considered on a case-by-case basis (Monstrous in particular is very likely no but I will consider them for the right character)
- No Advanced, Very Powerful, or Unknown Race Points races are allowed (see House Rule 3)
- Alternative Racial Traits & Racial Feats are generally acceptable as long as they don't go against my House Rules above, run them past me if you want to use any
Please Note - Non-humanoid races might get some pretty brutal reactions from people. While Waterdeep is generally open to all by the law, people don't take kindly to Gnolls or Minotaurs walking down the streets. You might face some uncomfortable situations if you play a more unuusal race. It's also worth noting that if people wrack up Race Points then I get to ramp up the CR of encounters a fair bit so it might make things much harder on the group.
Languages
Please be sure to note which languages you have Linguistics in. If you select a race that doesn't get Linguistics (Common) automatically, I highly recommend you consider spending a skill point on it.
Classes Allowed
- All Core, Base, Hybrid, and Occult classes are allowed except Monk and Brawler, see House Rule 2 above
- Alternate Classes will be considered on a case-by-case basis but Ninja and Samurai (see House Rule 2) is a hard no and I'm not fond of Antipaladins so likely these will be denied
- Unchained classes are most likely fine except Unchained Monk (see House Rule 2).
- Prestige classes (if we get that far), should be fine as long as it doesn't violate House Rule 2
- Class Archetypes & Alternative Class features should be fine as long as they don't violate my House Rules, but run them past me in advance for a final yes
Traits Allowed
- You start with 2 Traits, each must be from a different category (i.e. you could take one Combat Trait and one Social Trait, but not two Combat Traits, etc).
- All non-mythic traits are allowed as long as they don't go against the spirit of the House Rules
- Campaign traits are restricted to what is listed below unless you give me a good pitch as to why you should have a trait from another campaign
Additionally, the following Campaign traits which are available, they are all mutually exclusive with each other unless you give me a good pitch:
- Acolyte - You are a member of a local church (see https://www.realmshelps.net/faerun/organizations/waterdeep3.shtml for some examples). You get a +1 trait bonus on Knowledge (Religion) and Knowledge (Local) checks
- Caravaneer - You grew up running trade routes to and from Waterdeep, spending most of your youth in the wilds. You get a +1 trait bonus on Survival and Knowledge (Nature) checks.
- Nobleborn - You were born into the top 1%. You gain a +2 trait bonus on Knowledge (Nobility)
- Pirate - You were raised on a pirate ship which frequently makes birth at Waterdeep. You get a +1 trait bonus on Swimming and Knowledge (Geography) checks
- Tower Apprentice - You learned your arcane ways through the Blackstaff Tower school of magic (see https://www.realmshelps.net/faerun/organizations/waterdeep1.shtml). You get a +1 trait bonus on Knowledge (Arcana) and Knowledge (Local) checks
- Waterdeep Native - You were born and raised in Waterdeep. You get a +2 trait bonus on Knowledge (Local) checks
I am open to other Campaign trait ideas. But nothing to do with any criminal activity. If you want to be involved in the thieves' guilds you need to join through gameplay.
Starting Gold
All characters start with the maximum amount of gold you could roll for your selected class.
- Example: Alchemists start with 3d6x10gp, so you would start with 180gp. Whereas a Paladin would start with 300gp (5d6x10 maximized).
Starting Equipment
All characters start with ONE of the following equipment packages in addition to their gold and anything granted by their class/archetype/etc:
| Magic Item | Consumable Magic Items | Talented or Gifted Character |
|---|---|---|
| Some magic item has been passed down to you from a family member or close friend. Maybe they were an adventurer or came about the item through business or other means. Regardless of how it came to you, it's yours now.
Select ONE of the following magic items, it must be an item your character is capable of using (no Wizards with +1 Full Plate armor, for example):
|
You have in your possession a variety of consumable magic items which you have gained through trade or perhaps previous adventures. Unlike the first package, you may select items here that your character is not capable of using themselves.
Select ANY of the following magic items in any combination, however the total value of them cannot exceed 1,000gp:
|
You were born with a natural talent which gave you an edge over your peers.
Select ONE of the following bonuses:
|
