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As we are nearing the end of book two in our Kingmaker game, the party is about 7th level and we have been playing for almost two years now, every other saturday. I was talking to one of my players about how the AP really demanded that GMs "fill in the blanks" as the campaign progressed. When we started talking about what was in the original book that they had already encountered, I realized that probably 70% of my NPCs, encounters, and plotlines are additions not in the original material.
I was sort of surprised to find so much homebrew even in Kingmaker, as originally I thought it was probably about 30-40%. So my question is: How much of your Kingmaker game is of your own creation?
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Well, let's see... We're just starting chapter 3.
I ran a separate adventure (conversion of Castle d'Amberville) during the second chapter, and I also ran an extensive adventure during the downtime between chapters 2 and 3.
I re-wrote the kingdom building rules to remove the magic item economy (adding a couple of dozen buildings, redoing all the math).
I've added a lot of details about the politics with Brevoy, Mivon etc.
And I convert everything to 4th edition, so I'm selecting or designing my own stat blocks for all the creatures - mostly pulling close-match-to-the-original-concept stat blocks that seem interesting, then adding a bunch of additional options to flesh out the random encounter options.
I've added a large number of NPCs, and a number of plot-lines that originate from the detailed character backgrounds most of my players provided.
I've added a number of things to foreshadow later chapters, and I've already come up with some major adjustments to the end portion of the plotline...
So I'm guessing that my Kingmaker campaign has been between 75% and 90% home-brew. WOW! I hadn't realized that until thinking about this question!
Although I want to add (because this makes it seem like I'm claiming 75% to 90% of the credit...) - the Kingmaker campaign as written is amazing. It has all the inspirational and foundational bits in place to really facilitate a DM's creativity. And then there are the message boards - many of the ideas, changes, and enhancements I use are borrowed from other folks' message board posts.
I'd estimate 80%.
Chapter One mostly was run as written, with only the 6-player expansion changes, and the addition of a few minor NPCs and a couple of hints toward Nyrissa.
Chapter Two has been heavily rewritten using Dudemeister's edits, the addition of several new NPCs, and relocating/rewriting/replacing several dungeons and encounters.
Chapter Three is looking to be at least half edited, with the addition of a few more bickering factions, but I can't be sure just quite yet.
Chapter Four I honestly have no clue. I will likely be halfway or so into Chapter Three before I can for certain define what adjustments I'll be making. The only thing I'm certain on as of now is that by request of majority of my group we'll be scrapping mass combat.
Chapter Five is nearly completely rewritten. Irovetti and Pitax have been replaced by an NPC and a kingdom more fitting to my homebrew world, and the encounter with the ruler himself will serve as the halfway point rather than the climax of the chapter; the rest of the section will be taken up by the "Return of Choral" subplot.
Chapter Six is looking to be run as-is, but again can't say for certain this soon in advance.
Its like 25% printed materiel, 25% crap I'm stealing from all you lovely people. 25% stuff from other printed materiel, and like 25% me.
Not exactly sure what's gross about it, but then again my brain immediately jumped to the Centipede game >_>
Orthos don't make me link you to human centipede, just google it but its a not safe for work search...
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Ewwww this thread went in the wrong direction too soon!
Back on track, I'd say it depends on the book...
Book 1 - Probably 70% original/30% my own materials. I added a bunch related to Brevoy early on
Book 2 - Probably 30% original/70% new materials. I added a ton of stuff related to the Riven Kingdoms, as well as Dungeonmeister's Kingmaker ideas.
Book 3 - Probably 90% original, 10% new. This was a straight-up dungeon crawl for the most part, which meant I didn't do as much as usual.
Book 4 - it's shaping up to be about 70/30 so far.
Book 1 was played mostly as written. It's a 5-player group, so I upgraded some but not all of the encounters, and I made the Stag Lord's nymph-hair ring an actual useful magic item to ensure that they held onto it. I'll be scattering a couple more throughout the AP in addition to the cursed one in book 2.
For book 2, I've taken out the Lizardfolk tribe and expanded Candlemere, plus I've changed Narthropple's class and upgraded a couple of his companions with class levels - the Baroness is a gnome so I couldn't miss the opportunity for some gnomish diplomacy/politics, and a possible marriage. I'll be adding a few kingdom events, such as losing contact with the (Kobold-run) silver mine, because rescuing Kobolds is always fun.
Book 3 has a lot going on already, but I'm tempted to put a cave complex in the mountains leading down to Lake Silverstep.
There's a 3.5 mini-adventure based on the edge of a swamp that I've been meaning to run for years, so that's going into book 4. I'm changing Seppoko's tribe to be Vodyanoi (still an easy challenge at that level, but a bit higher base CR and some interesting abilities in the half-flooded environment).
After that things might get complicated. I don't like the premise of book 5, and I might rewrite things to expand Armag's forces and go straight from there into book 6. However, I don't want to plan too far ahead or my group will end up doing something to provoke Irovetti and starting the war anyway.
I ran a psuedo-Kingmaker for a while. The only things that I kept from the module were: Oleg's Tradepost, the Stag Lord, and Brevoy (politics and such). Everything else was homebrew.
I ran Book 1 more or less as written. As for Book 2, I added a few side-quests here and there (saving a Changeling from the cultists of Gyronna), a somewhat hard to forget True Neutral Cleric of Urgathoa (Homebrew race) NPC who happens to kind of like the player group (and is also the descendant of the ancient Necromancer's old apprentice) as well as a few extra encounters near Candlemere. Book 3 went as written, but I plan to throw some extra twists and turns to Book 4 if at all possible.
One very likely quest for them to undertake is the Necromancer recreating his phylactery and becoming a Lich at level 11.
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All I can say is if you don't know.. don't find out..disturbing is a mild adjective to describe it...:P
I think I will pass o_O Ignorance is bliss.
I added a significant amount of extra information to book one and two, including DM_Dudemeister's Hargulka's Monster Kingdom. Book three was mostly run as-is, with a few tweaks, such as Varn's survival. Book four was also mostly run as is, although the party skipped the dungeon with the Barbarian King (oops (!)). Book five will have significant changes.
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Any % of homebrew is probably 75% snatched from these forums.
Book 1: 95% as is
Book 2: 50%, Hargulka tries forming his monster kingdom
Book 3: 60%, immersion into centaur culture, politics
Book 4: 80%, politics added
Book 5: 50%, Jason's original script + redid mass combat rules
Book 6: ?? Haven't gotten there yet
Book 1: 80% original/20% stolen/homebrew
Book 2: 35% original(I count maps)/65% Stolen/homebrew. I modified the kingdom rules heavily, thanks to you lovelies. Carnival of Tears, hints of Fellnight, Deldame is significantly different. *Edit changing my original estimates.
Book 3: (Thus far) 60% original/40% homebrew. Plot lines from book two have modified things in three more than I would have expected.
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Book 1: 50% original, 50% homebrew
Started the campaign in Restov, with the PCs as having been hired by Jamandi to do research on the Stolen Lands (gave them each some free skill points in knowledge or survival skills to reflect this.) The charter is announced, and they are Jamandi's hand-picked group. Significant intrigue here introducing the unease in Brevoy. The party met all of the other chartered groups at the banquet. Ran much of the rest as written, excepting the Stag Lord. While the party explored, I had the Stag Lord and his men attack Oleg's in response to the attack on the Thorn River ford to spur them into actively pursuing him. Added additional foreshadowing components.
Book 2: 10% Original, 90% Homebrew
Barest skeleton used for RRR. Completely redid kingdom building to emphasize RP and trade, removed magic item = BP economy. Used the excellent Hargulka's monster kingdom, and threw in a ton of random kingdom events, including peace talks between Mivon and Pitax, attending a banquet in Varnhold in celebration of its anniversary, and the Carnival of Tears module during the first winter of the kingdom, using the Cold Rider as a risen version of the Stag Lord. I'm adding in a modified version of Realm of the Fellnight Queen before the players get to Book 3.
Books 3-6: Haven't gotten to yet!
The first time I ran Kingmaker I did so with 90% book material - though after Book One roughly half of the hexploration material was farmed out (by my PCs) to hired adventurers and other NPC explorers. Sadly, the gaming group broke up due to moves/marriage/jobs halfway through Book Four.
My second time through has been with six players (seven when the Alchemist's daughter gets all her homework done on time and keeps her grades up) so I'm using Alexander Kilcoyne's (and others') excellent six-player conversions.
Book 1: 80% six-player conversion, 20% my additional material
Book 2: 90% six-player conversion* - notably, I added an entire magical dungeon complex under Candlemere Island, based on a few of my favourite bits from B- and X-series modules from the early eighties. Also, I completely ditched the 'selling magic items for BPs' section of the Kingdom Rules
Book 3: 70% six-player conversion, mainly with the addition of Dudemeister's incredible 'make friends with the Centaurs' revamped mini-adventure. Oh, and I completely re-wrote Big V's spell list with the most suitable and situational spells from any Pathfinder source I could get my hands on, since he's a wizard with extensive spell books, access to lost secrets of Cyclops magic, and plenty of time to study the party's usual tactics through his bird. For example, he has a bunch of firearm-specific spells memorized, since my party includes a Gunslinger (Pistolero), as well as Dispel Magics and counter-buffs for the party's usual 'Bless, Haste, Prayer, Magic Circle vs Evil' routine.
This group is about to kick in Big V's door, so I haven't run four-five-six yet but my plan is to add a couple NPCs to Drelev that are PC & NPC bad-guys from previous campaigns I've played with this group, and add some 'Temple of the Frog' goodies to the Boggards & some bits of an old 'Swamp Witch' adventure most of my group played ten years ago. Armag II will be a fellow the party met before way back when he was Bbn 2 teenager.
I have a copy of the original Rushlight Tournament, courtesy of Jason Nelson, so that's getting used, and an old 3rd party 'free the city from tyranny' adventure that I'll use to expand the factions & takeover requirements for Pitax.
Book Six should be pretty close to the original, and then I cap it all off with the return of Choral the Conqueror, taking my PCs from 18 to (theoretically) 21 with his final defeat.
So far we're in book 4 now, our homebrew - by.the-book ration is:
Book 1 - 100% by the booke
Book 2 - 50% Book, 50% homebrew (most of the homebrew stuff is the kingdom building)
Book 3 - 80% book, 20 homebrew
Book 4 - 30% book, 70% homebrew so far (they just liberated Fort Drelev)
Also I have one player who created a complete storyline of his own which is tied into the kingdom. He managed to "steal" money from the kingdoms treasure to found his own city and thiefs guild. Unfortunately this character dies in Fort Drelev. :(
I have added a lot of fleshing out, and some more fun things along the way.
I would say 80% original, 20% extra from me or my players.