(small) Themes that would be awesome to show in in Future APs.


Pathfinder Adventure Path General Discussion

The Exchange

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Pathfinder Lost Omens, Rulebook Subscriber

This isn't so much a 'Future AP' needs to be about X, bur rather what little sub systems and minor themes might be a good addition to AP's coming down the road. Here's a few examples I thought would be cool:

1. Actually have an AP that features the investment system from Ultimate Campaign. Allow PC's to set aside some of their treasure and have it change some element of the outcome or the AP down the line. Invest X here and get reward A, B, or C down the line.

2. Have an AP that grants the PC's a party (not player) cohort. Maybe feature an alternative party feat/cohort mechanic for an ally the party can enhance and build on together. (Kinda like a pet NPC mechanic.)

3. More fights on moble environments. Ship to Ship battles are fun, but I'd LOVE to see stuff like large army set pieces, or strange environmental shifts mid fight that force the party to change up tactics.

4. A wedding, a community event, some soft of large NPC gathering that's friendly and happy to allow the PC's time to interact and see how they would handle NOT killing monsters for a few hours.

5. An Indiana Jones inspired cart fight/race. (I did some of these and it went over VERY well, just saying.)

6. A chance to mentor early pre-PC characters. Perhaps a Dojo, a fighter's guild, a training hall for theives. Anything where the PC's have a chance to show off their skills and have a chat with the next generation.

7. More side trips through Orv, or other strange planes/planets. Not as the whole game, but a nice stop over mid game to explore a new place.

Do you have any little pieces and ideas that would spice up an AP nicely?

Grand Lodge

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8) A villain that the PCs become familiar with at the beginning and stays throughout the AP -- without railroading. (not as hard as it sounds)

Grand Lodge

9) A dragon ally -- briefly in one volume.

10) A "Challenge of Champions"-like puzzle (or ten).

11) A powerful Devil who tries to trick the party into making a few deals.

12) A fight against a handful of CR 1/3 goblins who ambush and try to extort/bully the PCs when they're already 12th or 13th level. Let the fun begin: 4 14th Level PCs vs 8 CR 1/3 goblins with wooden short swords.

The Exchange

Pathfinder Lost Omens, Rulebook Subscriber

13. A NPC ally turns villian.


TheLoneCleric wrote:

This isn't so much a 'Future AP' needs to be about X, bur rather what little sub systems and minor themes might be a good addition to AP's coming down the road. Here's a few examples I thought would be cool:

1. Actually have an AP that features the investment system from Ultimate Campaign. Allow PC's to set aside some of their treasure and have it change some element of the outcome or the AP down the line. Invest X here and get reward A, B, or C down the line.

I think the closest to this was the Riddleport casino in Second Darkness, but this would be cool.

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2. Have an AP that grants the PC's a party (not player) cohort. Maybe feature an alternative party feat/cohort mechanic for an ally the party can enhance and build on together. (Kinda like a pet NPC mechanic.)

Not entirely sure what you mean by this, but I think Reign of Winter has a good selection of characters close to that, starting with the Ranger Natalya. Arguably, Ameiko and her crew in Jade Regent may count too.

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3. More fights on moble environments. Ship to Ship battles are fun, but I'd LOVE to see stuff like large army set pieces, or strange environmental shifts mid fight that force the party to change up tactics.

This reminds me of the fight in Second Darkness that takes place inside a tower that falls over during the battle and rolls down the hill (and off a cliff, so players shouldn't take too long to win!).

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4. A wedding, a community event, some soft of large NPC gathering that's friendly and happy to allow the PC's time to interact and see how they would handle NOT killing monsters for a few hours.

Council of Thieves has one or two of these. Easy to fit into Kingmaker, too.

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5. An Indiana Jones inspired cart fight/race. (I did some of these and it went over VERY well, just saying.)

That(and the SD battle mentioned above) sounds like a lot of fun.

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6. A chance to mentor early pre-PC characters. Perhaps a Dojo, a fighter's guild, a training hall for theives. Anything where the PC's have a chance to show off their skills and have a chat with the next generation.

Council of Theives has something like this in the NPC members of the Children of Westcrown.

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7. More side trips through Orv, or other strange planes/planets. Not as the whole game, but a nice stop over mid game to explore a new place.

Reign of Winter involves a trip to Triaxis. And yes, a full-on Planetary Romance AP would be awesome.

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Do you have any little pieces and ideas that would spice up an AP nicely?

14. A full-on Horde battle, against a huge number of relatively weak enemies

15. An honest-to-goodness Armies-Arrayed-on-the-Field-at-Dawn Battle encounter. Not using the Mass Combat rules, just your guys stuck in the thick of it.

16. For that matter, more Outdoors scenarios that aren't Random Encounters. Not every "instance" has to be inside a cave, castle, or fortress.

W E Ray wrote:
9) A dragon ally -- briefly in one volume.

RoW lets you get a Dragonkin (a semi-Humanoid Dragon that will let you ride it), for the rest of the adventure if you play your rolls right, and a real one gives you a little help at the very beginning of WotR (but then dies).

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