This adventure is inspired by the classic D&D adventure "B2 - Keep on the Borderlands" by Gary Gygax. This is similar in tone and theme but with some heavy-handed customization in an endeavor to take a fresh look at a classic. There is no overarching meta-plot here; the borderlands are an adventurer's paradise filled with opportunities that don't necessarily link together, making the players' choices the guiding force that determines the course of events that unfold.
This is a home-brew setting using the Pathfinder rule set.
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Hanging on the tavern wall:
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...Does your heart yearn for glory?
Do you want to earn treasure by the chestful?
Do you have the grit to bring the forces of
chaos and evil to its knees?...
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By decree of the esteemed Baroness Myrtle Hellbane,
Those strong of arm, keen of mind, and stout of heart shall take the eastward Thruway to the village Sowell's Orchard, where you will join others on a trek to Dawnslight Keep in the eastern borderlands. Awaiting you there are generous bounties to be claimed, lands and title to be earned, gold and glory enough to go around!
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Gamemaster Zedth presents,
Keep on the Borderlands
Outside the realm of mankind, the hallmarks of civilization are narrow and constricted. Always the forces of chaos press upon its borders, seeking to enslave it populace and steal its treasures. If it were not for a stout few, many in the borderlands would fall prey to the evil which surrounds them. Yet, there are always certain exceptional and brave members of humanity and its allies - dwarves, elves, gnomes, halflings, and more - who rise above the common level and join battle to stave off the darkness which would otherwise overwhelm the land.
A generation has passed since the Hellwar came to a end, marking the close of more than a century of conflict between the goodly folk of Atma and the unleashed minions of hell. Recent years have been spent rebuilding what used to be. On the eastern borderlands of the free realms of Mylosia rests a keep that had lain dormant for many years, as its garrison was withdrawn an age ago to join in the war effort. The lands surrounding the keep are rich in precious minerals and rare lumbers, and so the loss of the hub from which these resources could be gathered stung deeply.
The absence of the firm hand of order has allowed evil to again threaten to engulf these wild lands. Tribes of kobolds, goblins, and gnolls - once pushed back by hearty folk of the old keep - have reclaimed their ancestral homes and stomping grounds. Roaming bandits, unruly wildlife, and myriad other dangers have likewise moved into the area, safe in the knowledge that the goodly races had left the countryside behind.
Recent weeks had changed the status quo. A strike force had been sent to retake the forsaken keep and drive out those who had claimed it for themselves. While the assault had indeed been a success, the new garrison lacked the manpower to accomplish much more than hold the keep's walls. These recent initiatives have breathed new life into the castle, but it will take the vigilance of heroes willing to maintain the supply lines and fight back against the unruly neighbors if the keep is to remain in the hands of goodly folk.
Myrtle Hellbane, local baroness and retired adventurer, has issued a decree that willing and able folk eager for adventure and treasure should report to the village of Sowell's Orchard, found two weeks march east of the free city of Broaklesh, where they can enlist with a caravan traveling to the once-lost keep on the borderlands. There are promises of generous bounties to be claimed, lands and title to be earned, and glory enough to go around.
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House rules:
GM's Prerogative I reserve the right to hand-wave, rewrite, re-flavor, or ignore any rules that I find unhelpful, distasteful, or clunky. This will be done sparingly but always in an attempt to further game momentum and/or overall fun. I routinely customize/reflavor/rework monsters, so expect the unexpected!
XP I don't track XP. I will arbitrarily level you up, typically at milestones.
Hit Points Maximum HP for your class at level 1. Roll class HD for level up HP, but minimum HP gain = 1/2 HD.
Iterative attacks Each iterative attack tier grants an additional 5' of movement to a "5' step." Example - a level 6 Fighter can "5' step" up to 10' and a level 11 Fighter can "5' step" up to 15'.
Critical Hits For players (and select powerful enemies) a natural 20 always results in at least a x2 damage critical hit without having to confirm with a 2nd roll. Extended critical hit ranges/modifiers (19-20/18-20 or x3/x4) still must confirm in the normal fashion. The idea is to make natural 20s more exciting. This is also a nod to other editions of D&D.
Feats:
-Weapon Focus/Weapon Specialization (and their future progressions) now apply to a weapon group (see Fighter in the CRB) instead of a single weapon.
-Weapon Finesse may be taken as a Trait instead of a Feat at character creation -or- may be obtained via Favored Class Bonus (any class) at a rate of 1/3.
-Combat Expertise no longer has the "Int 13" prerequisite. Furthermore, this feat may be taken as a Trait instead of a Feat at character creation -or- obtained via Favored Class Bonus (any class) at a rate of 1/3.
Fighters The Fighter class now gets 4 skill ranks per level (up from 2) and may take the Combat Stamina feat as a free bonus feat at 1st level.
Dragon hides and scales When harvesting dragon hides/scales for the creation of armor/shields, if the harvester makes a successful Craft:(appropriate) check DC 20 or Survival check DC 25, the harvested dragon corpse is counted as 1 size category larger than it actually is when using the accepted Pathfinder rules. Furthermore, any suits of armor (not shields) made of dragon hide/scales have an armor bonus equal to the armor type +1. (Example - A white dragon hide breastplate has an armor bonus of +7.)
Rule of Cool This is an ambiguous notion that doing something awesome occasionally trumps the rules as written. Subject to GM discretion but player input is welcomed on when a "Rule of Cool" may apply.
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Starting character information:
This game is set in Atma, my homebrew world. For most intents and purposes it is a typical high-fantasy world with some regions closer to low-magic sword and sorcery. It can be described as a "points of light" world, meaning that the goodly races have eked out a few nooks where they have relative safe and calm, but the forces of wilderness and evil are always surrounding these areas. The timeline takes place about 20 years or so after a realm-wide war has ended - a war that was fought between the devils of hell and the folk of this eastern continent. This has left many young men dead and those left behind to clean up and rebuild. Please feel free to take liberties with your character's backgrounds based on this. For those who really want to add some setting flavor to their backstory, here is a link to another PbP game set in this world that has a wealth of information about the larger cities and goings-on of the war mentioned above. Peruse the "Campaign Info" on that link for details.
All character options must originate from Paizo published Pathfinder products; No 3rd Party Materials, no exceptions.
No Gunslingers or Summoners.
15-point ability buy. Nothing below 7 or greater than 18 after racial adjustments at 1st level.
Maximum HP for your class at level 1. Roll class HD for level up HP, but minimum HP gain = 1/2 HD.
Core races & Featured races from the Advanced Race Guide are acceptable. Uncommon races and Custom races will not be considered.
Two traits may be selected.
Average starting gold for your class.
Evil Alignments will be considered but heavily scrutinized. If you choose to play an evil character you (the player) are also consenting to not being a dick. I have no tolerance for inter-player backstabbing or pvp.
Write a background story. Make it fun and/or interesting. It doesn't have to be huge.
All characters must include a header with basic combat information, see one of my characters as an example. (I use the "Race" and "Class/levels" lines under the "Edit my Profile" options at the character profile screen.)
All character sheet data must be present on the alias' character profile. Please make citations on your character sheet about what book was used for archetypes or other relatively obscure character options/spells. This helps me with quick character audits and saves time in the future.
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Important, please read:
I insist that players post more than "I attack with my battle axe." in their combat posts. You don't need to pen a novel for each and every post, but I am looking for descriptive/substantive posting, both in and out combat. Let's tell a story together! If you don't think you're up for this, please do not apply.
Good posting habits in your profile's history, positive attitudes, and fun character concepts are far more important to me than a min/maxed kick ass PC.
I am looking for players who post with "nudges" and "hooks" that generate energy by allowing ample room for other players and the GM to grab the baton and move forward. Momentum is the single most important ingredient of a successful PbP game, and that responsibility is on the shoulders of every player as well as the GM.
I want players who want to post often. (Preferably 2+ times a day, but minimum posting requirements are 1/day on Mon-Thur, and at least 1 post for Fri-Sun.)
Lethality is always on the table! Have fun with your character but be ready to draw up a new one if it comes to that. Reward without risk is unsatisfying!
I welcome players who are new to Pathfinder and/or Play-by-Post. I don't mind helping someone learn the game. All I ask is that you do your best to learn and read up on the rules.
If you are already playing in a lot of PbP games, please think if you have sufficient time/energy before applying. I want players to be able to dedicate energy to this game, and I have seen too many players stretch themselves thin which causes their games to suffer.
Poor spelling and grammar are irritating things to me. No one is perfect, myself included of course, but try not to suck at these things.
This is intended to have an "old school" vibe, and as such please do not expect that every encounter must be level-appropriate. Sometimes running like hell is a good option.
I'm not a big fan of Ye Old Magic Shoppe despite it being an assumption by most Pathfinder groups. I do my best to supply players with enough magic items to keep most of my players happy, and there likely will be magic items available for trade/sale at certain points, but not always. Not only do I not like the concept in general due to flavor reasons, but this game is supposed to be on the borderlands of civilization, meaning resources are limited.