Cultist themed AP, need ideas


Pathfinder Adventure Path General Discussion


So, after hearing of Strange Aeons (I refuse to spell it any other way), it got my creative DM juices flowing again. And I have the half-baked ideas for a campaign to run, but I need more stuff to pad it out and decided to turn to my favorite forum for said ideas.

Basic Premise

The primary theme is that the party are cultists, specifically cultists of Cthulhu, and the year is 1914 AD, Earth, New England (4714 AR Golarion). As lvl 1 cultists who are aware of magic because you're cultists, you're tasked by the high priest of Cthulhu to retrieve the Necronomicon from a Museum in NYC. Assuming you succeed, this is basically book 1.

However, book 2 comes around and the high priest tells you they can't wake up Cthulhu because they need something that isn't found on Earth. So you need to take a trip to Golarion and also have the mind-blowing revelation that Earth isn't alone. Sort of, you do worship Cthulhu after all. So book 2 is... probably Osirion related.

Book 3 I want to have to do with Aucturn and having to go there and dealing with the Dominion of the Black as Nyarlathoteps buddies have what you need and don't like Cthulhu because he's competition.

Book 4... need stuff.

Book 5 I want to be a trip into Apostae, the spaceship/planetoid.

Book 6 you return to Earth to stop the good guys/authorities from crushing your cult and then awaken mighty Cthulhu! Which can then result in madness for everyone!

Obviously, I need more ideas to pad this out and connect things, but this is the basic synopsis of what I'd like to create and I'm asking humbly for more ideas to squeeze in.


Calendar doesn't tie quite as neatly as this - 4713 A.R. is 1918 A.D. Strange Aeons would be awesome if it culminates in 4720 A.R./1925 A.D. (per Rasputin must Die!).

Assuming your group is up for playing CN/CE Cultists of Great Cthulhu - all of whom should have background skills in "art" ;) ...

Book 2 or Book 4: Carcosa/Golarion. The cultists have to fetch a reasonably accurate and pristine copy of The King in Yellow and perform the play ... preferably, they train a troupe of suckers/ recruited cultists to perform it while they're exiting stage left. The ensuing mayhem gives them easy access to the next mcguffin.


Ooh, yes, the King in Yellow, I like that idea. A bigger part of the rivalry with Nyarlathotep. And I'd allow CN, CE, NE, LE and N, and possibly also backgrounds like 'CG raised by the cult and thinks Cthulhu is a big friendly teddy from indoctrination' and other similar things.

And ty for the time clarification, I forgot it was 5 years behind. And that would work just perfectly. I'm trying to decide if I want the planet hopping to be only via portals, or to also give the players their own cultist themed living spaceship... like a super shantak or something as part of the end of book 2 to get to Aucturn and Apostae.


Myrryr wrote:

Ooh, yes, the King in Yellow, I like that idea. A bigger part of the rivalry with Nyarlathotep. And I'd allow CN, CE, NE, LE and N, and possibly also backgrounds like 'CG raised by the cult and thinks Cthulhu is a big friendly teddy from indoctrination' and other similar things.

And ty for the time clarification, I forgot it was 5 years behind. And that would work just perfectly. I'm trying to decide if I want the planet hopping to be only via portals, or to also give the players their own cultist themed living spaceship... like a super shantak or something as part of the end of book 2 to get to Aucturn and Apostae.

Weeell ... if you want to really closely tie the timeline in, plot out the time intervals between/in the chapters to add up. Mi-Go and many other Mythos creatures can physically travel between planets and stars at varying rates of speed. Take advantage of those. ;)


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I'd recommend using Occult Adventures classes (minus the kineticist, possibly) and possibly some of the archetypes. Especially look at using psychic magic instead of the "traditional" arcane/divine.


Oh aberrations will certainly be very common as both allies and enemies for the cultist players. And all classes will be encouraged, but I expect at least one will want to play a gunslinger just so they can use a tommy gun (it IS in the 1920's during prohibition after all), which if they learn how, I'd allow them to make bullets once they leave Earth. Might even find advanced tech once they start dealing with the Dominion of the Black on Aucturn.

Right... wonder if I can make a brethedan corrupted by the mythos, hrmmm...


Firearms should be Simple Weapons for all of them, so no substantial need for Gunslinger levels.

Now, getting that Gunsmithing feat for the Wizard so he can (with sufficient Craft and Knowledge abilities) fabricate more ammunition should be easy enough.

;)


Oh I know, most will probably use revolvers and such, but something like rifles and whatnot during the 1920's would still be martial weapons at the least.

And you'd definitely have to be gunslinger to dual wield tommy guns like a crazed psycho. I'm sure there's going to be some cultist veteran of the Great War, probably a german or brit, who's a total nutcase. Because players.


I want to dual wield tommy guns like a crazed psycho :-)


See? There's always one. He's probably a bootlegger too, ya know, as a side business to make money for the cult.


Is there any other way :-)


Myrryr wrote:

Oh I know, most will probably use revolvers and such, but something like rifles and whatnot during the 1920's would still be martial weapons at the least.

And you'd definitely have to be gunslinger to dual wield tommy guns like a crazed psycho. I'm sure there's going to be some cultist veteran of the Great War, probably a german or brit, who's a total nutcase. Because players.

Nah, rifles and crossbows are basically the same technique and train similarly fast from everything I've heard.

Cultist Mafioso are also a possibility, between Cuba, possibly having to deal with matters in what will become Las Vegas ... it all depends on where during Prohibition you get started.

Dual-wielding Thompsons cackling like a madman, all it takes is ... "the strength of madness!" ;)


Cuba existed in the 20s? I didn't think it showed up on the map until the 50's heh.

But nah, not looking for it to be anywhere on Earth but NY and New England for that part. Granted, it might go elsewhere with a good PC backstory to tie into, but that's always a possibility. Had a long sojourn in Shadow Absalom in a WotR game because one of the players was trying to get Arginyxia's help.


I'd expect a player character/investigator, especially one with a Thompson fetish (given that they were not typically issued to anyone but U.S. Marines during WW1), to be (at best) a WW1 U.S. Marine turned to rum running with one of the New York families. ;)


It was Gino! I swear, he set the whole thing up, I'm just a patsy see! I swears I didn't know nuthin'


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That's a hilarious excuse, considering you'd be caught by museum guards ^_~

But things considered, I'm leaning towards book 2 running into Osirion from the Mwangi as the trip to Golarion will probably plop them down at the easiest spot to 'link up', which would be the Doorway to the Red Star. In Osirion is where they need to start getting the first few things they need, before they tip off, in some pyramid to the Black Pharoah, a chain of events that ports them to Aucturn.

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