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GameMastery Guide / Player Characters / Starting Characters / Before the Game

Group Composition

Source GameMastery Guide pg. 58
The traditional fantasy adventuring party includes four characters: a fighter, a cleric, a rogue, and a wizard. Such a party allows for a balance of abilities, complimentary class features, and distinct roles wherein each character shines. Though the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game offers a much wider selection of classes, the respective roles these archetypal classes represent—combat, healing and divine casting, stealth and skill mastery, and arcane casting—are still a good checklist for making sure the party can handle a wide range of challenges.

This group structure is not the only possibility, however, and player preference often leaves one or more of these roles unfilled. With a little foresight from the GM, a nontraditional group can flourish. While it might take some effort to adjust to the group’s strengths and account for any weaknesses, unusual parties can result in unique and memorable campaigns. How much strategy players put into rounding out party composition is often best left to them, so long as no one is pressured into playing a character he isn’t interested in solely for “the good of the party.”

Occasionally, a GM might restrict available character types. In these campaigns, such as the example mentioned above where wizardry is outlawed, it’s important to decide whether or not you’re interested in allowing exceptions. A sorcerer on the run from government officials who think he’s a wizard makes for a great PC, but ultimately players must abide by the tropes of your world.

Archives of Nethys

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Group Composition