How sequel-y is this to Rise of the Runelords?
I am currently still running RotR (we are about to start on the second half next month - htat's how far behind we are in terms of APs!) and have previously considered (because both I and my players are a bit daft) running Jade Empire as a direct sequel to RotRL. (JE being fairly sequally to RotRL.)
(That's not as daft as it sounds, because a) I play with a party that is typically seven to eight characters and b) a half-and-half hybrid of 3.5 and PF which is practically a sub-edition itself, so it's not actually THAT much more work to level up at the same time...!
And I've done it before; I ran the old AD&D module Dragon Mountain as 16th to low Epic before - that required a fair bit of bending out of shape of the original design intent, but it worked...! We still remember the battle with all of Clan Blood with like nearly forty casters manifesters, invokers and martial adepts of various stripes!)
At the time we started RotRL, I had said to the PCs that I was intending to ru JE as a sequl either directly (at 17th to epic) or a next generation and to make sure that as we went through Runelords to make sure they laid the foundation for a possible "next generation" of characters in latter case (when we had another look a year or few down the line[1]), if group elected to not carry on into epic.
Our player make-up has changed a bit since the, so I suspect it a little more likely that hey might want to run 17th-to Epic in an AP... But the existance of this AP (which I only really just noticed) suggests that perhaps I can have the cake and eat it too - run one AP (out of Jade Empire and Return of the Runelords) as the aforementioned 17th-to-Epic and then the other one as the "next generation" one as has come to pass between both adventure paths.
(No, not even I amd QUITE mad enough to do Return of the Runelords as a direct sequal to a direct sequal advanture path with PCs starting at whatever epic level they ended a previous advanture path at!
...
Probably...)
So, asking the general question (and especially towards James Jacobs, if he has time!), in terms of plot/character continuity (let me stress over the mechanics), would Return make a better direct sequal or a better next generation?
(I'm inclined to go with the latter, from what little I've seen, but there is something really tempting about going "right, you beat one Runelord last time, high-level camapign, so let's escalate! And then being able to go right wild mechanically with the Runelords...!)
[1]Judging by Shackled City and Runelords, it takes us about six months to get through an AP book (or two chapters of SC, it took about a year to do chapters one to four) and I haven't run quite back-to-back continuously.
Creative Director
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Jade Regent is not a sequel to anything; it builds on some characters who were first introduced in "Burnt Offerings" but doesn't require anything in Return of the Runelords to function, and by the 2nd adventure it leaves Varisia behind entirely.
Return of the Runelords is 100% through-and-through a sequel to Rise of the Runelords (and to Shattered Star).
Jade Regent works well as a sequel to any of the three in the Runelord trilogy.
Jade Empire is an old (and awesome) videogame, and is even less of a sequel to Runelords. ;P
*skulldesk*
I meant Jade Regent, of course...! I don't even know why I had Jade Empire on the brain. (I probably ought to play that again one day if i can make ot work on a modern machine, but that's neither here nor there!)
Right. Thanks.
So, sounds to me, then, I should change tack and maybe do Return as a direct sequel, and maybe have Jade Regent as the next generation.
Do any of the NPCs (e.g. Shalelu, Ameiko) appear in Return? (I sort of assume not Ameiko - I haven't read the entire of JE, but I sort of assume her not coming back is a bit of the point.)
(As otherwise, potentially Epic-level Shalelu etc might make it... Somewhat weird that she'd need want to be escorted by The Kids as it were...!)
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Creative Director
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Do any of the NPCs (e.g. Shalelu, Ameiko) appear in Return? (I sort of assume not Ameiko - I haven't read the entire of JE, but I sort of assume her not coming back is a bit of the point.)
(As otherwise, potentially Epic-level Shalelu etc might make it... Somewhat weird that she'd need want to be escorted by The Kids as it were...!)
None of the NPCs from Jade Regent make appearances in Return of the Runelords.
Ace. Cheers. That gives me plenty of options to have a go either way; next thing to do is see how my players feel.
*adds Return to list of Things To Get*
The first adventure has a very RotRL feel to it - starts in a small town, lots of NPC interaction and role play opportunities - with some good set pieces and motivations for the villains.
I mean - it's the 133 volume of the adventure path, and you get the feeling (just slightly) that Paizo is getting pretty amazing at figuring out the ingredients to make a perfect witches brew.
Review of part 1
NPCS: Allies and foes have complex motivations, some foes have hidden goals or hopes that a party could use, some don't (as is proper) and it's up to the players to figure out which ones.
Combats: Harder to eyeball - but the level range is 1-5 and the CR system works on all cylinders at this level - little in the way of purchased magic or 'the perfect spell' will make the adventure trivial. Any time that the maps are kept small (5 foot squares - human like dwellings) Paizo does (historically) a fantastic job making the maps themselves part of the CR - watch as narrow halls and bottlenecks turn a 'looks weak' encounter into a struggle for the players.
Treasure: Unlike most early adventures I'd say that this one has some very unique and awesome prizes to be found. Unlike RotRL the treasure isn't mostly in hordes towards the end of the book - your party should feel constant progress.
Adam Daigle was the primary author, and you can see from the credits he collaborated with James Jacobs, Mikko Kallio, Luis Loza, Jacob W. Michaels, and Conor J. Owens - I'm guessing from the list that there was more collaboration on this than usual to ensure that all the 'plot forward' devices were correct. Regardless I applaud the efforts put into making this adventure awesome.
Art: Awesome as always. The "Horned Fang Bruiser" made me think instantly of the Halls of Wrath - Audrahni carries the emotions in the backstory on her portrait, to single out two amazing pieces.
Note to Paizo: Vancaskerkins at this point are epic. Can we see more of this please? It'd be nice to have organizations, families, and or other things like this that span adventure paths - they make very nice easter eggs.
Final thoughts - as the AP is unfinished as a whole I can't really forward project - however it starts off very strong.
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Creative Director
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About the Author list:
Adam wrote the vast bulk of the adventure. The format in which we now list authors for Adventure Paths has evolved; we list the primary author of the adventure and most of the content first, then those who wrote smaller portions after.
For a specific breakdown of who wrote what, see the table of contents itself.
Thanks for the kind words though! Glad you're enjoying the adventure so far!
