The Future of Pathfinder Society Organized Play Part XVIII: Ensure the Decemvirate doesn't take advantage of Pathfinder agents.
Monday, July 18, 2011
For decades, a growing segment of the Pathfinder Society's membership has become disillusioned with the Decemvirate. Whether they hold personal grudges against the masked leaders of the Society for slights they feel were never remedied or watched too many of their friends suffer for the good of a Society that seemed to thank them very little, these rebels' numbers have surged in recent years, swelling the Shadow Lodge's membership. In 4710 AR, several fringe cells of the underground resistance movement broke off from the main body of the Shadow Lodge, and began a series of open attacks on the Grand Lodge and those loyal to it. The Decemvirate, recognizing that there was a real problem to be addressed, quelled the rebellion by bringing the Shadow Lodge back into the fold, acquiescing to some of their demands, and sending strike forces to hunt down and eliminate remaining cells of radical Shadow Lodge agents. Many still feel the Decemvirate has further to go to remedy the injustices carried out in the Society's name, though they are glad to be in good standing with the Society once again—even if many also believe they were brought back into the Grand Lodge so the Ten could keep a closer eye on them.
Well, folks, here we are. Just over two weeks left before Gen Con and only two Pathfinder Society Season 3 preview blogs left before the Year of the Ruby Phoenix kicks off. That means we're up to the last of the 10 factions from which players may choose their PCs' allegiance. Since the Year of the Shadow Lodge began, a not-insignificant portion of the players in the Pathfinder Society campaign have asked, "How do I join the Shadow Lodge?" In two weeks, they can do so easily.
The Shadow Lodge began as a clear villain organization who wanted to use the Pathfinder Society's resources for their own gain. But over time, as more and more people expressed dissatisfaction with how the Decemvirate treated the body of their organization, the more we at campaign HQ started to wonder ourselves what the implication would be to have PCs working for the Shadow Lodge.
In the end, we realized that the villains the Shadow Lodge represented would need to evolve to better fit the campaign. Luckily for us, we made this decision in plenty of time to get that evolution to take place over the course of Season 2 such that now, looking back on the Year of the Shadow Lodge, someone can follow the metaplot and watch how the organization went from evil mustache-twirling villains to Pathfinders with legitimate complaints against their leadership. By Season 2's conclusion, those playing all the scenarios over the course of the season can see that some of the Shadow Lodge's agents were too easily manipulated and misguided by influential members of the group into initiating open hostility with the Grand Lodge in hopes of destabilizing it.
Now, however, everything's been smoothed over, at least for the most part. Both the Shadow Lodge and the Decemvirate have a way to go before they trust one another fully, and both sides now must follow through on their ends of the bargain. As the first sign of the Society's willingness to do so, a new service has been added to those which may be purchased with Prestige. Beginning in Season 3, a PC may pay 5 PP to have her body recovered by a rescue team. This means you no longer have to worry about being left in a sealed tomb or abandoned on another plane of existence. As long as your body still exists (meaning no disintegration), you can get out!
Members of the Shadow Lodge, for their part, must now help the Pathfinders quell any remaining rebel cells that may exist throughout the Inner Sea region, including any featured in Season 2 scenarios that a new player or someone catching up on missed scenarios may play a year or two down the line.
So there you have it: the 10 factions available for play in Season 3 of Pathfinder Society Organized Play! Next week, we'll take a look at the revised Guide to Pathfinder Society Organized Play and go over a few of the more notable rules changes or clarifications you can expect to find within. See ya next Monday!
The Future of Pathfinder Society Organized Play, Part XVII: Use the Pathfinder Society's Resources To Do Good in the World
Monday, July 11, 2011
When the existence of so many factions within the Pathfinder Society began to become apparent, many were dismayed, especially those who took umbrage at the Society's resources being used for ethically questionable purposes or personal gain. Unable to eliminate such elements as the Shadow Lodge from the ranks of the organization, an influential group of Pathfinder clerics, paladins, and servants of good-aligned deities banded together to form their own faction—the Silver Crusade—as an answer to these undesirable offshoots of the Society. While a crusade in name only, the Silver Crusade models itself after the staunchly good silver dragon, making a valiant effort to use the Society's influence, reach, and resources to do good throughout the Inner Sea region and beyond.
If there's one thing the faction system has taught us since Pathfinder Society Organized Play began just a little less than three years ago, it's that players want to be good guys. Until now, that means most people have been playing Andoren Pathfinders who fight against tyranny, oppression, and slavery. But what about those paladins who don't want to be asked to act against the law or clerics who are less concerned with politics than they are healing the sick and helping the downtrodden?
The answer, of course, is the focus of this week's blog, the fourth of five new factions and one I expect to be very popular among players currently in Andoran only because of lack of other "good" options. This faction is the Silver Crusade, led by Sarenite paladin Ollysta Zadrian, an ex-Pathfinder with countless connections within the organization. While the faction's name may bring to mind knights in shining armor and religious zealotry, it's less a traditional campaign or holy war than a crusade of the mind and motivations—a group of like-minded Pathfinders set on helping one another spread the word and good will of their respective faiths wherever the Decemvirate may send them.
Continuing our previews of Pathfinder Society tie-in content in the forthcoming Pathfinder Society Field Guide, here's a look at one of the faction-specific prestige awards members of the Silver Crusade can purchase with their Prestige Points once they've earned enough Fame.
Beacon of Good (Fame 5, 2 PP) The Shining Crusade gives you a shining wayfinder (see page 55) emblazoned with the emblem of a silver dragon. If you lose your shining wayfinder, you can purchase a new one for an additional 2 PP. Members of the Silver Crusade who are caught selling shining wayfinders for their own
profit are exiled, and must switch factions.
Now I bet you're wondering what a shining wayfinder is, right? It wouldn't be much of a tease if I gave you everything, though, would it? Oh, okay. You've been patiently reading these for 17 installments now, so I guess I can give a bit more: a shining wayfinder functions like a normal wayfinder, but also lets the user cast detect evil at will and protection from evil on herself once per day.
That's all you get from me this week, though. No more. You're just going to have to wait until next Monday for me to talk about the fifth and final new faction: the Shadow Lodge! Have a good week, Pathfinders.
The Future of Pathfinder Society Organized Play, Part XVI: Use Pathfinder Missions as a Front for Personal Gain
Monday, July 4, 2011
A loose affiliation of Varisian swindlers, thieves, and smugglers, the Sczarni don't have much in common with the average Pathfinder. But to many, there's little distinction between someone who robs the grave of an ancestor and someone who cons one out of her night's dinner. Thus, when Sczarni and Pathfinders come to town, both are often lumped into the same category by suspicious natives and watchful legal authorities—troublesome people to watch out for. Though not officially allied, many Pathfinders work with local Sczarni throughout the region to aid one another in surviving, hopefully gaining a leg up in their own endeavors in the process.
Since the earliest days of Pathfinder, Varisians have been a large part of the world. We did, after all, start out with three Adventure Paths set in Varisia. So it was only natural that we include a faction aligned with what is arguably our most thoroughly developed part of Golarion. But we didn't just want an ethnic Varisian faction, as we'd then need Ulfen, Kellid, Mwangi, and Garundi factions as well. Similarly, a political faction didn't seem right given the fractured nature of Varisia's three major city-states, as we would have had to choose which city would get a faction and which wouldn't. So we started to think about what elements of Varisian life most aligned with the Pathfinder Society.
The Sczarni seemed to fit quite well, so we went with them. I swear there was no knee-breaking involved in the decision. People have, after all, been asking for a long time to make Sleight of Hand checks as their Day Job rolls. The fact that people wanted to play pickpockets and con artists seemed fairly obvious. We expect this faction to appeal to people currently playing Taldor-faction PCs, and many of its faction missions will deal with deception and pilfering with a more criminal than political manipulation bent.
Anyone who's played the Pathfinder Society Quest: Ambush in Absalom will recognize the faction's head, a man named Guaril Karela, who operates all of Absalom's Sczarni activity out of his dockside curiosity shop, the Pickled Imp. He'll likely assist the Pathfinder Society in getting goods or people past unfriendly city watchmen, through hostile territory, or even out of some legal binds they may find themselves in. If he and those agents loyal to him happen to make some money along the way, how does that hurt anyone else?
That brings our new factions revealed to three, leaving just two more to go before Gen Con! Next week, we'll look at the Silver Crusade, the new "good guy" faction that should appeal to paladins, clerics of any good-aligned deity, and characters who want to help others while they travel the world working for the Decemvirate. Until then, all you Americans, enjoy the day off, and we'll see you tomorrow!
The Future of Pathfinder Society Organized Play Part XV: Spread the wisdom of Tian Xia within the Inner Sea
Monday, June 27, 2011
While the Pathfinder Society makes its home in the Grand Lodge of Absalom, its membership comes from and travels to all corners of the known world. Outside the Inner Sea region, one of the highest concentrations of Pathfinders is on the continent of Tian Xia, and specifically in the metropolitan city of Goka. Most Tian Pathfinders operate independently of their brethren in Absalom, but occasionally agents cross the Crown of the World, make the treacherous naval voyage south around Casmaron, or simply teleport to travel between the two hubs of activity. The Lantern Lodge represents Tian interests in the Inner Sea region, ensuring that Pathfinder Society agents far to the east of the Decemvirate’s direct view are considered in organization-wide affairs.
When we first announced the forthcoming Jade Regent Adventure Path, one of the first questions to pop up on the Pathfinder Society forums was whether the campaign would be going to this distant land. The answer is undoubtedly yes, my loyal Pathfinders, but we won't be abandoning years of development in the Inner Sea region; the campaign is still going to be based out of Absalom.
But we've got Asian-influenced archetypes in Ultimate Magic and Ultimate Combat, and the new ninja and samurai alternate classes in the latter, so we needed to find a way to justify these characters existing in the Inner Sea region, and explain why we hadn't seen them around before. The simplest solution was to introduce a branch of Pathfinders focused on Tian Xia or from there, who may have just recently set up a presence in Absalom.
Thus, the Lantern Lodge was born. Headed by a Gokan venture-captain named Amara Li, the Lantern Lodge represents Tian interests in the Inner Sea and promotes cooperation between Pathfinders on both sides of the world. Whether the Lantern Lodge provides a home away from home to natives of Goka, Minkai, Nagajor, or the fractured Successor States of Imperial Lung Wa while they venture into Avistan and Garund on their own explorations, or whether it provides resources for Pathfinders from the Inner Sea region who want to experience the wonders of Tian Xia, the Lantern Lodge has an important role to play within the Pathfinder Society as a whole.
At this point, there are no plans to add Tian Xia-based PC races to the campaign, but those who want to play a ninja, samurai, or exiled Tian noble now have a faction whose missions fit their flavor, all within the context of the Pathfinder Society as a whole. Instead of swearing allegiance to a country thousands of miles from their homeland, they can remain loyal to the lands that birthed them on the other side of the Wall of Heaven mountains.
Two new factions down, three to go! Next week, we'll look at the Sczarni, the loosely organized Varisian criminal network, and see how they fit in with the Pathfinder Society. What could these two organizations possibly have to gain from allying with one another? Find out next week—same path-time, same path-channel.
The Future of Pathfinder Society Organized Play, Part XIV: Loyalty to the Decemvirate Above All Else
Monday, June 20, 2011
Regardless of a Pathfinder's nation of origin, all members of the Society consider the Grand Lodge in Absalom a second home. It is in this vast complex of sprawling towers, libraries, and reliquaries that so many Pathfinders receive their training, and within the Grand Lodge's walls, the masked leaders of the Society secretly guide the organization from their chambers at the peak of Skyreach's central tower. While many Pathfinders find their loyalty to the Society but one of several alliances to outside political or religious factions, most Pathfinders hold the strongest allegiance to the will of the Ten and the Pathfinder Society itself. Those who do not taint their dedication with distractions from other superiors are the pride of the Grand Lodge, and are rewarded for always putting the orders of the Decemvirate before their own personal wants and desires.
Since very early in the Pathfinder Society Organized Play campaign's history, folks have asked not to belong to a faction, wanting to play a Pathfinder first and foremost. Because of the nature of Prestige Points and the prominence of faction missions as an integral part of Pathfinder Society Scenarios, doing so hasn't been possible to date. But with the advent of five new factions, we saw the opportunity to give these dedicated Pathfinder agents what they were looking for—a way to play a blue-blooded Pathfinder within the faction system. And thus, the Grand Lodge faction was born.
Headed by the Grand Lodge's chamberlain and steward, Venture-Captain Ambrus Valsin, the Grand Lodge faction rewards Pathfinders who put the interests of the Decemvirate and the Pathfinder Society above all else. Members of this faction will still get a distinct faction mission each scenario, but their tasks will often coincide with the overall adventure objective or otherwise serve to promote loyalty to the Decemvirate and the well-being of the Pathfinder Society as a whole.
In the upcoming Pathfinder Society Field Guide, each faction will receive a full-page write-up including a headshot of the faction head, an overview of the typical member of the group, and a hint at how those loyal to the cause increase their Fame score within their faction. In addition to this flavorful background, each faction will feature a handful of new boons that may be unlocked with Fame and purchased with Prestige Points, available only to members of that faction. Check out the following boon available to Grand Lodge Pathfinders who attain a Fame score of at least 20 and spend 2 Prestige Points:
Aspis Hunter (Fame 20, 2 PP) You gain special training in foiling the efforts of the Society's largest external enemy, the Aspis Consortium. You gain a +1 bonus on attack rolls and on weapon damage rolls against Aspis agents who wear clearly visible insignia showing their affiliation and rank.
One new faction down, and only three months after we first announced the number of factions would be doubling next season. From here out, it's all new factions, all the time until just before Gen Con, so stay tuned to this spot each week for a glimpse at the next one. In one week's time, I'll give the first glimpse at the Lantern Lodge, the Tian-aligned faction within the Pathfinder Society.
The Future of Pathfinder Society Organized Play, Part IX: With Prestige Comes Fame
Monday, May 16, 2011
One of the unique elements of the Pathfinder Society Organized Play campaign is the presence of factions and each character's growth within her faction using the prestige system. It's undergone some changes over the last three years, most notably the tying of maximum buying power to total prestige at the start of Season One. Well it's changing again, and in a way we think will streamline the system for ease of use for GMs, authors, and most of all, players.
Faction missions aren't going anywhere, but they are going to change a bit. Instead of there being two faction missions for each of the 10 factions, each one will have only a single difficult mission to earn that faction's Prestige Point (PP). A second Prestige Point will be tied to several success conditions of the main Pathfinder Society mission. Thus, an Andoran faction Pathfinder can get his faction Prestige Point by freeing the slaves from the gnoll's camp, while he gets a second Prestige Point by retrieving the ancient Lamashtan relic that Venture-Captain Eliza Petulengro sent him after in the first place. This is a direct response to fan feedback that there needed to be more reward for actually completing the main mission of a Scenario. Also, it means our authors only have to design 10 faction missions instead of 20—the same number they're already doing.
You might notice I capitalized Prestige Point up there. That's because it's a new game term we'll be using from here on out. No longer do you need to track CPA and TPA. Prestige Award—the expendable resource gained and spent in the course of an adventurer's career—is now expressed as Prestige Points, and the total number of Prestige Points gained in the course of a career is now called "Fame." Fame is a constant score like Strength or Charisma, while Prestige Points fluctuate like hit points or wealth.
In addition to eliminating the confusing CPA/TPA wording, this newly codified system means we can offer cool new abilities tied to Fame and costing a set amount of Prestige Points. Check out the following faction resource that will be available to members of the Andoran faction, from the forthcoming Pathfinder Campaign Setting: Pathfinder Society Field Guide:
Liberation (5 PP) In the event that you are captured and forced into slavery, the faction mounts a rescue operation, freeing you from servitude without any material or physical effect. Any cost or penalty normally associated with being enslaved (including magical effects such as dominate person) is negated at no additional cost to you.
That'll cost 5 PP and can be spent anytime, regardless of how much Fame the PC possesses. Other resources, like granting a character a noble title or a military position, will require reaching certain Fame thresholds before Prestige Points can be cashed in to actually gain the benefits. All 10 factions have a number of these in the Pathfinder Society Field Guide, and we have ideas of other places they may appear in the future.
Until next week, take a look at this mysterious faction symbol. It's one of the new ones, and one I would have revealed next week had we gotten enough new followers on our Facebook page. I guess I'll just be talking about how things are shaking up within the Qadira faction in next Monday's blog—same Path time, same Path channel.
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