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So, here's the deal. I am planning on running a Golarion sandbox/megadungeon campaign starting sometime in September. This game is specifically designed to showcase the new PFRPG rules to my group so they can compare them to 4e. This campaign will help determine what rules set my group uses for the foreseeable future. So, as you can see, there is a great deal of pressure here.
I have yet to establish a setting for this dungeon and I am open to suggestions. I am happy to do something traditional or exotic. My characters will likely come from across the world.
These are the books I currently own:
Pathfinder 1, 7, 13
Classic Monsters Revisited
Gazetteer
Gods and Magic
Korvosa
Osirion
Elves of Golarion
Currently I am setting aside the money to buy the core rulebooks for every member of my game group to make the transition as painless as possible. Think of it as an early Christmas gift purchased with some money left over from tax refunds and other sources. That will total about $300 in books.
With that in mind, there is no way I can afford the wonderful hardcover Campaign Setting, even in .pdf. At least not for the moment. Unfortunate changes in my employment status during Christmas last year has insured my budget for gaming stuff is quite limited. So that book is out.
Therefore my purchasing guidelines are restricted to things like Chronicles and Companions. At least for the moment.
With all of this in mind, where would you set a megadungeon/sandbox and what is the essential book(s) I would need for that part of the world. But don't feel you need to limit suggestion to setting books. If you think Dungeon Denizens Revisited might be a good choice, for instance, suggest it.
I know all of my restrictions are somewhat odd. I apologize for that. I guess I am asking you guys what you consider an "essential" book.
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The only Pathfinder books I own that aren't on your list are the Bonus Bestiary and Dragons Revisited. I'd recommend the Bonus Bestiary but it's probably not as meaty as you want. I was disappointed by Dragons Revisited, though. It didn't bring enough new ideas about dragons to the table and for a fluff book the writing was underwhelming.
Dungeon Denizens Revisited is the sorta follow-up to Classic Monsters Revisited, but I have no first hand experience on the quality.
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If finances are issue between the settings, the pdf of the PFRG is going to be $10.00 - that alone has helped convince my group to adopt Pathfinder. Most of us have a shelf full of 3.5 stuff - and it's a much cheaper than all the 4E core.
I think you have a pretty good collection. Perhaps you'd want to save your money for the bestiary and a hardcopy of the rulebook?
I think a megadungeon in Osirion would be awesome - I had thought of doing a set of tomb crawls perhaps with one or both of the Osirion modules in the middle - if I ever get through Legacy of Fire.
It sounds like you want to create through own adventure - but the Paizo APs are the only big selling point to my group. None of us have time to create our own games - and they're always top-notch. I guess you could convert them to 4E, but that's never seemed worth while to me... it looks like you already own the first part of three paths. I haven't played Second Darkness - but Runlords and the Crimson Throne are both very fun.
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I know how strange this sounds. Here is this guy willing to drop $300 for core books but bemoaning that he doesn't have money for anything more than some softcover books. There is a reason why I am purchasing the books for my group. Of the six of us, every one of us has experienced some kind of job difficulty in the last year. From job losses to cuts in salaries and hours, we went from being productive people to struggling households. I am sure many of you can sympathize.
Our home games have been one of the few things keeping us all sane. I wanted to give them something in return. So I have been pushing money around to make it work.
On the other end of the spectrum, I still want to support Paizo. And I want to build a great campaign in Golarion. So suggestions are helpful for me to prioritize. My game buying budget may have shifted from monthly to bi/tri-monthly but I still want that Paizo quality. :)
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If finances are issue between the settings, the pdf of the PFRG is going to be $10.00 - that alone has helped convince my group to adopt Pathfinder. Most of us have a shelf full of 3.5 stuff - and it's a much cheaper than all the 4E core.
I think you have a pretty good collection. Perhaps you'd want to save your money for the bestiary and a hardcopy of the rulebook?
I think a megadungeon in Osirion would be awesome - I had thought of doing a set of tomb crawls perhaps with one or both of the Osirion modules in the middle - if I ever get through Legacy of Fire.
It sounds like you want to create through own adventure - but the Paizo APs are the only big selling point to my group. None of us have time to create our own games - and they're always top-notch. I guess you could convert them to 4E, but that's never seemed worth while to me... it looks like you already own the first part of three paths. I haven't played Second Darkness - but Runlords and the Crimson Throne are both very fun.
Yeah, the 4e core was a gift. And while it has been fun, I don't hate the game, it isn't what I want out of D&D. I did have a DDI sub which has been a waste of precious money. I just canceled that today.
The $10.00 price tag is very helpful but I wanted to do something special for the group (see above). But, if push comes to pull, I could always just buy the .pdfs. And focus on .pdf Campaign Setting, one hardcopy and a Bestiary. That way, the money is used for other things. Oftentimes I need a swift kick in the head or I would give away everything I have to others. Perhaps, the .pdf path is the way to go.
I have a lot time right now. :) So making my own adventure is not a big deal. Though I am happy to use adventures to supplement the dungeon. If things change, perhaps I will shift to the APs.
Osirion sounds really cool actually. I want to do a tribute to Gary Gygax so Osirion could be fun for that.
I also have a book shelf and half of 3.5 material. A remnant of richer days. :) So, PFRPG does appeal to me.
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The only Pathfinder books I own that aren't on your list are the Bonus Bestiary and Dragons Revisited. I'd recommend the Bonus Bestiary but it's probably not as meaty as you want. I was disappointed by Dragons Revisited, though. It didn't bring enough new ideas about dragons to the table and for a fluff book the writing was underwhelming.
Dungeon Denizens Revisited is the sorta follow-up to Classic Monsters Revisited, but I have no first hand experience on the quality.
At $5, a hardcopy of the Bonus Bestiary is nice. I downloaded the .pdf and was impressed.
Well, I for one feel that you are doing the right thing on getting everyone a nice gift of the PF RPG hardcopy. I will look through my loot, errrr, books to see what I liked the most.
Edit - I would actually wait for the Pathfinder Chronicles: Princes of Darkness—Book of the Damned, Volume 1 (PFRPG) which comes out in a month or two. Or you could try the Great Beyond guide. I liked that one.
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Well, I for one feel that you are doing the right thing on getting everyone a nice gift of the PF RPG hardcopy. I will look through my loot, errrr, books to see what I liked the most.
Edit - I would actually wait for the Pathfinder Chronicles: Princes of Darkness—Book of the Damned, Volume 1 (PFRPG) which comes out in a month or two. Or you could try the Great Beyond guide. I liked that one.
Thanks. I figure they deserve it. They have stuck by me for awhile now and I want to give something back.
Maybe I should do what Spiffy Jim did in another thread and just sell the 4e books I am not using. I feel kind of cheated anyway, since most of that material just showed up in the DDI. Trust me, I am not happy I got charged twice for the same stuff. That way, I could fund this endeavor. :)
Great Beyond is so tempting. I love the planes. So is the Princes of Darkness. I really trust Paizo when it comes to the planes and their denizens. They seem to know what I like.
Also, if you have any of the Darkmoon Vale Modules (D0, D1, D1.5, D2, D3, D4), then you should also get the Guide to Darkmoon. YOu can make a pretty good mini-campaign out of them. Plus this thread suggests some Dungeon magazine adventures that would be useful in Darkmoon Vale to flesh out the area.
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Great Beyond is so tempting. I love the planes. So is the Princes of Darkness. I really trust Paizo when it comes to the planes and their denizens. They seem to know what I like.
Go for it, I just finished reading Great Beyond and it's a great book with a nice mix of fully described locations and places that just have a mark on the map and a really evocative name, so plenty of scope for coming up with cool locales if your adventure goes planar :)
If you can't afford the campaign setting you could always go for the Gazetteer, there's a fair bit of cross-over so if you intend to get the CS eventually I guess it might end up feeling a waste, but we still use mine fairly frequently for casual player reference and checking major facts faster than digging through the CS.
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With what you got and what you are planing to run I would also recommend Guide to Darkmoon Vale. Plus you can DL D0 and D1.5 for free as they was the free modules Paizo did for the last two free game day events. They have more info about the Vale. It should with your own dungeon be more than enough to get you started until you can add the campaign guide.
The Great Beyond is good but if you are just starting out with new players you got time to buy it later, hence why I am recommending what I am and why.
I do have some of the Darkmoon Vale adventures. Sorry, I forgot to list those.
So that's two votes for Darkmoon Vale. I do like the region. Any place with angry fey, evil druids, a nasty lumber consortium, and undead dwarves has to be cool, right?
Yep! Besides, you can always pick up the other books later when things get better.
Edit - Plus you get two of the Darkmoon modules for free. Sort of. If you hit the gamestore for the free RPG day or if you downloaded the free PDFs.
I'm not sure if you are aware, but Monte Cook also has a website called Dungeon a Day. Where it's a big mega-dungeon crawl. Jason B is also over there offering tips on converting this over to Pathfinder, and someone on the message boards there has also been converting encounters, etc.
Just in case this fits into what you might be looking for.
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I'm not sure if you are aware, but Monte Cook also has a website called Dungeon a Day. Where it's a big mega-dungeon crawl. Jason B is also over there offering tips on converting this over to Pathfinder, and someone on the message boards there has also been converting encounters, etc.
Just in case this fits into what you might be looking for.
I saw that. I have been tempted actually. The dungeon itself looks pretty cool and can likely be placed in Golarion rather easily. If it is cheap enough, I could theoretically maintain a subscription. I did it with the DDI for awhile.
Thanks for the suggestion. I think I will go give it another look.
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Yep! Besides, you can always pick up the other books later when things get better.Edit - Plus you get two of the Darkmoon modules for free. Sort of. If you hit the gamestore for the free RPG day or if you downloaded the free PDFs.
I think I will use Darkmoon Vale. I just picked up the .pdf and I was happy with what I saw. It is a good, traditional setting with some nice twists. The area will appeal to my group and, if I decide to, I can find a place for Monte's Dungeon a Day.
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If your gonna go with Darkmoon Vale and its adventures, then I'll suggest to add to the wish list the module: Tower of the Last Baron (LB1). Its still (just) within the realm of Darkmoon Vale and can add another interesting location for you and your gamerz! Plus the cross country travel between say Falcons Hollow and Perins Bluff can be an adventure in it self!
Just something to think about, just incase!
Keep those dice rolling!
I think I will use Darkmoon Vale. I just picked up the .pdf and I was happy with what I saw. It is a good, traditional setting with some nice twists. The area will appeal to my group and, if I decide to, I can find a place for Monte's Dungeon a Day.
Yep! Besides, you can always pick up the other books later when things get better.Edit - Plus you get two of the Darkmoon modules for free. Sort of. If you hit the gamestore for the free RPG day or if you downloaded the free PDFs.
If you already have the gazeteer, then you really don't need the hardcover campaign setting. Much of the material is similar to the point of being repetitive.
I also like darkmoon vale as a setting and am preparing a 4e conversion to run as an online game... there are enough twists to make the area fun, Falcon's Hollow in particular provides some great opportunities for role playing, and the lumber consortium provides an interesting "law vs good" type conflict for players who like that sort of thing.
If you are thinking adventures though, don't forget to check out the pathfinder society adventures... they have the advantage of being very inexpensive and are quite good - and short, which makes plugging them in places as a break a little easier.
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Sandbox...Megadungeon...I'd seriously suggest Into the Darklands and perhaps a pdf of Necromancers Vault of Larin Karr to use alongside.
I really like the Vault of Larin Karr. I ran it for this party already, as part of my Ptolus campaign. But good suggestion.
Into the Darklands is going on my list.
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If your gonna go with Darkmoon Vale and its adventures, then I'll suggest to add to the wish list the module: Tower of the Last Baron (LB1). Its still (just) within the realm of Darkmoon Vale and can add another interesting location for you and your gamerz! Plus the cross country travel between say Falcons Hollow and Perins Bluff can be an adventure in it self!
Just something to think about, just incase!Keep those dice rolling!
I am not sure how many of the Darkmoon Vale adventures I will actually use. LB1 got my attention a long time ago but I never bought it. Thanks for the suggestion, it will go on the list as well.
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If you already have the gazeteer, then you really don't need the hardcover campaign setting. Much of the material is similar to the point of being repetitive.I also like darkmoon vale as a setting and am preparing a 4e conversion to run as an online game... there are enough twists to make the area fun, Falcon's Hollow in particular provides some great opportunities for role playing, and the lumber consortium provides an interesting "law vs good" type conflict for players who like that sort of thing.
If you are thinking adventures though, don't forget to check out the pathfinder society adventures... they have the advantage of being very inexpensive and are quite good - and short, which makes plugging them in places as a break a little easier.
Okay, thanks for the thoughts on the Campaign Setting.
I have a number of the society adventures as I run games for the local PFS. Good stuff overall and a good suggestion. I can change some details around and use most of them as side encounters and what not. Thanks!
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I wanted to say thanks again guys. I got some great ideas and some great leads. And my "wish list" is growing. I really appreciate the help.
For those who have not checked out Dungeonaday.com, it is awesome. The preview material was some really good stuff. It is what I have come to expect from Monte.
The entire area looks like it could fit right into the River Kingdoms with almost no work.
I would also agree that LB1 Tower of the Last Baron is a good module for using in Darkmoon Vale. I would also suggest the sequel to that module, LB2 Treasure of Chimera Cove. While technically not in Darkmoon Vale it is none the less an interesting module. I hvae run both of them and the group had fun even though the second module led to a 3/4 TPK. If you use Chimera Cove make sure the group has a cleric in their group.
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I wanted to say thanks again guys. I got some great ideas and some great leads. And my "wish list" is growing. I really appreciate the help.
For those who have not checked out Dungeonaday.com, it is awesome. The preview material was some really good stuff. It is what I have come to expect from Monte.
The entire area looks like it could fit right into the River Kingdoms with almost no work.
Well I recomend buying everything eventually but I know that is hard to do. So i was just recommend only what I thought you would get the most use out of the soonest.
But if you want more advice later feel free to ask many of us would be eager to help.
Do a pyramid of the Lich Pharaoh / An-Hepsu XI campaign ;)
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Well I recomend buying everything eventually but I know that is hard to do. So i was just recommend only what I thought you would get the most use out of the soonest.But if you want more advice later feel free to ask many of us would be eager to help.
The collector in me wants to buy everything. It is unfortunate that reality is so damn....real. :)
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I would also agree that LB1 Tower of the Last Baron is a good module for using in Darkmoon Vale. I would also suggest the sequel to that module, LB2 Treasure of Chimera Cove. While technically not in Darkmoon Vale it is none the less an interesting module. I hvae run both of them and the group had fun even though the second module led to a 3/4 TPK. If you use Chimera Cove make sure the group has a cleric in their group.
Thanks for the heads up. We usually have a cleric in the group, but it is always good to know ahead of time if I might slaughter the party. I don't always get that from my first read through of a module. Of course, I have started to assume that anything from Paizo might kick the character's butts. But I like that, so it works.