Wow, this is fantastic. Great job; I'll have to use this for my massively overpowered 4-man group. =P
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Oh, and I'd like to make a shout out to the excel Kingdom file in the archives: Kingdom & City Sheet. I've found this file to be incredibly useful in the building phase. I'm sure most people have found it already, but just in case, I recommend it.
Hey all! Again, school got in the way of finishing up these handouts. Well, good news! I'm graduated and currently unemployed(!!!), so I'll have some free time coming up to finish these off. I'm currently done with the modules up through Blood for Blood, as well as the invitation from WotRK. Hopefully by the end of the week the last two will be done. Sorry they've been so delayed; hopefully everyone's not done with their campaigns yet. =P Again, if anyone has any suggestions as to things that could be included, I'd appreciate it! Updated files: Kingmaker Handouts 1-4
I'd post my handout here; it's got all the costs and benefits, as well as the events, edited out, but I'm afraid it would be against the forum rules as it includes a lot of the rules as written.... =\ If anyone can tell me it's kosher, I'd be happy to give it to you.
Very neat, well done! One thing you might consider adding that I've found very helpful on my maps while running the game is whether the encounter is a Landmark (LM), Standard (ST), or Skill Check (DC). I also added what the skill check was and its DC (Perc DC20), but that might not fit. Again, great-looking map!
I'm personally not a huge fan of too many random encouters, since it takes time out of advancing the plot and is mostly "filler" in my opinion. I've lowered the chances for random encounters in our game and have instead been handing out XP rewards for roleplaying things like diplomacy, personal relationships, particularly cool one-liners delivered during combat, extra-good ideas and tactics, and that sort of thing. It requires a particular style of group, so might not work for your players, and also means you need to pay more attention to where they are XP-wise so you can deliver appropriate rewards, but I feel that XP gained in this way (rather than random fighting) is more conducive to an immersive campaign. That said, there certainly can be opportunities to use random encounters in fun and interesting ways, so I don't cut them out completely. If you don't think they've gotten enough XP or are behind in some way, go ahead and give them opportunities to earn more.
Anyone else had a problem with super huge kingdom saves? For instance my players economy is a +81 to their roll. Blehk that is just to easy! If you have had this problem with kingdom saves and found a good solution please let me know. I read elsewhere on the boards a rule that I picked up for our game. It basically states that you can't have a bonus higher than your Control DC-3. So it effectively expands the fail roll to a 1 or 2, making a 10% chance of failure. (Although I allow temporary bonuses like Events to bring this back down to a failure on a 1.) Not a huge change, but enough that it keeps things from getting TOO comfortable. You could, if you were feeling especially evil, expand it further out to a 1-3 roll, though I wouldn't recommend it.
She has a nice Ritual?After an exhaustive search of the 4e compendium (i.e.; charm, dominate, sleep, etc)...I haven't found any rituals like this...? The Succubus has a similar Power that can be sustained indefinitely (her charming kiss ability). It's not exactly what you're looking for, but it illustrates that certain monsters have unusual and powerful Powers. I'm with Berhagen, just make it up and say that they can do that sort of thing. Most players won't even question it. Most.
Oh, right. If you have XL 2007, the button shows up above the formula bar. Says "Security Warning Options" or sommat. That button will let you use the auto-rollers. If you have XL 2000 or earlier I dunno how you can turn them on. Yeah, sorry. I've been trying to put time into the next module, but I'm right in the middle of finals. Architecture grad school is killer around these times. Good news, though, is that I'll be totally free in another week or two, so the next batch should be ready soon.
Very nice! Thanks for this, I'll definitely be using it.
There's a module that a friend gave me called "The Hangman's Noose". It's a 1st-level adventure that revolves around roleplaying, horror, and mystery. I considered using it as the way my party "proves" they're capable of accepting Restov's charter. You should look into it.
Oh, right. If you have XL 2007, the button shows up above the formula bar. Says "Security Warning Options" or sommat. That button will let you use the auto-rollers. If you have XL 2000 or earlier I dunno how you can turn them on.
So the files are long overdue for an update. College and work are interfering with me being able to get the next module out. Hopefully I'll get the Blood for Blood handouts done in the next few days. In the meantime, I've added generic quest handouts for the first three modules for any GMS who want to give the quests consistently in the half-page layout I've been doing (though be forewarned, I didn't put any time in them, so they're kinda crappy =P ). I also added a list of dramatis personae to help keep track of names, as well as an Excel tool I use to run combats and keep track of player info. If there's anything anyone thinks should be added, let me know. Files as of October 12: Kingmaker Player Handouts
Very nice idea. I'm going to make them hand draw the hexes out until they've explored the majority of the area, then hand over a printout - sans labels - that they can have, but this idea gives a nice "fog of war" effect.
I wouldn't allow for *constant* scanning by a paladin. The description of the paladin's Detect ability says it's a move action that targets one person or object at a time, as opposed to the actual spell which covers an area. So, imagine trying to look at everyone and everything near you for 3 seconds at a time, individually. You'd never get anywhere or do anything. If my player argued that he would take that extra time to do it on everything, I'd just rule that it's too exhausting to do so. The ability is meant as a "Is this merchant really an erinyes or bandit in disguise" as opposed to a "If there's evil in my vicinity, I know about it".
Updated the files with The Varnhold Vanishing. The stuff for Blood for Blood should be done in a week or so. Draznar - I only wrote up the quests that specifically said they were wanted posters and charters and such. The others I'm doing in-game as roleplaying. Also, if anyone notices that I've forgotten something in the books that would make a good handout, let me know. Thanks! Updated Handouts: Kingmaker Player Handouts
Tangent: what's the joke with the R/W transposition? It it a reference I'm not getting as a non-American? Elmer Fudd from the old Bugs Bunny cartoons.
Use silent image to make a small rock look like a valuable gem. As long as the fey concentrates, it will stay that way (drop the spell either as soon as a character puts it in their bag or if they call the others over to look at it). Especially effective against a greedy, selfish character with a low Will save. Find a small dead animal. Put said carcass into the quiver of a melee character or into some other seldom-used location. Wait for smell. Coat the character's hair in honey as they sleep. Sticky and annoying to remove, and especially hilarious if they're a late sleeper and the ants set to work in the morning before they rise. Silent image a rotting piece of fruit as a delicious apple and place it where either the players will find it or replace some food the player is carrying. Coal dust in a light-haired character's brush. A berry in someone's boot as they sleep. If they fail to check them, a squishing berry feels much like a big spider. After saddling their mounts for the day but before they leave, unbuckle the saddle so it falls when they try to mount. Coat their hands in pepper juice as they sleep. When they wake up, they'll rub their eyes and mace themselves.
I'm a big fan of giving the players handouts, so I made a few printouts for the first two Kingmaker modules. They include the two charters from Restov, plus the quests that are posted at Oleg's and on the board in their capital city. Just print them out on parchment and just like that - instant props! I'm going to do the same for the rest of the modules - can't wait to do Irovetti's invitation.... I'll post them here when I get them done. Oh and this is my first Pathfinder experience, so if I've posted anything that violates the CUP, let me know.
Long ago I learned an important rule in music: if you screw up, look like you meant to do it. Nine times out of ten, other people won't even realize that it was a mistake. This is especially true in this AP, and there's very little that a DM could do to "mess up" the adventure. So, be bold in your choices knowing that in the end, the players don't know what was "supposed" to happen.
Ah. Well, if it's essentially an NPC who's dying, then his death might actually be potentially very poigniant to the players. I'd just be sure they weren't actively playing him to avoid angering them. The important thing here is that if someone gets something, everyone else should get something comparable gold-wise or power-wise to avoid creating jealousy among the party. Not all these things need to come from the First World, either. One player could get a gift or political boon from Restov or Pitax, another could get something special from an old friend, etc. If you can work it into their backstory and into the future of the party (i.e. getting a gift early on from Pitax creates some interesting possibilities for Book 5), then all the better.
Well, you know what kind of game you want to run and what your players enjoy, so obviously go with what you think will work over this advice, but here's my personal opinion: I'm assuming you mean you're going to give these gifts at or near the beginning of the AP? Or is this all going to happen when the players reach book 6? Regardless, I would make sure that all the rewards and costs are comparable between players. For example, you're offering a couple dozen BP worth of stuff for the death of the character. If I were playing him, and my DM killed me down the road over what is essentially money, I'd be pretty disappointed. I would strongly suggest not giving a level in an unwanted class. This would mean that that character is a whole level behind in his wanted class just to gain a few minor magic tricks which will ultimately become rather obsolete. He's the cleric, to boot, which means that the party as a whole is unable to gain resources such as Raise Dead for a level beyond when they could have gotten them. And the price of this is an unusual skin color. (Which, granted, could be an interesting role-playing aspect, especially for a king, but might not be one that the player wants to deal with.) If I were running the game, and wanted to introduce the players to the First World early, I would whisk them there (individually) before the beginning of the AP, and present them with a choice between two or three options. One could be "expertise" - a preselected feat that would appeal to the player, one could be "fortune" - the promise of additional gold throughout their lifetime (Which would mechanically be an additional 1/2 treasure reward per level that would appear in the character's satchel or treasure horde. See page 399 of the rulebook.), and one could be "skill" - an additional skill point or HP per level. The price for all these would be the same - a "favor" that the fey will ask the character later. These favors would take the form of special quests that you give the players at random points during the AP. These should ideally be quests that the character wouldn't want to do due to moral concerns or simply because it's dangerous - don't make them too unappealing, or they will always refuse. Whether the characters realize it or not, these quests will aid the fey, giving them mechanical or roleplaying advantages in Book 6 of the campaign (at which point the players will understand the dangers of dealing with the Devil). If the player refuses this favor, they immediately lose the gift they chose, as well as suffering what the fey call an "honesty tax" - some penalty that can only be remedied through large amounts of gold, roleplaying, or questing. For example, some of their personal fortune could disappear, or they could be hit with ability drain or negative levels that can only be cured through expensive, time-consuming rituals, or someone or something that they love could disappear, forcing the character to quest to recover them. (be careful with that last one - I wouldn't put the lost person or thing in the First World unless you want the character to have to track them down there, which could prematurely derail the campaign) Of course, the player could refuse the gift in the first place, which means they wouldn't get the bonus feat, but also means they won't have to deal with the consequences later. If you're intent on bigger gifts (such as the sorcerer level), I'd advise talking to the player out-of-game to make sure they wouldn't object to it. Ultimately, you know what your players want, and some people enjoy such random, expansive, game-altering events. |