Module Intros


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Scarab Sages

I'm wanting to start running some modules for some of my players. To prepare I'm searching for some venture-captain style mission introductions.
I've looked on GM Shared Prep but haven't found anything yet. I was wondering if anyone had any ideas of where I could find some or had some advice regarding writing my own.

The modules in question are Academy of Secrets, Tomb of the Iron Medusa, The Moonscar, The Witchwar Legacy and all three parts of Feast of Dust.

Sovereign Court 4/5 5/55/55/5 *

My suggestion is get a good idea why the pathfinder society would be interested in sending agents to such places take what ever venture captain name insert said briefing and roll with it.

Also someone wrote some great intros for the emerald spire super dungeon for society on PFS share prepped maybe read those to get a Idea.

I personally forgot to come up with a hook for Ire of the Storm when I prepped it and I just winged it at the table to get them started.

4/5 5/55/55/55/5 ****

I love writing up Venture Captain Introductions.

So... here is what I do when I create them:

1) Pick the VC.

Some considerations:

  • Is this a VC that I would enjoy roleplaying? Drendle Dreng is hilarious. Calisro Benarry has a great personality. Who doesn't love the current Masters of Spells and Scrolls? Each of the current faction heads is also a VC that can be used. Is there a VC that might set the mood for the adventure, and help your party get into the setting?
  • Is this an iconic VC that is associated with a region or specialty? For adventures in Varisia, I'll almost always pick Sheila Heidmarch.
  • Is this a VC that the PCs have already met and enjoyed in another scenario? If you have regulars and they had a recent VC that they enjoyed, great!

2) Pick the Primary Problem that would concern the Society. Is there an ally that needs rescuing? A special doodad to collect? A phenomena that needs investigating? What can you start them on without everything becoming too spoilery?

3) Write the "What you know before you go" section. What knowledge or diplomacy checks might be relevant to the PCs?

I did write up something for Feast of Dust. Let me see if I can find it... If so, I'll post it here or in PFS Prep.

Hmm

Grand Lodge 4/5

I had thought of posting a few resources earlier.

A venture-captain might brief the party, though sometimes other members and associates of the Society take this role. Most of what you've mentioned is high level, so one of the Three Masters or a character often connected to the Decemvirate, such as Osprey or Venture-Captain Adril Hestram, might get involved, or a venture-captain local to each area could be caught up in events.

The Master of Spells could be concerned with Academy of Secrets, The Moonscar and Feast of Dust. The Riftwardens could take an interest too (see Port Godless for a connection to the Society). Zarta Dralneen also has a few likely interests in Academy, though she would have to tread very carefully, maybe contacting Dark Archive agents separately from the main briefing. Events in Qadira might involve Osretia Cassomiran in Katheer.

Muesello or Gloriana Morilla might introduce Tomb of the Iron Medusa.

The Witchwar Legacy could have an interesting link to past events that might induce Osprey to contact high-level Seekers. Otherwise, you might think about how the Pathfinders get to Irrisen and what lodges would need to be involved.

The group might start from a Pathfinder Lodge, or the VC might arrange a meeting at a location closer to the action, or provide transport such as teleportation. Aram Zey often showed off ways to use the Hao Jin Tapestry. I'm not sure that's such an easy option now.

Dark Archive 4/5 5/5

The high level mods specifically also give you the possibility of tailoring the mission briefing to the PCs a little more specifically, which opens some different role-playing options then normal.

Scarab Sages

Thanks to the suggestions of those who have replied I've started work on intros for some of the scenarios.

For Feast of Dust and The Witchwar Legacy I'm still undecided on who I want to use. For Academy of Secrets I was going to use either the Master of Scrolls or the Master of Spells. I decided that a meeting at a certain bait and tackle shop with Muesello would be a great way to start Tomb of the Iron Medusa. The Moonscar actually starts with a member of the Decemverit contacting the PCs and only needs a little modifying.

Grand Lodge 4/5 5/55/55/55/5 **** Venture-Captain, Minnesota

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For Feast of Dust, I went with Yasmin Kal'al, mainly because I liked her appearance in the Many Fortunes of Grandmaster Torch, and because I thought that the Sedeq Pathfinder Lodge would be an appropriate place to start out.

What concerned her: she'd intercepted a letter aimed at the Satrap about the plague. She tried to contact her man on the ground, an ally of the Pathfinder Society who runs a bookshop, but heard noting back. Knowing how slow Qadiran bureaucracy can be, and worried for the health of her contact, she sends the party to investigate this alleged plague.

Hmm

3/5

I'm prepping the Feast of Ravenmoor and am going to spin it as an independent endeavor: the Magnimar Lodge has been slow, you caught word of a few easy bucks, you grabbed a few Pathfinders you've worked with before and took up the job.

Grand Lodge 4/5 5/55/55/55/5 **** Venture-Captain, Minnesota

I'm doing Feast of Ravenmoor as a follow up to Murder's Mark for the same players, so I'm playing it out of Heidmarch Manor, with the idea that Sheila is looking to score some political favors by helping out this bureaucrat. We've seen her be ruthless before, and she loves to play politics. Besides, my Murder's Mark crew have already got a rep for dealing well with law enforcement and sorting out complex local issues. Their choice as a team actually make sense.

Hmm

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