Player's Handbook (Andu Supplement)
Advice on Character Creation
Synergy is what you are looking for. Each person has some unique thing to offer to a group. In a very diverse group of characters at least one if not two characters have the ability to expose a monster's weakness or bypass damage reduction.
Stats
Rolling 4d6 dropping or even rerolling the lowest is nice. If the DM is using the nonstandard point buy system, plan for a tougher or high-powered campaign. A well balanced array of stats is better than one or two maxed out ones since the door is opened to weaknesses (like low will saves, etc.).
Races
The alternative hit point system is in place to prevent or reduce the chance of characters dying. The DM could bump up the starting level from 1 to about 3 to allow players to pick races with an ECL modifier. A race with darkvision is good and even better if they are on point (scout, rogue, someone in front).
Classes
The warlock is probably the most difficult to handle if players choose it. The unlimited ability of eldrich blast requiring only a touch attack is a bit challenging.
Skills
Skills like knowledge, gather info, climbing, etc. come in handy when dealing with challenges, monsters, and plotline advancement.
Feats
With the alternative hp system, some feats are less powerful than others. If players are aware of the hp system, all of them might take the Great Fortitude feat. Adding Great Fortitude to nearly all the monsters will keep the challenge rating about the same.
Equipment
Max starting gold for equipment or even adding more gold to better equip the players. The players will get better equipment for doing missions and this starting money should be used to purchase things like rope, whetstone, everburning torches, climbing kit, etc.
Adventuring
Tallying up equipment weights to see if the person is encumbered is a pain. I wouldn't worry about how many coins equal to a pound and how many rations the player has. The group wants glory and combat, not worrying about expenses chipping away at their gold horde. The beginning levels the players are hardy and can live off the land. Sure chewing on tree roots isn't pleasant but it gets the person by. Later on when their reputation is know, NPCs will give them shelter and food for all their deeds.
Magic
Have an idea of what spells will be taken as normal and a list of spells for specific encounters. This helps when players forget to switch out spells or update used spells. A list for going up against magic users might be very different than if going up against undead.
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