Looking to get started in PFS as a player;

[diablodevil2]

Heya all.

I'm looking to get started in PFS, and I believe I understand most aspects of it. I've read through the starter guide for the most part. I'm building up a character, and plan on buying copies of the PDF's required for my level one, but the thing that's holding me back a bit is that I'm not totally certain on how easy it'll be to find games.

Also, as far as I see, it's seasonal? I'm kinda curious as to how long each season is. Like, will I be able to get 1-20 before this current season ends, etc. (or at least the 1-11...I don't exactly get the Seeker status either. It sounds like you play one big campaign 12-20 to finish instead of the sort of mixed bag of 'missions' for 1-11?)

I guess, basically I'd really like to chat up with a GM that is experienced in PFS, and even better, going to be hosting games.

Anyway, thanks for reading, please feel free to poke me if you're open to chatting with me, or having me sit in on a PFS game/get started in one.

[xazil]

PFS generally only goes levels 1-11, there are some options for past that like the Seeker missions (which take you to 12 or 13) or higher sanctioned modules but mostly its lower level play.

The seasons are more from over-arching plot point of view you can play in any seasons scenarios and you don't have to create a new character for each season. Sometimes scenarios are linked directly that are over seasons. (I recently ran Black Waters from Season 0 and its sequel that is set 8 years later which is a season 7 scenario back to back).

Subscribe to the sticky at the top of the fourm here for when games are announced. There are usually 1-2 per week, although it various according to peoples schedules. If you are after a campaign you might be better looking in the general Looking for Group as PFS tends to be more for odd games and times.

Make sure you do set your time zone correctly so when you check calendars they show it correctly as sessions can and do appear at all hours.

[diablodevil2]

Ah, okay, thanks Xazil. I appreciate the info! I'll sub to that sticky and keep an eye out then.

[cmdisc]

To add to what xazil said, don't let the fact that Paizo publishes their Scenarios in Seasons confuse you. Those are just for flavor and to add an ongoing story arc. When you make a character and have them registered with a PFS # (which is just your own PFS # followed by a dash and the number of the character it is; 1st, 2nd, etc), you can play them in any PFS game that is being offered as long as their level is within the level range of the Scenario or Sanctioned Module being offered.

A Scenario runs about 5 hours and is a one-shot adventure. Modules might run about one to three 5-hour sessions or so. When a GM offers a game, you sit down and play through it for that time, and then it's done. You get a Chronicle from the GM that tracks some basic information such as your Gold and XP and then you look for another game being offered. It might be with a different GM and a whole new group of players or it might have some of the same people you played with before. The point is that over time after each adventure, you're gaining Gold and XP and leveling up. You're not tied to any one Season.

In fact TIME is intentionally kept vague. You could participate in a Scenario that is actually a Part II to something that happened in the storyline 5 years ago and then the following week play in the Part I Scenario with the same character. The timing of events is sorta brushed over for characters. The only limitation is that you have to be within the level range of the Scenario. So if the one being offered is 1-5, it will carry subtiers of 1-2 and 4-5. Legally you can be anywhere from 1st to 5th to play, although if the group is pulling together a bunch of 1st and 2nd level characters, it's generally not a good idea for a player to bring along a 4th or 5th.

[HoloGnome]

Hey - congrats on taking the PFS Plunge - I'm sure you'll have fun.

In PFS, you can create as many characters as you like of any legal class(es). Over time, we all tend to accumulate multilple characters that are distributed across various levels. So, after making your start, you may become interested in different classes and will starting making #2, #3, etc. Seriously - it's better than collecting Pokemon! :D

With a distribution of classes and levels, it's usually easy to find a game. But, even if you don't have any characters, you can still play using a pregenerated one. Or, you can grab the PFS pregens from paizo.com (https://paizo.com/products/btpy9a64) and use them as a starting point for your character(s). Change the names and pictures to protect the innocent. ;)

For PFS games, you can play pregens at Levels 1, 4 and 7. So, you can sit at most tables, even if you don't have a character at the right level. You will then receive game credit to use to build your characters.

Also, in terms of resources for those new to PFS, the most helpful build site is Archives of Nethys (https://archivesofnethys.com). Anything that is PFS-legal will have a silver medallion (symbol of the "open road" and Grand Lodge faction) next to it. d20pfsrd (https://d20pfsrd.com) is also helpful for searching content (but you have to make sure you double-check to see if the content is legal).

Your conversion to the Dark Side is now complete! :D

[diablodevil2]

Well fun fun! I have made a half-orc Investigator. He is a godless member of the Exchange, who's looks belie his super smooth wordplay/diplomacy and such. :D

[cmdisc]

Well fun fun! I have made a half-orc Investigator. He is a godless member of the Exchange, who's looks belie his super smooth wordplay/diplomacy and such. :D

Nice! :) Now all you have to do is wait for a game to be announced. If you're subscribed to the Game Announcement thread, you'll get a notification once something is posted there (I find email notification is generally best, but maybe that's just me).

Just remember not to respond to the GM in that thread. When they post a game, they'll have links for the calendar and discussion thread. Just click through to those and post your interest and information there if the day/time fits for you.

Edit: oh and if you're interested in playing some PF CORE games, there are a few of us poking around that are offering Season 3 sessions to play out the Before and After theme of the Ruby Phoenix Tournament. I've already run the Quest for Perfection I and II and will be offering III soon to the table I'm currently running with. However, I plan on rerunning the 3-parter again in the Jan/Feb timeframe. So if that's something that might interest you, keep an eye out for that. Generally I run things evenings GMT so that we hit afternoons state-side and early mornings in Australia.

[bigboom]

I'm going to add to this thread a bit and throw in a question of my own since I'm still quite new.

If you play a level 4 or 7 pre-generated character, you can immediately apply the chronicle to your level 1 character. There are some things to note though:

The level 1 character will get the XP and prestige award from the chronicle, as normal
Items listed on the chronicle sheet are available for purchase at anytime, as normal
The gold reward will be reduced to 500 gp
Boons from the chronicle cannot be used until the level 1 character reaches the sub-tier of the adventure played
Day job rolls and faction goals cannot be earned



Alternatively, if you play a level 4 or 7 pre-generated character, it can be applied to any character of a level lower than the pre-generated character. The rewards (xp, prestige, gold, boons, purchase-able items) are not modified in any way but won't be applied to the character until the character reaches the level of the pre-generated character. Day job rolls and faction goals cannot be earned.


Okay, now I've got a question for the more experienced GMs and it is really a book-keeping logistical question...

Say I've got a character and have played 6 adventures successfully. Therefore he has 6 xp points, 6 chronicles (numbered 1 through 6) and is now level 3. Then say I play a session with a level 4 pregen and want to apply the chronicle to my level 3 character. Should this pregen chronicle be applied as chronicle #7, which is the next in line since my character already has six chronicles? Or should it be applied as chronicle #10, which is the first chronicle number my character will hit once he's level 4?

I'm guessing the later is correct because I'll then continue to play my level 3 character who will get chronicle #7, #8, and #9. Then at the conclusion of #9, my character is now level 4, so chronicle #10 (the pre-gen chronicle) is immediately applied after #9. The next session my character plays will result in chronicle #11.

Is this correct?

[Malkavian_Andi]

Say I've got a character and have played 6 adventures successfully. Therefore he has 6 xp points, 6 chronicles (numbered 1 through 6) and is now level 3. Then say I play a session with a level 4 pregen and want to apply the chronicle to my level 3 character. Should this pregen chronicle be applied as chronicle #7, which is the next in line since my character already has six chronicles? Or should it be applied as chronicle #10, which is the first chronicle number my character will hit once he's level 4?

I'm guessing the later is correct because I'll then continue to play my level 3 character who will get chronicle #7, #8, and #9. Then at the conclusion of #9, my character is now level 4, so chronicle #10 (the pre-gen chronicle) is immediately applied after #9. The next session my character plays will result in chronicle #11.

Is this correct?Generally, you're correct. Since the chronicle's rewards don't get applied until the character reaches the level of the pregen, it won't be #7. I suggest you don't put a number in at all until you actually apply it. You never know if you'll get a really useful convention player boon in the meantime. Also, you might not get full reward on a chronicle in between (for example, if you fail your next mission before finishing the third encounter, chronicle #7 will give you 0 XP), or you might decide to play a module next.

[bigboom]

Thank you! That makes sense. I've got another question.

Based on the PFS guide, a +1 magic enchantment can be added to a masterwork weapon at the cost of 2000 gp as an "always available item." What if I also want to add the "keen" special ability to a weapon? Is that something that can be added with a gold purchase? Or do I have to wait for a keen weapon to appear on a chronicle sheet before I can purchase it?

[HoloGnome]

You need to have 27 fame to be able to apply keen to your +1 weapon (or you can buy any weapon that appears on your chronicle, but don't hold your breath...there is only 1 keen item in Emerald Spire and you won't see it on a chronicle for a long time). The +1 is required first and always available for 2000 + MW weapon cost. Keen will be 8000 + MW weapon cost (where 27 fame = 11,750gp purchase limit). Fame of 22 (8000gp limit) is not sufficient to purchase a keen enchanted item.

[bigboom]

Ah, I see. So if I already have a +1 weapon, keen is available via a gold purchase of 8000 since that's the incremental cost to add keen on top of an already-owned +1 weapon. However, I'll have to wait until I have enough fame to cover the total cost of the weapon before I can spend that 8000 to add keen. Got it. Thank you!!

[cmdisc]

Edit: not sure why this double posted around HG's response.

[HoloGnome]

Ah, I see. So if I already have a +1 weapon, keen is available via a gold purchase of 8000 since that's the incremental cost to add keen on top of an already-owned +1 weapon. However, I'll have to wait until I have enough fame to cover the total cost of the weapon before I can spend that 8000 to add keen. Got it. Thank you!!

Not quite right. If you already have a +1 Weapon, the incremental upgrade cost is 6000gp, but it is the total cost of the weapon (8000 + MW weapon) that counts for the fame calculation to see if you can buy/own it.

[cmdisc]

To build on HG's answer...

In order to make any purchase in PFS you either have to;

#1 Buy an "always available" item. You can find this list on pg 24 of the Season 7 Guide.
#2 Buy an item that appears on a Chronicle. These items are considered "always available" to you.
#3 Have enough Fame to unlock items of a certain value and the Gold to purchase it.

Think of it as if you walk into the Guild House and want to buy a +1 weapon. As an Agent of the Society, they have no problems selling it to you. However, you also want them to put the Keen property on it. At that point if you don't have enough Fame you'd hear something akin to "Well, yeah, we'd love to help you out here, but our Crafters are really busy filling the orders of bigger, more important people right now who are doing great things furthering the causes of the Society. Maybe you can come back another time when we're not so swamped." Then when you DO return later with enough Fame, it becomes "Welcome, sir. What can I get for you?"

...until you then want Flaming added. Then you're back to the "Sorry, we're busy" line until your Fame climbs high enough.

As an added curiosity, I noticed that "wands" was absent from the list on pg 24 of the guide. So although you can spend PP to acquire one (because its value is 0gps), you can't spend Gold.

[Blackfoot]

Interesting... does it actually say somewhere that items purchased with PP are considered 'always available'? I really need to check that..

Once per session, you can acquire any single item of this cost or less from your faction by spending the appropriate number of Prestige Points. Items purchased this way are worth 0 gp and cannot be sold.Any single item does seem to suggest 'any'. So it seems that yes... when purchased with PP 750 is the maximum purchase value... even with only 2 fame... but of course you are calling in what few favors you have earned thus far to do so.

[cmdisc]

Yes, the reason you can buy up to 750gps with PP is because anything you buy with PP is automatically considered to have a value of 0gps....which is certainly within your limit. ;)

Think of it as:

PFS Agent: "Hey mind if I keep this wand of cure light wounds? It would come in handy on this mission you're sending us on."
Lodge Captain: "Sure thing. We can do that for you, since you've done a few things for us already."
PFS Agent: "And when I'm done with the mission and don't use it, can I sell it back to you for 750gps?"
(awkward silence)

[diablodevil2]

Looking forward to catching a level 1 game, in any case. I've got a fun concept for my Investigator. I don't know how good it'll be, but it seems neat.

[cmdisc]

You can always toss the idea up on the Paizo Advice board for feedback. Or do a search for similar threads to see what others have done. I've not read through them all, but there are some Guides stickied on the Paizo Advice forum for all the different classes. It's called something like "Guide to the Guides".

[bigboom]

Resurrecting an old thread with another new-ish player question. This time, my question is about how slow advancement works.

As a player, do I just let the GM know if I'd like any given chronicle to be applied as slow advancement? Can I pick and choose at any time (before the scenario starts) if I want to go slow or go normal?

Are there any rules around having to stick to either slow or normal for an entire level?

For example, at any given level, can I do a scenario at normal, giving me 1 xp, then do a module at slow, giving me 1.5 xp, then do another scenario at slow, giving me 0.5 xp?

Or must I decide at the start of a level whether that specific level will be entirely slow or entirely normal advancement?

[Trenloe]

Page 21 of the PFS guide covers slow advancement:


Slow Advancement: In the slow advancement track, for every scenario that your Pathfinder successfully completes, you receive 1/2 the XP, GP, and Prestige Point awards. You still receive full Day Job awards.

The choice of advancement is personal to your character, so it is entirely possible to have characters in the same adventuring party advancing at different rates. Before playing each adventure, you must decide if you will opt for slow advancement.

In both advancement rates, your Pathfinder levels up each time he acquires 3 XP. You may not continue to play your character at the lower level once he has earned enough XP to gain a level.
It used to be that you had to go the same "speed' (slow or normal) for the whole level of the PC, but that wording appears to have been removed. You can now decide before each adventure if you'll go slow or not.

[bigboom]

I had previously heard of that rule but couldn't find the wording in the guide either. Thanks for confirming!