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Makuzi
May 1st, 2013, 18:12
Im a little lost on how this works. This past Sunday my son(13) and I went to our first "Con" It was in Virginia and called 1d4Con. We played a session of PFS and got our PFS cards and information. We both used Pre-Gen characters. We played #4-01 Rise of the Goblin Guild.

My questions are as follows.

1) We were told we can make new characters and everything will carry over. We are in the process of doing this.

A) when doing this we can take the gold earned 520Gp and add it to our starting gold 150Gp thus giving us 670Gp. Is this correct?

B) Also when choosing attribute points Ive read 2 things one is use 20 skill points and buy them. The other is(from a D/L on Pazio) that you use a set list of stats and place them where ever you want. They were listed in the PDF.

2) I was given a chronicle sheet by the GM and earned 2 prestige points what are these used for?

3) How long do the sessions here last? My son and I would love to join in once a month with someone so we can play.

4) Can we play in any sanctioned game as long as its in our level? Or do we have to play a certain path?

Sorry if any of these questions are answered someplace else. I looked but did not see them. I have also been looking through as much info I can on Paizo but still feel a little lost on how the chronicle sheets work filling them out ext.


Thanks again for any help.

Tinculin
May 1st, 2013, 19:54
1)
A) Yes

B) 20 point buy

2) There are quite a few rules around prestige points which are unique for PFS play, but basically they are used to buy things from a specific list in PFS play & provide a cap to your maximum gp value for a single item. - there is a full list in the campaign guide freely downloadable from the Paizo website.

3) Most sessions last around 4-5 hours.

4) Besides a few replayable scenarios, you can play each one once (total, not per character). Each scenario is set for a bracket of levels (e.g. levels 1-5, 3-7 etc).

Makuzi
May 1st, 2013, 20:07
Thank you Tinculin, I found the campaign guide and am now reading it over. Next step is to find time on a weekend and a game my son and I can join.

Mgrancey
May 1st, 2013, 20:08
A) when doing this we can take the gold earned 520Gp and add it to our starting gold 150Gp thus giving us 670Gp. Is this correct?

Correct, you still have spending limits, so the best you could afford is Masterwork arms/armor, potions or scrolls for pricier stuff.



B) Also when choosing attribute points Ive read 2 things one is use 20 skill points and buy them. The other is(from a D/L on Pazio) that you use a set list of stats and place them where ever you want. They were listed in the PDF.

The listed stats are simply a common selections using the Point Buy method, they are just a short cut method and to make things easier for people making their first character, or someone throwing together one real quick.



2) I was given a chronicle sheet by the GM and earned 2 prestige points what are these used for?

A little more complicated, currently as Paizo has talked about changes in coming season though mostly aimed at earning them, Prestige and Fame, which will get the same addition from Modules are connected but seperate scores.

PRESTIGE (pg 26,27 in Guide to PFS Org. Play) can be used to gain various effects by spending them;

A number of various benefits that any pathfinder can make use of: Cure/Remove spells, restorations, Raise/Resurrections, Free Item of upto 150gp or 750gp (this one is frequently used to get lvl 1 wands)
you can get specialty benefits from your faction, this is listed in the PFS Field guide; I got a title for one of my characters from Lantern Lodge which also gave me specialization in Diplomacy
You can get Vanities also listed in the PFS Field guide, these are slight rules breakers and miscellaneous stuff for you character: own a business, have a follower(s), Memberships, Wayfinder Enhancements, and Properties. i.e. You can have money in a merchant caravan which lets you select a different skill for Day Job checks.


FAME (pg 26 in Guide to PFS Org. Play) the other use from these points, can't be spent but they mainly set limits on how much you can spend on gear/magical items, 5 or less fame is 0gp, but this doesn't include the always available stuff, (Pg 25 in Guide PFSOP) which includes: +1 arms,armor, potions/scrolls of 0 or 1 level spells, and a Pathfider Wayfinder for 250gp (50% off) compass and light spell useful item.



3) How long do the sessions here last? My son and I would love to join in once a month with someone so we can play.


In conventions slots are generally 5 hours, some places do 6, so do 4. Modules are written for 4-5 hours.
On FG, it depends on the GM, I'm fairly experienced, generally push to keep players on track, and if needed will cut extraneous fights to get done on time. Some GMs are more lax and will split a module between 2 sessions.



4) Can we play in any sanctioned game as long as its in our level? Or do we have to play a certain path?


Yes and no, modules can be played in any order and as long as your character fits for the modules play range your okay.
On the other hand to fill a spot, if you don't have a character in range, you can play a premade up to lvl 7 (would have to double check) the credit from that scenario is then assigned to your/one of your character(s) which will collect it as soon as it could play the module that you played in.
Additionally, Paizo has announced that it will be making changes to money limits in cases of lower level characters playing up in scenarios to deal with some exploitation of the rules.



Sorry if any of these questions are answered someplace else. I looked but did not see them. I have also been looking through as much info I can on Paizo but still feel a little lost on how the chronicle sheets work filling them out ext.

Not a problem and this section is exactly for this. As far as whats important, You really only have a couple sections that are your concern: the player info section, where you put names, PFS#, and Factions; items spent/purchased; and bookkeeping on right side, Adding XP, Gold, Fame and Prestige. Though on FG most GMs tend to handle all of that, so you end up just needing to let them know about what you buy.

If you don't have an account at Paizo you will want to set one up and register your new characters when done, Name and Faction are minimum though you can put more in if you want.
Pathfinder Society (https://paizo.com/pathfinderSociety)

You will also want to "purchase" this free product (https://paizo.com/products/btpy84k4?Guide-to-Pathfinder-Society-Organized-Play) and add to your "My Downloads", as this has all the rules about Pathfinder Society Organized Play.

Makuzi
May 1st, 2013, 20:16
Outstanding info!!! I look forward to playing.

Mgrancey
May 1st, 2013, 20:23
Just thought of this as well,

Keep an eye out on the events page (https://paizo.com/pathfinderSociety/events), as it lists scheduled events for current and next month

Trenloe
May 7th, 2013, 10:38
For PFS games in Fantasy Grounds subscribe to the game announcement thread: https://www.fantasygrounds.com/forums/showthread.php?t=16931

Please don't post on this thread (unless you're running a game) as it is just used for announcements.

Make sure you have set up email notifications within your profile on this site so that you get an email when there is a new game announcement.

P.S. Factions: don't pick Shadowlodge or Lantern Lodge for your new characters, these 2 factions will be retired later this year.