I am working on a Kingmaker campaign for my new group of players, some of whom want to use classes from Occult Adventures and DSP's Ultimate Psionics. I'm looking for any advice on occult or psionic specific scenarios, modules or APs that I can draw content from that would fit into the Kingmaker campaign. I'm willing to do a reasonable amount of re-writing to make it fit, as I'll already be doing so to add a ton of content from other modules and ideas I've read here.
I'd also love any advice from those of you who've used either system (or both) in your Kingmaker campaigns. Are their certain monsters you've swapped out to occult abilities or psionics? Have you altered any encounters to add more of an occult feel? How have elements from either of these systems affected your campaign?
Thanks!
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In book 2, one of the specific events mentioned in the beginning is cultists of Gyronna. You could have them performing an occult ritual, with circle and everything. The nature of the ritual is up to you, but since a big part of that religion is spite, perhaps they're summoning a Schir (spite demon) to take vengeance on the men who have spurned them. This ritual can fall into the players hands and give them an interesting tool to use in the future.
Also, Candlemere is just begging for additions. It was the site of something terrible to keep those will-o-wisps around, and the area is still desecrated. Maybe some signs of ritual use remain, leaving clues and partial research already completed.
Thanks, Entymal! The cultists of Gyronna are really a sub-plot I'd like to expand on given their later connection in BFB, and the fact the PCs capital will most likely end up being built on a site with ties to the deity. I'm planning on using ley lines here and a few other choice locals that fit.
As for Candlemere, I'm still not 100% sure where to go with it. I have three major encounter sites that need a home, all suggested on these forums for Candlemere, that I need to sort. My current thoughts is it will be home to the City of Golden Death, which I think will fit the most smoothly in terms of location and level. The other suggestions from these forums I'm considering are the asteroid strike from Second Darkness, which is going in somewhere for sure, and the Skinsaw Murder house, which could be relocated rather easily.
I've already been thinking about incorporating some occult rituals into the campaign. Some of my imported content into Kingmaker is from Expedition to Castle Ravenloft (a treat for a few of my older players), and I can use the rituals to break Strahd's power over the land. This also lets me bring in a roving band of Varisian (Vistani) gypies and a Madame Eva/Baba Yaga combo NPC who will be the key to many occult events I have ideas for in the campaign (hopefully including a side-trip to Mother Russia to face a certain Mad Monk).
Last night I found Phantom Phenomena, which looks to be a series of Occult low-level adventures, so I plan to seed a couple of these around, but my front end levels are already pretty loaded with extra content (Crypt of the Everflame series, the Beginner Box quests, some other Sandpoint stuff and the Falcon's Hollow chain). I'm definitely looking for more occult content to round out the mid to high levels.
For Psionic content, I'm really hitting a brick wall. While I know that DSP's system can be fit into nearly any PF module, there aren't any that are standing out that fit, even among third-party stuff. I'm aware of DSP's own AP, Third Dawn, and I might draw some of the dromite stuff from it, but it's not really what I'm looking for. I know they'll be a few Darklands related quests in my campaign, so a possibility is to just swap out some PF druegar for DSP druegar, but I really want something that has a focus on Psionics. A search for modules on several sites has only turned up three modules that seem to be specifically written for psionics, unless my google-foo is completely failing me: Purple Mountain VI, Silvered Skull, and another random one that seemed to be the 1st part in a 3 part series, with no 2nd or 3rd parts. I've seen references to a module called The Opened Mind by DSP but haven't been able to find it.
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I'm a bit weak on psionics, but the Whispering Grotto, area Y of Varnhold Vanishing, is full of crystals. In addition to being a source of psi crystals, there could also be some sort of psi-gate, allowing access to different psionic related areas.
For the darklands stuff, in my campaign I added a dungeon under the old sycamore, specifically from the whiptail centipede's deeper crevasse. When the players met some Duergar from the 3.5 module I tucked down there and started making demands, I had the duergar counter that they had other clans at their beck and call, yada yada, posturing and threats. Now, it links to the Darklands. It's a good, deep location.
I think the lands west of the slough would be a good location for a meteor strike. Maybe right at the edge, so water drains into it making a whole new landscape. There's a lot of plains that direction that are rather plain. Some new geography would be nice.
I love the inclusion of Ravenloft. There was a lot of nice mysticism.
For the darklands stuff, in my campaign I added a dungeon under the old sycamore, specifically from the whiptail centipede's deeper crevasse. When the players met some Duergar from the 3.5 module I tucked down there and started making demands, I had the duergar counter that they had other clans at their beck and call, yada yada, posturing and threats. Now, it links to the Darklands. It's a good, deep location.
Which module are you using for the Duergar? A deeper underground complex would fit perfectly there in my campaign.
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I used "The Forge of Fury".
Instead of a mountain path leading up to the dwarven door at the beginning, I extended the centipede's crevasse down a tunnel.
I replaced the ogre with a troll, and the kidnapped villagers were two of the nation's farmers, so all of that meshed well with the troll problem in book 2.
The end boss is a young black dragon, which is nice foreshadowing for later in the campaign, showing that they're present in the region.
The dungeon itself can count as several buildings if the players develop it, smithy, watchtower, fort...
I doesn't link to the Darklands as written, but it's a simple matter to add secret doors and tunnels to other locations. In my campaign, the players decided not to provoke the Duergar, and instead have a local source for magic weapons and armor, reducing order time.