Max's creation system

Here is the creation guidelines I gave out for my table-top Kingmaker Campaign, since some of you expressed interest in seeing how I enforce campaign themes and limit the crazy concepts. 20 Point Build Only one stat may be reduced for points No stat may begin below 8 after racial modifiers Each PC must select one of the noted Campaign Traits (For free - 3 starting traits total) Races Common (+1 build point) Gnome Half-Elf Human (Taldan, Kellid, Varisian) Halfling Uncommon Dwarf Half-Orc Human (Chelish, Keleshite, Tien, Ulfen) Rare (Limit 1 for party) Aasimar Android Elf Gathlain Ratfolk Sylph Tiefling Undine Disallowed All other races Classes Common (+1 Trait) Bard Cleric (Erastil, Gorum) Fighter Ranger Rogue Sorcerer Swashbuckler Uncommon Alchemist Barbarian Brawler Cleric (Abadar, Calistria, Cayden, Desna, Gozreh, Norgorber) Druid Hunter Inquisitor Witch Wizard Rare (Limit 1 for party) Arcanist Bloodrager Cavalier Cleric (other deities) Gunslinger Investigator Magus Monk Oracle Paladin Shaman Skald Slayer Spiritualist Summoner Warpriest Disallowed Kineticist Medium Mesmerist Ninja Occultist Psychic Samurai Disallowed Archetypes (from Archives of Nethys – ask about others) Alchemist (Oenopian Researcher, Psychonaut) Arcanist: (Harrowed Society Student, Twilight Sage) Barbarian: (Jungle Rager, Numerian Liberator, Raging Cannibal, Savage Technologist, Sea Reaver, Shoanti Burn Rider, True Primative) Bard: (Averaka Arbiter, Buccaneer, Busker, Celebrity, Chelish Diva, Dawnflower Dervish, Duettist, Geisha, Hoaxer, Lotus Geisha, Pitax – Academy of Grand Art, Sea Singer) Bloodrager: (None) Brawler: (Winding Path Renegade) Cavalier: (Qadiran Horse Lord, Spellscar Drifter, Wave Rider) Cleric: (Cloistered Cleric, Mendevian Priest) Druid: (Ape Shaman, Arctic Druid, Cave Druid, Desert Druid, Jungle Druid, Krake Caller, Saurian Shaman, Shark Shaman, World Walker) Fighter: (Corsair, Cyber Soldier, Druman Blackjacket, Gladiator, Phalanx Soldier, Qadiran Dawnflower Dervish, Relic Master, Trench Fighter, Ustalavic Duellist, Varisian Free Style Fighter) Gunslinger : (Buccaneer, Gunner’s Squire, Siege Gunner, Techslinger) Hunter: (Scarab Stalker, Uprooter Scout, Urban Hunter) Inquisitor: (Cold Iron Warden, Iconoclast, Sin Eater, Suit Seeker, Vampire Hunter) Investigator: (Lepidstadt Inspector, Psychic Detective, Spiritualist, Steel Hound) Magus: (Card Caster, Elemental Knight, Mindblade, Spire Defender) Monk: (Hamatulatsu Master) Oracle: (Black-Blooded Oracle, Psychic Searcher) Paladin: (Holy Gun, Mind Sword, Tempered Champion) Ranger: (Cinderwalker, Freebooter, Galvanic Saboteur, Ilsurian Archer, Nirmathi Irregular, Sable Company Marine, Tanglebriar Demonslayer, Trophy Hunter, Witchguard, Yokai Hunter) Rogue: (Bekyar Kidnapper, Driver, False Medium, Kintargo Rebel, Numerian Scavenger, Okeno Liberator, Pirate, Sapper, Sczarni Swindler) Shaman: (True Silvered Throne) Skald: (Bekyar Demon Dancer, Belkzen War Drummer) Slayer : (Deliverer, Pureblade, Sczarni Executioner) Sorcerer: (Razmiran Priest) Spiritualist: (None) Summoner: (Story Summoner) Swashbuckler: (Shackles Corsair, Whirling Dervish) Warpriest: (Liberty’s Blade, Mantis Zealot, Molthuni Arsenal Chaplain) Witch: (Bouda, Sea Witch) Wizard: (Absalom-Arcanamirium Crafter, Cheliax-Egorian Academy Infernal Binder, Instructor, Qadira-Mage of the Veil, Shadowcaster, Siege Mage, Spellslinger) *Most of these are disallowed because they are not  appropriate for the geographic location, Do not fit the flavor of this campaign, or would be completely useless to play based on the challenges and events of the campaign. Archetypes not yet entered into the Archives of Nethys Will be considered on an individual basis.

Needless to say, I re-do this list for each campaign and tailor it specifically for the region and culture the campaign begins in.   Aka....no Winter Witches in Katapesh, No Mwangi in Tien, etc...    Things that are profoundly more powerful than other races (Aasimars, Tieflings, etc...) are ALWAYS a rare choice. The farther away from the Core classes something is the rarer it becomes, modified by culture, region and Campaign specifics of course.

I would be very interested to know the pacing of your adventure as it pays out on tabletop.  I attempt to run this AP tabletop once but, alas, was grossly under prepared The one theme that proved the most true in our short time on part 1 of the AP, however, was that everything seemed to take SO LONG to do. After about as many sessions as we have completed to this point, we probably had only 3 or 4 hexes explored. They did manage to reach the 'final boss' of part 1 in that time, however, so maybe it was just different priorities? Either way, would be interested to hear (non-spoiler) updates from time to time. 

No problem.  Our first game is set for Sunday the 11th.   The party composition is as follows: Yohlla the Earthspeaker (Kellid Human Hunter with Mammoth Companion "Tek'zas") [played by Lauren]     Stats:  16/13/14/11/15/10   TN Abram Barnes (Taldan Human Cleric of Erastil) [Played by Paul]     Stats:  14/10/12/10/17/15   LG Stronweard Ableswithe (Gnome Skald [Spell Warrior]) [Played by Jay] - used rare class     Stats:  12/12/14/12/10/18   NG Hidemitsu Samanosuke Akechi (Angel-Blooded Aasimar Paladin [Hospitaler]) [Played by Mike] - used rare race and class slot     Stats:  17/12/12/12/10/17   LG Maylenara of White Grove (Changeling Witch [Dreamweaver]) [Played by Cheryl] - used unique race option (bonus for new player to group)     Stats:  10/12/10/17/12/17   CG Dr. RE8EK4H Orlovsky (Android Alchemist [Vivisectionist]) [Played by Max] - mostly a support NPC     Stats:  12/17/12/17/12/8     LN For this particular campaign, I allowed 2 rare race and 2 rare class choices, but that is not my normal outline.  I figured the chance to explore the wilderness would draw a strange mix of folks One of the things I did to make sure things flow well is go through and calculate how much XP can be generated from established encounters and then see what the shortfall was compared to where there level should be when the meet the Main Boss.  I then crafted several "random" encounters to provide the missing XP.   Whenever a random comes up, I just plug in one of these pre-generated encounters (which range from CR 1 - 5) which is appropriate for their current level and condition.  This way, I don't care where they go since it's all calculated ahead of time.  The only trick is to keep them from trying to tackle set-piece encounters before they are ready to handle them.....which is a good function for a DMPC, to subtly 'suggest' a course to keep them from TPK merely from bad luck.