Kerney |
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Lots of cool adventure path ideas
Idea for Reign of Winter.
Rewrite the first part of Reign of Winter to start in England circa 1941. Characters are children evacuated to the country from London.
UnArcaneElection |
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^I also posted a bunch of Earth-based APs here.
Paulicus |
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I like the idea of a group of PCs all from the same church. You could make some interesting combos and still be really cohesive.
I have a fascination with the Red Mantis Assassins, and even played one in Way of the Wicked and an Inquisitor of Achaekek in PFS. They're tricky to work in without a dedicated campaign though, so one day I'd like to play a campaign with all PCs from the organization. (Really wish I'd traded for "Kill the Iconics!" a few years ago at Paizocon.)
The only themed group I've been in is an all-ninja group with a few buddies in PFS. Everyone had to have darkvision, vanishing trick, and the "stealth synergy" teamwork feat. The three "main" members all ended up being tieflings, and each wears a differently-colored trenchcoat based on the little ninja figs someone handed out. We sneak everywhere, and have a "speaker" that's a squire or something someone bought with prestige. He represents "The Rainbow Coalition" during meetings. :P Scenarios have ranged from amazing successes bypassing entire sections, to horrible failures due to low-level ninjas without healing and enemies with scent.
The ninjas are around level 5 now, and one of them moved away so we're only playing at Paizocon from now on. We would take along stealth characters, but usually ended up with one or two other PCs who couldn't sneak at all. They usually ended up talking to 'empty' rooms, finding notes pinned to walls about which routes were safe, and what to do with enemies they found tied-up and beaten. Luckily, everyone has had fun with it so far. It usually throws the GM for a big loop when we entirely skip certain NPCs or sections. All in all, lots of fun.
One instance that sticks out is the lone cleric that tagged along in the overflow archives (I believe). He stood in an apparently empty room (after we cleared it) with our "representative" and channeled a few times, until he was informed he could stop. Pretty fun!
Some of the ninjas ended up dipping oracle/wizard or going for arcane trickster to round out the group. I'm a pure "kill things" ninja though.
Blayde MacRonan |
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Because I'm using Clinton Boomer's Marvel Pathfinder as the basis for the setting in my current Reign of Winter/Iron Gods campaign, my PCs have something of an Avengers theme going on. The team currently consists of the following:
The Hulk (human fighter w/survivor archetype from the Freeport: City of Adventure book that has a Hulk form that it can change into based on the Master Chymist ability but uses the unchained barbarian's rage mechanic as it basis... among other things)
Hawkeye (half-elf unchained rogue w/sniper archetype)
Vision (android battle scion w/ force blaster archetype)
The Two-Gun Kid (human slayer w/black powder hood archetype)
The Black Knight (human cavalier w/lawbringer and unearthed cavalier archetypes)
Add to this another entrant who's moving back to the area later this month that will be playing Hiro Hamada (human child spiritualist w/onmyoji archetype) because his fiancee wanted to play Baymax from Big Hero 6 (so she'll be playing his dedication phantom) and the group is pretty much set.
Though I had pictured players picking Avengers mostly from the MCU because that's what most of them were familiar with, the fact that the Two-Gun Kid (who, in the comics, became an honorary Avenger after a time-travel incident left him stranded briefly in the present), the Black Knight (an often forgotten Avenger in the comics) and Baymax were chosen caught me a little flat-footed, but, as you can see, I'm rolling with it.
This group, in addition to being the most humancentric party I've seen them put together in a while, will probably be one of the most fun ones I have the pleasure to DM for in some time based in part from the role-play interactions I've seen so far.
Kalindlara Contributor |
Donner |
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Me and some friends are getting Stuff set up for a group of PFS Characters we will play at Cons. They will be the Muppets!
I will be a Grippli Inquisitor, with the Fur Domain and a Bear AC, and perform(Banjo).
Next will be a Tengu, Bard/Steel Falcon, he will have Blue feathers.
Then we have a Wayang with a Giant Chicken(Hunter Or Paladin, he isn't sure yet, but Bard will be in there somewhere).
Last will be a Pink haired Half-orc Wardrummer.
It should be fun to walk up to the Table and when the GM asks what we're Playing. "Oh, us? Were the Muppets"
Devilkiller |
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Why wouldn't you want to join the Donner party? Aren't you hungry for adventure?
If you're thirsty instead our Rise of the Runelords party included several PCs from a clan of gnomes named the Rockbottoms who ran a brewery in Sandpoint. My Cleric was the Fighter's uncle, but since I didn't have a name on my sheet by the time the first session started he got stuck being called "Uncle Buck". He was an older adventurer who got drained down to 1st level by undead. He was also our original "brewmaster" and made a lot of potions generally referred to as "magic beer" (we had some special house rules where drinking his potions required a Fort save to not start getting drunk)
Later on when the Cleric died he was replaced with a gnome Alchemist named Cousin Larry who took over the role of brewmaster and added a distillery. We also ended up with a gnome Sorcerer from the Rockbottom clan who fought (though not very well) with the same silver shovel he used for the malt and hops. I can't recall that gnome's name at the moment, but he and Cousin Larry somehow managed to survive the rest of the campaign and retire back in Sandpoint, where the Rockbottom Brewery stands to this day. Grab a flagon and head for Rockbottom!
M1k31 |
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I've always really liked the idea of GMing for, or playing in, a campaign where all the PCs were the same class, race, or something similar. A party where the PCs all come from the same Dwarven clan or the same Halfling village, a party where everyone is part of the same thieves guild or wizardry college, or even various types of PCs that are all agents the same church are along the lines of what I'm thinking about.
now I really want to play a game with a party either entering(being hazed) or opposing a wizard fraternity...
Dragonchess Player |
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I've always really liked the idea of GMing for, or playing in, a campaign where all the PCs were the same class, race, or something similar. A party where the PCs all come from the same Dwarven clan or the same Halfling village, a party where everyone is part of the same thieves guild or wizardry college, or even various types of PCs that are all agents the same church are along the lines of what I'm thinking about.
I've never played in a campaign like this (except for a pirate campaign, but that still allows for a wide range of classes, races, personalities, and motivations). Usually, the idea doesn't appeal to enough people in the group, or I don't want to enforce such restrictions on a group when I'm GM.
So, I'm not looking for advice, or anything. I just want to hear about anyone else's experiences GMing or playing in a group like this. What was your theme? What sort of adventures were involved? Was it fun? What sort of challenges were involved in such a campaign?
Themed parties can work very well if 1) they are part of campaign, short adventure arc, or single adventure that is focused on that theme and 2) the group "buys in" to the theme. Because of the focus on the theme, the party usually works together better and the characters are usually well-suited for the challenges they face. Role-playing can also be enhanced because of the focus on the theme and the ability to more tightly knit together the character backgrounds and motivations. Party balance can sometimes be difficult with certain "single-class" themes, but can often be mitigated by starting above 1st level (if appropriate) and use of multiclassing/prestige classes (for instance, a wizard college party with a wizard (Elemental)/skald/dragon disciple/eldritch knight, a wizard (Conjuration)/druid/mystic theurge, a wizard (Transmutation)/ranger/eldritch knight/arcane archer, and a wizard (Evocation/Admixture)/rogue/arcane trickster can be a real handful).
It can be a very fun and rewarding experience. I'm actually messing around with creating a "Halloween monster" themed party, right now: awakened flesh golem magus (hex magus) 5, dullahan warpriest (of Molloch) 5, green hag witch (gravewalker) 7, and werewolf mesmerist (VMC witch) 11; the magus and mesmerist have both taken the Coven hex to form a coven with the green hag, while the dullahan is the coven's ally/sworn protector.
Some players, however, pitch a fit over any restriction; or worse, actively try to undermine or work against any theme. You know the ones: the ones that want to play a drow in Second Darkness, a necromancer in Carrion Crown, a fully armored cavalier with mount in Skull & Shackles, a backstabbing demon-worshiper in Wrath of the Righteous, etc. Best bet if you know one of these (and can't recruit a better player) is to try and be sneaky and somehow let them pick the theme; actually, I'd even go further and make their character central to the campaign/adventure (so if they "change their mind" after you start, they can't just bring in an "anti" character to work against the campaign/adventure without being obvious). Who knows, maybe if the campaign/adventure is focused around their character, they'll actually grow up and learn that working with others can be enjoyable instead of indulging in their adolescent angst/rebellion ("special snowflake" behavior is, IMO, pretty much tied to this)...
Dragonchess Player |
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'UnArcaneElection" wrote:Lots of cool adventure path ideasIdea for Reign of Winter.
Rewrite the first part of Reign of Winter to start in England circa 1941. Characters are children evacuated to the country from London.
Heh.
Instead of the Black Rider, replace him with an awakened lion?
UnArcaneElection |
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{. . .}
Some players, however, pitch a fit over any restriction; or worse, actively try to undermine or work against any theme. You know the ones: the ones that want to play a drow in Second Darkness, a necromancer in Carrion Crown, a fully armored cavalier with mount in Skull & Shackles, a backstabbing demon-worshiper in Wrath of the Righteous, etc. Best bet if you know one of these (and can't recruit a better player) is to try and be sneaky and somehow let them pick the theme; actually, I'd even go further and make their character central to the campaign/adventure (so if they "change their mind" after you start, they can't just bring in an "anti" character to work against the campaign/adventure without being obvious). Who knows, maybe if the campaign/adventure is focused around their character, they'll actually grow up and learn that working with others can be enjoyable instead of indulging in their adolescent angst/rebellion ("special snowflake" behavior is, IMO, pretty much tied to this)...
While I get the point about disruptive players, it is possible to overreact and squash all creativity. Not everyone who wants to make some tension with a theme wants to be disruptive, and it is possible to make a character (or even whole party) that clashes thematically but works with the rest of the party -- in other words, just because you're a weirdo, it doesn't mean that you can't further the goals of the campaign:
1. *I* would like to play a Drow in Second Darkness, and went to considerable trouble to make sure that this character won't break the AP and checked to make sure that she's not a Drizzt Do'Urden clone (haven't read the books, but checked on Wikipedia to be sure). Of course, I am going to check very carefully for DM buy-in on the concept, and not force this down anyone's throat, rather continuing to search for a PbP until I find a match (or at least, I would if this wasn't completely on hold right now due to lack of a suitable computer -- posting from a phone would be the pits . . . but I digress).
2. I have seen a Necromancer (actually a rebuild of a Pharasmin Cleric) work in a Carrion Crown PbP (unfortunately, the player and then eventually the whole campaign dropped, but that had nothing to do with Necromancy).
3. A fully armored and mounted Cavalier in Skull & Shackles is a practical problem, not a thematic problem. Although this should be a clarion call for somebody to try to figure out a way to make it work practically (probably not until several levels later, though). The appropriate lesson here is Sink or Swim.
4. The thematic problem with a backstabbing Demon worshipper in Wrath of the Righteous is the backstabbing part, not necessarily the Demon worshipping part . . . Although the two do tend to go together. But not everything with Abyssal ties is in on the same Worldwound conspiracy -- although for something that isn't, you might be better off with someone with a Qlippothic connection instead of a Demonic one.
For a counter-theme character not in your list of examples, check out this rise of the Runelords campaign journal where the character writing the journal isn't even from Golarion, let alone the Sandpoint local area -- but first check out Prologue 1 (long) and Prologue 2, and THEN start into the campaign journal itself, and be sure not to miss the sidebar posts linked from there onto other servers (for instance, one linked from post #8). And it's awesome.
For a counter-theme GM rewrite of an AP, see Inspectre's Curse of the Crimson Throne. Inspectre rewrote one of the most major of NPCs in there (Ileosa, no less) to be very different from the AP as written. And it's awesome (really, they should hire Inspectre to do Curse of the Crimson Throne Anniversary Edition).
Kalindlara Contributor |
UnArcaneElection |
^Wasn't that because of something specific that they were worried about around the time of publication of Second Darkness, that is (at least mostly) no longer an issue? I sort of vaguely remember one of the Paizo people saying something about this -- I think it had to do with wanting to be able to establish their Drow lore on a (sort of) clean slate (I think more specifically clean of Drizz't Do'Urden clones); since this goal has been achieved, wouldn't it be safe to relax the ban if they did a Second Darkness Anniversary Edition?
(Also, the Advanced Guide wasn't even on the horizon yet, so they were probably worried about Noble Drow Cheese.)
Kalindlara Contributor |
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The relevant text - interpret it as you will. ^_^
So they seemed like a perfect choice for the villains of Pathfinder’s third Adventure Path. For those of you worried that the next several volumes are going to descend into angst-ridden misunderstood dark-elf heroes, let me repeat myself.
The drow are villains.
During the course of Second Darkness, you’ll meet more drow NPCs than any other race, and I can pretty much guarantee you that they’re all going to be bad guys. The drow of Golarion are not to be trusted. They worship demons. They’re slavers and sadists. They perform hideous experiments on innocent victims. The drow are back to being evil, in other words.
As a result, you should encourage your players NOT to play drow characters in this campaign. I fully understand the attraction of playing a drow. Hell, two of my own favorite characters that I’ve played are drow (one of them even ended up in the Shackled City Adventure Path!). Playing a misunderstood hero who’s forced to live with the fact that her heritage brands her a villain can be quite fun
and rewarding—but Second Darkness isn’t the place for drow PCs. If a player wants to play a misunderstood hero here, try to talk them into playing a half-orc. Or a goblin. Or a half-fiend. Or even one of the other evil Darklands-dwelling races, like a duergar or a troglodyte. Drow can be PCs in all the Adventure Paths after this one. For now, though, give them a chance to be the bad guys again.
Unfortunately, the author - one "James Jacobs*" - has been dead for centuries, so we have no way of determining his original intentions when he wrote these words. It will remain a mystery forever.
*probably a pen name anyway
UnArcaneElection |
^That's the quote I was trying to approximate the memory of. I could have sworn that a later quote came out (can't remember if it was also from JJ) that said that this was mostly a moot point, but I wouldn't know where to look for it.
(Also, having remembered the text you quoted in approximately correct general idea if not specific wording, as I said before, I made sure that this WOULDN'T be a Drizzt Do'Urden clone. Not an angst-ridden hero -- at least until getting exposed to the actual Darklands Drow -- instead starting out as someone who is in for a real shock, culture and otherwise.)
UnArcaneElection |
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^Just stumbled upon another basis for a themed party: Ghostbusters! Only problem is: Apparently you're pathetic for the first 6 levels.
Baval |
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I played in a group entirely of dwarves.
Or at least the rest of my group thought.
We had a Dwarven Barbarian, a Dwarven Oracle, a Dwarven Ninja, a Dwarven Wizard, and a Dwarven Gnomble.
I was the Gnomble. AKA: I was a Gnome Noble who admired Dwarven culture so much he got himself a set of Titanic Fullplate and started calling himself a dwarf. And despite my hilariously over the top Dwarven accent and my colorful but off dwarven vows and curses (By Moradins braided underarm hair!), and my oft emphasized tiny head, no one ever caught on that i wasnt, as I often told them, the "Dwarvenist Dwarf to ever Dwarf the seven Dwarves"
The DM was the only person who knew and told me he had to keep himself from laughing all the time.
Edit: And my name was Urist McHammerbeard.
Devilkiller |
I'm probably more likely to run Skull and Shackles than play in it, but I don't think a knight who ends up on a ship would be an inherently bad or disruptive character. Sure, the armor might seem a little weird, but it comes with its own problems in terms of the Swim skill, and honestly plenty of armored folks traveled on ships. It makes me think of a Conquistador (complete with the Procul Harum song, which I've just turned on)
As far as "anti" goes though, in the past I played with a guy who made all of his PCs act Evil regardless of the campaign or the alignment on his sheet. In a Dragonlance game his LG Cleric of the healing goddess started torturing and raping prisoners, and his PCs in other games would often curse at NPCs, threaten them with knives during diplomacy, or use Glibness and Bluff to convince them to do dangerous or horrible things. The DM of the Dragonlance game wasn't quite sure what to do since trying to tell the player that rape was an inappropriate act for a LG Cleric of a female deity would mostly just draw confused looks and comments like, "They're Evil, so why is hurting them bad?" Maybe the player was just seeing how far he could push things before the DM would stand up to him. He also once told the group that he'd urinated in the batter for a chocolate cake be baked for them. I personally declined trying that cake, but other folks felt confident he was just kidding and said that it was moist and delicious.
I'm not sure if I mentioned it before, but there's kind of an "anti-theme" in the Council of Thieves game I'm running since both PCs are ratfolk who worship Ghlaunder. They're CN rather than CE, and luckily I've been able to convince them that Ghlaunder prefers for his cults to remain secret and hidden by pseudonyms. It still makes the RP a bit challenging at times. Anyhow, ratfolks have a swarming trait which makes them work together really well, and I think that mechanical advantage was probably a major reason why this theme developed. I guess the Ghlaunder worship probably grew out of the plague theme for ratfolk alchemists.
Dragonchess Player |
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Dragonchess Player wrote:instead of indulging in their adolescent angst/rebellion ("special snowflake" behavior is, IMO, pretty much tied to this)...<snip>
"Look at me! Look at me! I'm deliberately playing a character that goes against the central theme of the campaign! Look at me! I even figured out how to tie my character to the rest of the party! Aren't I clever? Look at me!"
The point is that this sort of "special snowflake" normally ends up about as boring and stereotypical (to the other players and GM) as the "generic character" for that theme, since the central concept of the character is "the opposite of the campaign theme."
Weirdo |
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I like UnArcaneElection's concept. I think you can create interesting characters by taking something that seems at odds with the theme and developing it to ensure that it does, indeed, fit. UnArcaneElection's character is likely to be as surprised an horrified by what she finds in the underdark as any other PC, with the added element that she will have to re-evaluate her own identity and that of her parents.
We just had an example of an off-theme character, the Gnomble.
Charon's Little Helper |
^What you say might have some merit if the only possible positions relative to the theme were 0° aligned and 180° opposite-aligned. Fortunately, that is most often not the case.
He did say -
...as boring and stereotypical (to the other players and GM) as the "generic character"...
so - he specifically called out that "0° aligned" was an equally poor choice. Sorry if it wasn't intended by you - but that seems to be a very blatant straw-man argument. (Even if Dragonchess was a bit snarky beforehand.)
I do agree though - that if you CAN agree on the theme - everyone in the party should stay within the general parameters of it.
We just had an example of an off-theme character, the Gnomble.
The above 'Gnomble' was flirting with the edges of the theme - but pretty much staying in it. Going against it entirely (as I believe Dragonchess was talking about above) would be to insist upon playing a half-orc, hobgoblin, or elf in that same party of dwarves.
Weirdo |
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But Dragonchess' examples didn't go entirely against the theme, they merely appeared to do so until sufficient justification was offered.
As far as I understand it, the theme of Second Darkness is "discovering the previously unknown evil of the drow." UnArcaneElection demonstrated that it's possible to do that and still be a drow. Someone else suggested that a cavalier in Skull and Shackles might be like a conquistador.
Similarly, I would be just fine with someone playing pretty much any race in a dwarven party if their backstory was "adopted by dwarves," "born a dwarf but reincarnated" or (and this is something that came up in an actual game) "is a half-elf but has dwarven ancestry on his human side and was raised to consider himself dwarven."
Some people might not enjoy that, but it's important to realize that not everyone who suggests something that pushes the theme is actually trying to be disruptive. They may just want to play Carrot Ironfoundersson. It's a lot easier to have a discussion about the actual idea if you enter it with an assumption that everyone is acting in good faith.
EDIT: Quick inspiration for two unusual themes:
- The PCs have all been raised by the same non-human race, but none of them are members of that race.
- The PCs have all been reincarnated prior to the beginning of the campaign.