Kingmaker: Legacies. GM Wolfspirit's Kingmaker Teaser


Recruitment

1 to 50 of 185 << first < prev | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | next > last >>

1 person marked this as a favorite.

"Oh oh sheltered by the Earth
Here record last words that the prophet has bled
A terrible storm soon gathers here
Listen to the wise man!"

-Excerpt from A Descent into Madness: the collected ravings of Zuddiger, noted River Kingdoms historian (fragmentary)

The success of a few incredible Kingmaker Recruitment threads has re-kindled my own desire to run a Kingmaker campaign. Kingmaker has always had a special place for me; it was my first introduction to Pathfinder and I absolutely love the immense scope it has. A few years back I had an epic campaign that I was running for a long-standing group... before my untimely re-location caused it to be scrapped right as it really got started. Now I think it's time to dust it off and see if I can give it its due.

So, here's the deal. At the moment I'm slightly overbooked with PbP activities and I need some time to get a few things in order. On the other hand, I don't want to completely lose the interest of the 30-some amazing would-be Kingdom Builders that I've already seen. On the other-other (Alchemist Discovery) hand, I don't want my inbox to explode or have to track individual responses. That's where this Teaser comes into play.

A month from now (12/1), I plan to post my Recruitment requirements and an update on where things are at with the campaign. Recruitment will likely open around then, with the game to tentatively start after New Years (I figure right in the middle of the holidays is a horrible time for people posting.)

In the mean-time, I'll post occasional teasers of some of the campaign info I have planned. There's a number of system tweaks (Monster Kingdoms, Hexploration) I have in mind and a few home-brew world elements (For example, the Æther, a fairly drastic change to the way the way Planes work inspired by Wheel of Time, Dresden Files, and a few others.)

Anyway, hope this piques the interest of a few people, and feel free to dot in!


dot


Definitely dotting.


Dott


superdot


Dotting as well.

Lantern Lodge

Possibly dotting later. Maybe.


Taking interest in this!


Very interested in this...developing a tiefling witch. But, where would be the best place to develop a character sheet for this campaign?


Count me in, I would apply as Kerri. Everything is done for her, except for adjusting to your point buy.


I'm in.


dot. Very interested.


Golly! Having fawned over this AP and never having made it so far as the first combat here on the boards, a very enthusiastic dot.


Just so I can get started on a character concept, what level are we starting at?


Allright, now that the slumbering behemoth that is the PbP Game Day IV: Siege of Serpents has awoken and and marches implacably onward, I've got some time to answer a few questions and hopefully provide another teaser later this evening.

Character Creation
I'll post character creation specifics a later (probably closer to the end of the month), but for people wanting to get ahead, the game is going to be starting at level 1, with 20 point buy and 150 starting gold.

For character creation, I'm going to be sticking pretty close to PFS as a guideline; it's my comfort zone and gives a fairly equal footing for characters. That isn't to say that it's impossible to convince me to let someone play a Kobold, or be evil, but it's a lot more challenging of a fit in the storyline and in a group. Character creation as a system of flags. Being a non-standard race raises a flag. Having a difficult race raises a flag. Having a negative modifier in all mental stats raises a flag. "Murderhobo the Chaotic Evil Kobold Clown" need not apply.

While either can be fun, I’m really not looking to have a “zoo” campaign where there isn’t a single core race or an evil campaign (“How much experience do we get if we join the bandits?”)

I am going to limit things to Paizo only materials for characters; every time in the past that I've allowed third party materials in a game it's ended up a disaster, so I'm going to just skip that this time. There'll be enough going on without having to carefully watch that balance.

Right now for people that really want to jump the gun and make characters, really consider why you think your character would be a good fit for the Kingmaker campaign. What’s their personality? Why were they chosen to explore the Stolen Lands? Why were they chosen to build a Kingdom?

And that’s the short summary of character creation; I’m still hashing out a more in-depth set of guidelines and suggestions. If anyone has specific questions, feel free to PM me, I’ll be checking that more often than this thread (though I’ll try to increase my posting here as we get closer to the end of the month.) Next up, I’m currently working on a summary of some of the Homebrew elements I’ll be using.


Kerri is here to apply. All I have to is revert to your point buy. Other than that every thing is done for her, I applied to DM Jesse's Kingmaker with her, but failed to get in.

She is a Halfling, Sorceress (Linnorm Ice). She is a Diplomat as well as a debuffer.


Homebrew Elements
There are two main schools of thought when it comes to Kingmaker:

  • Stay as close as possible to the AP as written.
  • Use the AP as a framework and build on it heavily.

The first has some merit. Running the AP as written is certainly easier to GM in some ways, as the stats for everything are already provided for you. No need to mess with alternate systems! It also puts the PCs and their Kingdom as the clear focus of the game. All the enemies faced throughout the campaign, including the final BBEG, are almost treated like Disasters in a Sim game. They’re there to shake things up, but they almost feel like a diversion from the real stars, the PCs!

I personally gravitate to the second camp. I enjoy plot arcs and prophesy, villains you really hate and allies you really love. Generally speaking my intent is that the changes I make create an overall more cohesive and immersive storyline. The general plot-line for Kingmaker will stay the same and the vast majority of the campaign will remain in the same 3’x12’ hex map that anyone familiar with the AP knows and loves. Some names, places, and NPCs may be changed to protect the innocent make things interesting and I tend to liberally re-work the “quests”, random encounters, and “events” to the point that it’s difficult know which were semi-random rolls and what was the original content.

There are a few large deviations from the AP and the Golarion setting. The previously mentioned the Æther is probably one of the largest, as I basically retool the planes, the First World, fey and outsiders. It comes up infrequently (for reasons made clear over time) and there is a reason for it existing in the narrative. I’ll devote a topic of its own to go over it soon. Beyond that, the rest of Golarion is relatively untouched, though mostly because the campaign basically never leaves the River Kingdoms.

For deviations from the AP, I plan to incorporate a large number of good ideas I’ve seen on the forums over the years especially Monster Kingdoms. A lot of the Kingmaker content feels incredibly static just waiting for the party to bumble into them; I intend to breathe some life into them. I also plan on incorporating content from a module or two (put in spoilers, in case that matters to anyone.)

Module Spoilers, for the curious:
Realm of the Fellnight Queen is a definite and Carnival of Tears is likely

They match the theme I’m going with and create foreshadowing. On the other hand, something has to give to keep the pacing, and the plot and encounters of Varnhold Vanishing will have some significant changes.

I felt like this was important to go into in order to manage expectations. I really don’t want to get the hopes up for anyone or ruin the content for someone that’s really looking for a “vanilla” run. If that’s what you’re looking for, this sadly will not be that game. On the other hand, hopefully this interests others even more!


Oh, dotting with extreme prejudice.


Kerri is finished and ready for play. I am just considering buying a mount, although it is not hugely necessary at the moment.

If you need to know anything about her, just ask and I shall answer all questions I can.


Hmmm... this is going to be mixed... on the one hand, what your saying about expanding on the AP and all that is really, REALLY catching my interest.

On the other hand, I don't like level 1 and I hate limited character creation. I don't even know what is PFS material and what isn't.

Scarab Sages

I'm interested


Archives of Nethys has a pretty extensive list of Pathfinder resources that you can search for PFS legality. Again though, the PFS legal is more a guideline to steer people away from spending time on completely outlandish characters that wouldn't fit the campaign (See, again, Murderhobo the Chaotic Evil Kobold Clown.)

I have personally had poor experiences with Summoners, Vivisectionists, and the like when playing home games though I'll probably allow Leadership and other non-PFS legal feats with approval. If there are any specific character options someone wants, I can evaluate them on a case by base basis.

This campaign likely isn't for everyone, which is why I'm trying to manage expectations early :)


I am only using things from the Core Rulebook, Advanced Players Guide, Ultimate Magic, Ultimate Combat, Ultimate Campaign and Advanced Race Guide. So highly doubt there is anything in there that is non PFS.

Still trying to decide whether to stick with Point Blank Shot or if I should should switch it for Skill Focus (Diplomacy), as she is supposed to be very diplomatic.


Dot


Iavas searching for the possibility of building a kingdom, once more.


Very interested.

Hand up in the air, I am new to this pbp but keen and will post regular like.

I would like to play a human ranger. I see no need to go outside of the core book. Just to keep it easy for you!


Pathfinder Rulebook Subscriber

Dotting


Dotting.

Always love a Kingmaker game. :)


Here's Raven Sirkas for your consideration.


I am quite interested. Question though: will we be allowed to use Downtime Rules to create organizations as a part of this?


Dotting, even if I've been following this teaser thread from the beginning :D


1 person marked this as a favorite.
Thron wrote:
I am quite interested. Question though: will we be allowed to use Downtime Rules to create organizations as a part of this?

Re: Downtime Rules. Assuming those are the ones from Ultimate Campaign, I honestly haven't gone over them too heavily (UC came out after my last Kingmaker attempt.) I am planning on using the updated Kingdom Building, though. I'll look to see if Downtime is a system I want to include or not; there are a LOT of systems and rules going on in Kingmaker, so it's important not to get too bogged down.

There will be opportunities to create organizations (heck, you're building a kingdom!), even if there isn't a system behind it.


I'm interested.


1 person marked this as a favorite.
Kingmaker Wolfspirit wrote:
Thron wrote:
I am quite interested. Question though: will we be allowed to use Downtime Rules to create organizations as a part of this?

Re: Downtime Rules. Assuming those are the ones from Ultimate Campaign, I honestly haven't gone over them too heavily (UC came out after my last Kingmaker attempt.) I am planning on using the updated Kingdom Building, though. I'll look to see if Downtime is a system I want to include or not; there are a LOT of systems and rules going on in Kingmaker, so it's important not to get too bogged down.

There will be opportunities to create organizations (heck, you're building a kingdom!), even if there isn't a system behind it.

Agreed, especially with the section I bolded. Feel free to review my character Argor for an example of how I personally use the system in another campaign, which is primarily for fuel for Roleplay as well as using the "earnings" to support the character's lifestyle, not as a method of earning extra coin to spend on gear.

Will brainstorm and think of what character I wanna apply with until you give a definite answer though.


With all of the interest, are you considering bumping the recruitment date up?

Shadow Lodge

You said you'll make allowances for non-PFS feats. Does this mean you'll be allowing Magic Item Crafting as well? I don't generally play wizards or the like, and I think I probably won't, but I think its a good question to have answered before you start.

Also, I can't tell if you already mentioned it, but I've been really interested in playing a Kineticist. Are you OK with Occult classes? I may change my mind, but it seems like another good question to have answered.

I'm thinking about running a noble scion or a bastard from House Orlovsky who wants to be recognized by his father. I'm having trouble reconciling it with the Kineticist idea, which is why I'm actually only tentatively interested in the Kineticist, but, again it seemed like a good question to ask for other people as well.

Do you mind if I'm running a KM home game already? It sounds like you're doing a heavy amount of Homebrewing, and I'm pretty good at separating OOC from IC knowledge, but it seemed like a good idea to me to clear it with you.

You don't need to answer all of this right away, you probably have a lot on your plate at the moment. Though I recommend getting the answers to the first two questions answered when you post the official recruitment.


Raven Sirkas wrote:
With all of the interest, are you considering bumping the recruitment date up?

Not really. For one thing, I'm already pretty over-committed to Pathfinder, between playing two PbP games GMing two PbP games, and general PFS Venture-Lieutenant activities. PbP is addictive, I tell you! I do want make sure I do right by everyone that I've already committed to.

The timeline also lets me get a few logistical things in order before I start, like converting some of my physical materials in a format that works better online. I did find an amazing digital map of the Stolen Lands that I'm super excited about using and found an email with some notes I thought were lost in a hard drive crash, so that helps.

I am fully aware that dragging things out is going to make the final cut for the roster more painful (for for me included), but I think that it's best to stick to a realistic timeline that doesn't end with me getting burnt out and quitting ;)


Kubular wrote:
Good Questions

Magic Item Crafting: Item Creation feats are in, with the caveat of "don't abuse them." I am also going with the modified Kingdom Building that doesn't completely tank the economy with Magic Item Crafting.

Occult Adventure Classes will be allowed. There are a couple I haven't really wrapped my head around, but there are a few I really like. Kineticist could work, though I personally looked at all the pages for the class in the released edition and moved on.

Previous Kingmaker play is fine, as long as you don't meta-game. It might actively hurt you. For people that have played / read it, I would ask that you refrain from spoiling anything or assuming the plot.

The final character creation guideline is something I really need to work on, mostly so I don't have to answer a million individual questions of "Is X allowed?" ;)


Can we make more than one character?


Based on the Tenative OK for Occult Adventures, I've got a little bit set up for my potential character here. Sans is basically going to be a former bandit who was more in it for the prank value than anything else. Once captured though, he was given a very strict choice thanks to his skillset: He could either rot in some boring jail with the rest of his group, or he could see to the safety and success of some noble's kid in a kingdom-building thing. Deciding that potential death was better than Bleaching, Sans agreed to work with the kid and some others, thus leading to the campaign.


Thinking of an agathion blooded aasimar warpriest of Arshea. Is that alright?

Silver Crusade

2 people marked this as a favorite.
Kingmaker Wolfspirit wrote:
"Murderhobo the Chaotic Evil Kobold Clown" need not apply.

This feels oddly discriminatory.

*back to the drawing board*


Raven Sirkas wrote:
Can we make more than one character?

I'll allow up to two character submissions. Submitting two characters is by no means a requirement nor will it penalize people that aren't dedicated to a single character. My reasoning is that this would allow me some flexibility in making the final cut if, say, everyone submits melee martial characters with a high charisma and no skill points ;)


SCKnightHero1 wrote:
Thinking of an agathion blooded aasimar warpriest of Arshea. Is that alright?

Arshea might be a *little* out there; an exploration campaign might be a poor fit for daily skyclad rituals and other devotions. You would also need to have a good reasoning for going on the initial surveying trip.


Hmmm....what about a warpriest of Shelyn? If I remember she's worshipped in the river kingdoms or am I thinking about Calistria?


Worshiping either Shelyn or Calistria would be fine. The big thing for you (and everyone else, really), is to figure out what makes this character click for a Kingmaker campaign. Why they're exploring the tumultuous wilderness of the Stolen Lands and why they'll be leading a fledgling kingdom.

(SCKnightHero, if you have further character specific questions you want to run by, PM me.)


Sure thing and thank you!


I'm definitely interested and will be looking into what might fit well in this campaign. For now, dotting for interest.


Oh this sounds incredible. I'll hit you with a character in the actual recruitment thread though. Gotta stew over my backstory ideas for a while.


I think I will stick with Point Blank Shot, otherwise she would be a 1 trick pony. Yes that would mean she is brilliant at Diplomacy with some spells, but best to raise the odds of hitting with the targeted spells (going for Precise Shot at level 3)

1 to 50 of 185 << first < prev | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | next > last >>
Community / Forums / Online Campaigns / Recruitment / Kingmaker: Legacies. GM Wolfspirit's Kingmaker Teaser All Messageboards

Want to post a reply? Sign in.