GM Digger's Shackled City Campaign (Pathfinder) (Inactive)

Game Master Digger

Game Background notes

Details:

Introduction

The Shackled City Campaign is a full adventure path of published content that is intended to take Player Characters from Level 1 to at least Level 20. While we will primarily be following the adventure as laid out in the campaign book, there will be plenty of opportunity to deviate away (momentarily) from the primary campaign focus, and I will be adding in bits and pieces of content as we go.

Setting

The Shackled City Campaign takes place in the Pathfinder campaign setting.

While the primary campaign plot does involve multiple locations, and non-primary plot adventures may also take the group to new places, much of the campaign is focused within the city of Cauldron.

Campaign Style

Details:

The Shackled City Campaign is a complex one, as it mixes significant amounts of roleplaying with some very epic battles. I want this campaign to be fun and challenging for all of us, but realistically, character deaths are likely going to happen through the course of game play. While I have no intention of going out of my way to try to kill the party, I am also not going to go out of my way to keep you all alive. Smart play will be rewarded with survival and other rewards, while reckless play will likely be rewarded with death in a variety of ways.

As such, I highly suggest taking the above into account when thinking of your actions for the characters. I know I have said it multiple times before, but this will be a campaign where kicking down the door to slaughter everything inside is often not the best course of action or even a plausible one. There will be times when stealth, diplomacy, battle field terrain usage and environmental options will serve you far better than a loud charge with swords swinging wildly.

Player's Guide: Shackled City Adventure Path Player's Community Guide. GM Rutseg was kind enough to share this with us and as his format is much neater than the cut and paste that my entries were going to be, lets use this and enjoy the fruits of his labor.

Character creation

Details:

Background: I want this character to be someone that you will look forward to playing for a long time, as this campaign is designed to do just that. I would like to see how your character is formed through your background. If someone taught them to read the runic letters of the Giants, who did and why would your char wish to know that? What experiences shaped them into taking the Bullied trait? Did a lifetime of childhood pranks lead to the keen eyes and ears of the Alertness Feat?

As these forums are the sole RP outlet for some of us, embrace it as deeply as you would like, but at the minimum give me the feeling that your selections are more than +/-s on the character sheet. Give me a chance to use what you provide me to give you a better game. Like I have said many times, I am really all about the story with just enough crunch to keep things interesting.

Starting level: Start at level 1, you will eventually reach level 20.

Starting wealth: Average for the chosen class.

Ability generation system: Potential players have two options for creating their characters. The first is a standard 20 pt buy and the second is to roll 4d6 dropping the lowest roll. If two of the numbers in the 4d6 are 1s, you may reroll one of them, but not both. If the roll method is selected, use the dice roller on the boards to show the rolls with a seperate roll for the reroll of 1 where needed. I prefer full transparency with the rolling system, hence using the board system.

Alignment restrictions: Only neutral and good characters allowed.

Number / type of traits allowed: 2 traits allowed, one of which should be a community campaign trait from the Shackled City Player’s Guide. Drawbacks will be not allowed, but a character might choose one Shackled City original campaign trait with its correspondent drawback without that extra trait counting to the trait limit (this might end up providing you two campaign traits, one from the original AP and another community provided trait).

Source material restrictions: Core + Advanced Player’s Guide + Advanced Race Guide + Bestiaries + Ultimate Magic + Ultimate Combat + Ultimate Campaign + Inner Sea Guide

Maps: Roll20 maps will be used when needed/wanted.

Posting frequency: At least 1 every 24 hours (expect me to post much often), and let others know if you will be not available for more than 2 days.

Masterwork Item

Details:

You may select 1 MW weapon, armor, or equipment at the start of game. Caveat: No special materials allowed. This MW item must be part of your background in some way and while valuable to you, it will have a lifetime resale value of 0 to show that it is unique to you and you alone.

Multi-class and Prestige Classes

Details:

I have always preferred story over dice, so while there is nothing in the rulebooks that say you must rationalize a multi-class decision, I am imposing one. It doesn't have to be perfect, but work with me some on showing that the char is leaning in one direction or the other through the course of game play. This means that a fighter who has only hacked and slashed through level 1 to reach 2 does not suddenly gain the ability to cast magic missle at level 2 without putting in the legwork to justify how he has mastered in three days what others spend 10 years striving to achieve. Especially if at no point leading to that level has this fighter acquired a spellbook.

Crafting

Details:

Feel free to do so if your chars are so inclined.

Hit Points

Details:

Everyone will start with the max HP for their classes at 1st Level.

Characters have the option of either rolling roll for HP as normal, with the ability to reroll a natural 1, or taking a flat 75% rate of advancement on hit points. Where the 75% results in a .5 aspect, the hit point will float between every other level to gain the +1 at that time. I want you guys to have a fighting chance to stay alive and low hps, will not a long life make.

Once the decision has been made on the HP path, that will be the one the player must use through the life of this char.

Races

Details:

Each of the standard PHB races is a viable option when creating a character for this campaign. Details regarding each race and it’s place in the campaign setting are below.

Human – The vast majority of Cauldron citizens are human, and most of the outlying towns and villages also support a primarily human population. Human’s currently hold most of the positions of power in the area, but are also fully integrated into all aspects of the merchant, farming/plantation and mining work that takes place in the region.

Halflings – The most common non-human race found in the region. While there is no record of a traditional Halfling settlement in the history of the area, they have long been a fixture in both the farming/plantation and merchant sects in the region.

Gnome – The Gnomes have a storied history in this region, but their time of prominence has passed. Underground enclaves of gnomes used to fill the caverns of the Underdark below Cauldron, but they now lie abandoned due to horrors mostly forgotten except by a select few. The gnomes that remain in the area have primarily integrated themselves into the merchant class.

Dwarf – Much like the Gnomes, the Dwarves used to rule over large underground complexes, often guarding over entrances to the Underdark and protecting the region from what lay within. But just like the Gnomes, their time of prominence in the area has largely passed, and their underground kingdoms either lie empty, or have become the home of the very things they were originally built to hold back. Many of the dwarves that remain in the area are heavily involved in the mining operations in the region.

Elf/Half-Elf/Half-Orc – While you can find members of all 3 of these races in the area, they do not figure prominently into the population and they have no significant history within the region.

Other - Case by case discussion on any of the non-standard core race.

Classes

Details:

Each of the standard PHB classes is a viable option when creating a character for this campaign. However, given the urban setting that a large percentage of the campaign takes place in, some classes are better suited to the campaign then others. Details related to each class, and it’s potential place in the campaign, are listed below.

Barbarian
Much of this campaign takes place in dungeon or urban environs. As such, a barbarian designed to excel in the wilderness won't have as much to do as one who focuses his skill points on things like
Climb, Intimidate, Acrobatics, and Perception. You might play as one of th city mercenaries, or perhaps as a wilderness warden sent by his tribe to be the eyes and ears the tribe at Cauldron.

Bard
Bards are an excellent choice for this campaign. There are ample opportunities to influence important NPCs during the campaign, and skill in Bluff, Diplomacy, and Intimidate, plus access to enchantment and illusion spells, which are useful against most foes in the adventure, can be a great help in dealing with large crowds of people. You can be an artist looking to become a local diva, a chamberlain in a noble family, a scoundrel, a fine commander or a ruin explorer.

Cleric
The abilities of a cleric are strongly needed in this campaign, especially as the level increases and you are expected to have access to certain spells. That said, even if religion is not a focus
in the campaign, it plays a relevant part, being churches among the most powerful organisation in Cauldron. Note also that while undead can be found in this campaign, they are not the campaign's focus. Clerics who spend on feats to enhance their ability to turn undead might consider instead other divine feats that allow them to use their energy channeling ability for other uses.

There are only four established temples in Cauldron; the ones to St. Abadar, Serenrae, Gorum, and Pharasma. A shrine to Desna exists at the
Lucky Monkey, far north of the city. Additional shrines to Serenrae, Pharasma, Torag, Erastil, and Calistria can be found in the outlying
towns and villages in the area. Clerics who worship one of these deities have an advantage in that they will have a support structure of some sort to rely upon. Clerics of other deities are on their
own in the Cauldron region, although they could find support in an allied church. Playing with a cleric from one of the main churches will ease your party’s task and become rewarding as events start to unfold, but still, if you want to play a cleric from a deity that does not have an established church in the region, perhaps you are eventually tasked with founding one!

Druid
As with barbarians, you should bear in mind that much of this campaign takes place in urban and dungeon environs. Nonetheless, there are a couple opportunities for a druid's specialized skills to shine. The citizens of Cauldron know about animal companions, and probably will not react too violently to a druid's companion unless she takes a particularly large or exotic one (see the animal companion recommendations section).

Fighter
Fighters should have plenty to keep them busy in this campaign. You can easily become involved with Cauldron's town guard and the city will be in need of a strong protector at multiple times. Despite this adventure having multiple roleplaying opportunities and situations out of the typical dungeon crawl, there is still plenty of combat a fighter can excel at. You can be a mercenary, a soldier, a town guard, or the bodyguard from a noble family or an organization as the Bluecrater Academy. You could even wish to play closer to the religion without becoming a paladin, the church of Gorum is a good nomination for such a role.

Monk
There are no monasteries in Cauldron or other establishments that cater to a monk's unique interests and skills. A monk is likely to be regarded by locals with a mixture of curiosity and quiet awe. As such, there are just a few characters that might play the role of a mentor or pupil for a monk character. That said, there is word of a certain legal good order of monks called the Order of the Silver Dream that chases ancient undead in the region. Although the order has no role in the
adventure besides a casual citation, your character might be an envoy looking to gather information and destroy any undead in Cauldron and its surroundings.

Paladin
A paladin is an excellent choice for this campaign as combat against evil foes will be a constant and a paladin can be both a great protector of the city and have the skills required to interact
with Cauldron’s high society. In addition a character of this class can be easily involved with the multiple churches in Cauldron. If you plan to play a paladin it is recommended that you choose Abadar as your deity. As such, you might find a good mentor and build up a memorable
relationship with Sir Alek Tercival.

Ranger
The advice given above for barbarians and druids applies to rangers as well. One thing to note is that the ranger's favored enemy ability is unique amongst the class abilities; a poor choice of favored enemy can dramatically reduce the enjoyment of playing a ranger. Take good note of the favored enemy recommendations in this guide.

Rogue
Rogue is an excellent choice for this campaign; there are a large number of traps for rogues to handle in the numerous dungeons, and a rogue focused in social skills could be an invaluable asset during multiple urban and political situations. Additionally, there are a couple thief guilds in Cauldron. A low level rogue might find difficult to influence the decisions in a powerful guild like the Last Laugh, but a disorganized group like the Alleybashers might do a good use of a
charismatic leader. Other organizations as the Chisel or some of the nobles might be also interested to hire or support a good willed spy, executor or contrabandist.

Sorcerer
Sorcerers pose an interesting possibility in this campaign. Since sorcerers gain their magical powers from some mystical inborn source like the blood from the old founder of the city, or one curse affecting some of Cauldron natives, or the heritage of one ancient dragon. These links can be nothing more than flavor, or they can actually be involved in the heart of the campaign events.

Wizard
A wizard might struggle to find downtime at some points of the campaign when the events quickly unfold, but his widespread access to magic will be much useful, both to research threat and provide powers that will be expected in the party to overcome certain challenges. There are no large wizardry organisations in Cauldron, but the Bluecrater Academy might serve as an starting point for the character’s studies, or he might be the apprentice of some of the mid­level wizards in the city
(Vortimax Weer or Maavu Arlintal). Further on, he can drew his knowledge from the ancient ruins the party explores or just request new scrolls from the well connected to the world city of Sasserine. Wizards might have a keen interest in joining the Chisel, since that organization has a fairly extensive collection of secret lore, or become professors in the Bluecrater Academy.

Alchemist
The alchemist multiple and diverse abilities might be a good asset for the party while exploring
dungeons. You can be an student in the Bluecrater Academy or pupil of Vortimax Weer.

Cavalier
The urban and dungeon environments will probably not fit well the skills of an specialised knight. Therefore this class will not be allowed in the campaign.

Gunslinger
Not allowed at beginning of campaign.

Inquisitor
Same as for cleric and paladin, inquisitors can be a good match for the multiple churches in Cauldron. Look in their sections for further hints.

Magus
The ability to combine blade and magic will sure be engraved in Cauldron’s citizens minds with ease and become useful in the combats the party will have to face. In addition, the magus' access to
Knowledge skills will help the party research the dangers and enemies that will hide behind the corners of Cauldron. See the fighter and wizard entries for ideas on how to tie up your background with the city.

Oracle
Drawing energy from some of the less known mysteries of Cauldron, an Oracle can become a great pillar of the events developing in the city. An orphan given to the Lantern Street Orphanage can make for a good start so the mysterious source of the character’s powers do not need to be revealed until later in the campaign.

Summoner
A summoner’s eidolon might find problems to walk around the city of Cauldron, but some of the more human­like shapes might be more natural to the commoners. The relationship with your eidolon can set its origin to some visit to the Demonskar, the wilderness or even the undergrounds of Cauldron.

Witch
A witch might not be that natural to a city as Cauldron, but its abilities will be useful in a campaign full of enemies vulnerable to mind­ affecting effects. You can set your origin in the wilderness surrounding Cauldron, look at the barbarian, druid and ranger sections for ideas on how to tie up with the city.