GM XaveTheNerd's Circus of Wayward Wonders! - Extinction Curse (Inactive)

Game Master X Hums

Slides
Inventory Tracking Sheet

Hero Points: Hush 1 | Finn 1 | Honey 1 | P'oxtan 1


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Part 1: Your performance - Signature Tricks!
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Spoiler:

Each PC can design their own signature trick. The player decides their signature trick's trick ehck (which can be a skill check, saving throw, or attack roll), chooses a trick trait, and names their trick. When the time comes, describe the trick as dramatically as possible. Only the PC who created the signature trick can perform it; NPCs and other PCs cannot perform another PC's signature trick. Otherwise, signature tricks do not have additional requirements or challenges associated with them (beyond the obvious GM approval).

PCs signature tricks improve and grow more complex as they go up in level. At 1st level a trick may have only 1 trick check and only 1 trick trait (unless the act is particularly dangerous (meaning it uses a saving throw as at least one of its checks), in which case it gains the automatic Injury trait). The number of trick checks and trick traits increases as characters gain levels.

Performing a trick takes one "Circus action", with each of the four acts having a varying number of PCs and NPCs capable of taking 3 actions. The action has the following effects:

Critical Success You generate Excitement equal to the trick's level; this Excitement is added to the circus' total Excitement for the show. You also generate Anticipation equal to half the trick's level (rounded up); this Anticipation is added to the circus' total Anticipation for the show. (Please note, this isn't always a good thing. We'll get to that later)

Success You generate Excitement equal to the trick's level; this Excitement is added to the circus's total Excitement for the show.

Failure No effect

Critical Failure The circus's Excitement value decreases by a value equal to half the trick's level (rounded up).

Also, critically failing a trick with the Injury trait leaves the performer with an injury. A DC 15 flat check determines if this injury is long lasting enough to affect the next performance. If the character fails the check, they are unable to perform in the next performance as they are still recovering from the previous failure. In addition, the performer cannot use perform a trick for the remainder of the show (this does include the remainder of that character's actions).

Trick Traits:

Pick one of the following:
Aerial: The trick involves flight or something similar to it, like trapeze.

Air: The trick involves manipulation of mist, wind, or another prop with atmospheric properties.

Alchemical: The trick involves alchemy. A performer can expend an alchemical item to gain a +1 circumstance bonus to the trick check, destroying the item.

Agile: Performing the trick again only takes a -4 penalty.

Animal: utilizes trained animals

Audience: The audience participates in the trick

Beast: The trick relies on intelligent beasts

Dance: Involved dancing or coreographed movements. Costarring (another action) is especially effective and stacks for these tricks.

Earth: The trick involves the use of mud, earth, or stone.

Emotion: Uses effects (likely alchemical or magical) that induce emotions from the audience. This allows you to reduce the amount of Excitement or Anticipation the trick creates, for purposes of hopefully getting a critical success.

Fire: This trick involves fire, smoke, or pyrotechnics.

Injury: We talked about this one. It's automatic if the trick check is a saving throw.

Magical: The trick invovles the use of magic. You can expend a spell slot, and if the performance succeeds or critically succeeds, the trick generates an additional amount of Excitement equal to the expended spell slot's level.

Music: The trick involves musical cues or is somehow augmented by sound effects and/or music.

Plant: The trick uses plants such as trees, flower, or fungi, or uses magic that affects such plants.

Prop: The trick requires the use of some mundane prop or stage setup.

Team*: This trick requires more than one person. Anytime a PC performing a signature trick accepts the Costar reaction, the trick has this trait.

Time: The trick involves distorting time or altering time in some way. A performer whose trick has this trait can perform that trick on additional time per act, taking a penalty to the fourth trick check equal to the penalty to the third trick check.

Water: This trick features water as a primary component of its performance.

Also, you gain a +1 circumstance bonus to checks if using a corresponding check for the traits used. For example, a performer whose trick has the aerial trick trait gains a +1 circumstance bonus to Acrobatics trick checks.

Aerial - Acrobatics
Air - Survival
Animal - Nature
Audience - Society
Beast - Arcana
Earth - Occultism
Fire - Intimidation
Musical - Performance
Plant - Nature
Prop - Crafting
Water - Athletics
I will bring up other actions for the circus as they become relevant. For now, I'll let you digest the above and design your tricks.


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Part 2: The Show (basics of Excitement and Anticipation)
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Spoiler:

Before a performance, you will usually have the ability to generate a value called Anticipation. This represents the crowd's overall enthusiasm and expectations for the show. The higher the Anticipation, the bigger the payout. However, if you generate more Anticipation than the show can satisfy, the show is a failure.

Excitement represents the crowd's satisfaction with the show. You generate Excitement by successfully completing tricks, and must generate more Excitement than Anticipation in order to earn your full Payout.

To specify, the outcome of a show is:
A success if you generate more Excitement than Anticipation.
A failure if you generate more Anticipation than Excitement.
A show is a Critical Success if the performers generate EXACTLY as much Excitement as Anticipation.

We'll get back to how to generate Anticipation when it comes time to do so. Just note that it involves making checks and purchases prior to a show (specifically using downtime), and that Anticipation is only valid for a week. We'll also come back to what happens depending on the success level when the first show is over.


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Part 3: Progressing your trick
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Spoiler:

PC's signature tricks improve and grow more complex as they go up in level. At 4th level a Signature Trick is allowed 2 trick checks. At 8th level a Signature Trick is allowed 2 traits. 12th sees the addition of a 3rd trait. 16th sees the addition of a 3rd check. Lastly, a 4th trait may be added at 20th level.

Once a signature trick is created, it is difficult to change. A PC can change their signature trick (including its trick checks and trick traits) whenever they gain a level OR by spending 6 consecutive days of towntime redesigning the trick.


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Part 4: NPC tricks
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Spoiler:

NPCs are also capable of performing tricks, and they must do so within a circus performance. There are simply too many slots for a table of 4 PCs to fill properly. When an NPC performs their trick, a player of the GM can roll the trick checks for that NPC, using the DC and the modifiers listed in the trick description. NPCs can't perform other NPCs' tricks, nor can they perform Signature Tricks. NPC tricks may have any number of trick traits and types of trick checks; these are not limited by their level as PC tricks are.

New NPC tricks become available to the circus as new NPCs are hired. An NPCs' trick never scales based on the players level, and remains the level the trick was initially gained at for the entirety of the adventure. Only Signature Tricks evolve as the PCs do. This means that the acts in the circus at the beginning of the Adventure Path and the acts and NPCs present at the end may be radically different. It IS helpful to have low level tricks in reserve, though, for purposes of attempting to get the Cricial Success condition for circus performances (reminder: Anticipation and Excitement match exactly).


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Part 5: Anatomy of an Act
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Spoiler:

An act consists of one or more tricks, the number depending on which act the circus is currently performing. Act I is the opener and contains but 1 trick. Act II is the Build-Up for the main event and contains 2 tricks. Act III is the Big Number; this is typically reserved for the biggest, most exciting trick the circus has to offer. It only contains 1 trick. Act IV is the finale, and it has a total of 3 tricks happening simultaneously as a final show. This leads to a total of 7 tricks, and no performer may perform more than once during the show.

When a performer is up in an act, they are allowed three actions. It is ONE action to Perform a Signature or NPC trick, and a character may perform more their trick multiple times throughout a single act. Each attempt at performing the trick after the first takes a -5 (or a -10 if the third time performing), unless the trick has the agile trait, in which case the penalty is -4 and -8, respectively.

PCs are the only ones capable of Costarring in a show, which is a reaction. Trigger: Another performer in the same act as you is about to attempt a trick check. Requirements: The performer is willing to accept your aid. Result: You help another performer in the act pull of their trick, possibly granting them a bonus to the triggering trick check. Attempt the same check as the trick check you are attempting to aid (this is why having multiple checks is helpful). The DC to Costar is equal to the DC of the trick check. This reaction OTHERWISE counts as the Aid action.

Lastly, a performer may Send in the Clowns. This takes one action. Requirements: You or another performer has failed or critically failed a trick check during the current act. Result: You give the signal for the circus' clown troupe to come onstage and rescue a botched trick. A failed trick becomes a success instead, or if it was a critical failure, it is instead a failure (though tricks with the injury trait still apply their critical failure effect of possibly removing the performer from the next show). The clowns can only be sent in once per act, and only one trick check is affected.


An in depth example:

For the second act of this week’s circus show, the
build‑up, Gerard the rogue is attempting his signature
trick, the Deep‑Sea Dunk, which involves shackling his
hands together before he is dropped in a water tank from
which he must escape. Performing alongside him in the
other ring is Janelle the ranger, who will be performing as
the Incredible Manticore Tamer (with some help from her
lion animal companion in costume).
Because he is a 4th‑level PC, Gerard’s trick can have
one trick trait and he can choose from one of two different
trick checks whenever he performs the Deep‑Sea Dunk.
When he last leveled up, Gerard chose the agile trait for
his trick and decided his available trick checks would be
a Thievery check (representing his ability to undo his
manacles) and a Fortitude saving throw (representing his
ability to hold his breath).

Janelle, also 4th level, has chosen the animal trait for
her trick, and uses either Nature or Intimidation for her
trick checks (representing her ability to keep her animal
under control and her ability to scare the audience with
her stunt, respectively).

The group decides that Gerard will describe his
performance and take his actions first. Gerard describes
his trick—the trapdoor drops, he plunges into the tank
of water!—and rolls a Thievery trick check for his first
action. Including his check modifier, his result is 26,
which handily overcomes the DC of 19 for 4th‑level
characters and generates 4 Excitement. He decides
to attempt two more trick checks, this time Fortitude
saves to hold his breath, taking the –4 and –8 penalties
on his rolls (because his trick has the agile trait) and
getting results of 20 (just beating the DC) and 9 (a
critical failure). His second roll generates 4 Excitement,
but his last roll, a critical failure, subtracts 2 Excitement
from the circus’s running total. Because his critically
failed trick check was a saving throw, Gerard must also
attempt a DC 15 flat check to determine if he is injured
as a result of his trick. Thankfully he rolls a 16, allowing
him to avoid injury.

Janelle attempts a Nature trick check for her first
action, and her result is a 29—a critical success! She
generates 4 Excitement but also 2 Anticipation. She
decides to attempt another Nature trick check for her
second action but gets only a 17—a failure. For her last
action, she Sends in the Clowns, changing her failed trick
check to a success instead and generating a total of 8
Excitement and 2 Anticipation from her performance.

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Part 6: Something WILL go Wrong
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Spoiler:

It is impossible to account for every possibility before the curtains go up and the show starts. At the beginning of each circus show, the GM rolls on a table to determine a random circus event. These are not always bad, but they ARE always unexpected. These events have different effects depending entirely on what is rolled, but some events may be avoided entirely via a non-performer role.

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Part 7: Non-Performer Roles (Copy pasted from the book)
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Spoiler:

Of course, some PCs might not want to perform in every circus show their troupe puts on. In this case, PCs can take part in auxiliary roles that, while not the focus of the show, can still play a big part in the circus’s success.

Each of the following non-performer roles requires a PC to abstain from performing in the show but grants a bonus to various parts of the performance. NPCs cannot perform these roles; it is assumed that they are fully occupied with preparing for their acts. Once chosen, a non-performer role cannot be changed until the next show. Only one PC can perform a particular non-performer role per show (for example, two PCs can’t both choose the role of animal handler). Some roles can be chosen only after purchasing certain circus upgrades.

The GM can create additional non-performer roles for the PCs, using the roles listed here as baselines.

Animal Handler: Trick checks with the animal trait gain a +2 circumstance bonus, and a PC whose signature trick has the animal trait can perform twice in the same show (though not in the same act). If the animals break loose event is rolled on Table 3: Random Circus Events (below), reroll on that table instead.

Backup Clown: Performers can Send in the Clowns one additional time per act.

Bandleader: After each trick is completed, the bandleader can choose to generate Anticipation equal to half the bandleader’s level rounded up. The circus must have the acoustics permanent upgrade (page 69) before a PC can choose the bandleader role.

Carnival Barker: The carnival barker draws in more audience members as the show goes on and increases the show’s maximum Anticipation. For every successful trick check performed, the carnival barker can choose to increase the show’s maximum Anticipation by 5.

Clown Coordinator: You can Send in the Clowns as a reaction instead of using 1 action. Costumer: Performers get a +1 circumstance bonus to trick checks with the audience trait.

Lighting: Performers gain a +1 circumstance bonus to Deception and Thievery trick checks. The circus must have the spotlights permanent upgrade before a PC can choose the lighting role.

Medic: Performers can’t become injured from critically failing tricks with the injury trait.

Pyrotechnic: Trick checks with the fire trait generate double Excitement.

Security Guard: Any rolls of hecklers or scalpers on Table 3: Random Circus Events are negated and have no effect on the performance.


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Part 8: Generating Anticipation
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Spoiler:

While your first show had anticipation already created as the circus rolled into town, other performances won't be so lucky, and you'll need to generate Anticipation on your own. Note: Anticipation expires if not used within 6 days of it being generated. There are two ways to go about doing this:

Promoting the Circus: PCs can spend 2 consecutive days in town generating Anticipation for the next circus show. Attempt a Society, Diplomacy, or Performance check. The DC of this check is equal to the DC appropriate for the group's APL. One other PC can spend 2 downtime days to Aid you, providing a +2 circumstance bonus to your check if they succeed at any DC 20 check of any of the following: Society, Diplomacy, Performance, or any check related to the aiding PC's signature trick(s).

Critical Success: You generate Anticipation equal to twice the sum of your level plus your Charisma modifier (if your charisma modifier is negative, use 0 for your charisma modifier).

Success: You generate Anticipation equal to your level plus your Charisma modifier (if your charisma modifier is negative, use 0 for your charisma modifier)

Failure: You generate 1 Anticipation

Critical Failure: You fail to generate any Anticipation.

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Purchasing Advertisements: At the beginning of the week preceding a show, the PCs can purchase an advertisement tier, which represents varying levels of advertising, such as posters for a low-level tier, endorsements from town influencers at mid-level, and even magical billboards at higher tiers. They must do so before they have Promoted the Circus. Only one advertisement tier may be purchased per show, and after a show, an advertisement tier must be purchased again to generate Anticipation.

The PCs can purchase an advertisement tier using their circus Payout or their own adventuring money.

Tier 1: 1gp; 1 Anticipation
Tier 2: 5gp; 2 Anticipation
Tier 3: 20gp; 4 Anticipation
Tier 4: 40gp; 6 Anticipation
Tier 5: 80gp; 9 Anticipation
Tier 6: 150gp; 12 Anticipation
Tier 7: 250gp; 16 Anticipation
Tier 8: 500gp; 20 Anticipation
Tier 9: 800gp; 25 Anticipation
Tier 0: 1200gp; 30 Anticipation
Tier 1: 2000gp; 40 Anticipation
Tier 2: 3000gp; 50 Anticipation


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Part 9: Circus Upgrades
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Spoiler:

Anytime between shows, the PCs may upgrade their circus. Each upgrade has a price; the PCs can pay for the upgrade using either Payout or their own personal funds.

Two type of upgrades exist: permanent and temporary. Permanent upgrades, once purchased, affect every show thereafter. Temporary upgrades only affect the next show after their purchase, and may be purchased any time up to and including the day of the performance, and they do not expire until a performance has been done. Each temporary upgrade can only be purchased once per show.

Certain upgrades can only be purchased after the curcus has purchased a preceding upgrade, such as the huge and massive tent size increases. These upgrades are marked with a "-" in the following list, and must be purchased in the order presented.

Permanent upgrades
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Acoustics: 30 gp; Min Prestige 5.
Flooring
- Safety Net: 20gp; No min Prestige.
- Padded Floors: 100gp; Min Prestige 6.
Seating
- Bleachers: 50 gp; Min Prestige 5.
- Assigned seats: 100 gp; Min Prestige 10.
- Upholstered seats: 250 gp; Min Prestige 15.
Spotlights: 40 gp; Min Prestige 4.
Tent Expansions
- Big: 40gp; Min Prestige 3.
- Huge: 100gp; Min Prestige 10.
- Massive: 300gp; Min Prestige 15.
Watermarked tickets: 50gp; No min Prestige.

Temporary upgrades
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Beer: 5gp; No min prestige.
Confections: 15gp; Min Prestige 5.
Disposable binoculars: 25gp; Min Prestige 8.
Merch, basic: 20gp; Min Prestige 3.
Merch, quality: 40gp; Min Prestige 6.
Merch, extraordinary: 60gp; Min Prestige 10.

Acoustics: Tricks with the musical trait gain a +1 circumstance bonus. After purchasing this upgrade, the bandleader role becomes available to PCs.

Flooring: Performers whose tricks have the injury trait are at a lower risk of getting hurt after a critically failed trick check. With a safety net, the DC of the flat checks to determine if a performer becomes injured decreases to 10. With padded floors, it decreases to 5.

Seating: Quality seating options generate additional Excitement for the circus's shows, but reduce the circus's maximum Anticipation by 10. At the start of each show, a circus with bleachers automatically generates 5 excitement. Assigned seats generates 10. Upholstered seats generates 20.

Spotlights: This upgrade grants a permanent +1 increase to the circus's Prestige. In addition, after purchasing this upgrade, a PC can choose the lighting role during circus shows.

Tent Expansions: Bigger tents increase the circus's maximum Anticipation limit. Without any upgrades, a circus's maximum Anticipation is 20. A big tent increases the circus's maximum Anticipation to 50, huge to 100, and massive to 200.

Watermarked Tickets: An intricate ticket design makes forgeries near impossible. For the purposes of calculating Payout, the circus's Prestige is treated 2 points higher than it actually is (typically giving a payout of 2 more gp).

Beer: The circus generates an additional 2d6 Anticipation for the next show, and tricks with the audience trait gain a +2 circumstance bonus. However, the hecklers event is automatically triggered, in addition to any other random event rolled.

Confections: The circus generates an additional 2d6 Excitement at the start of the next show.

Disposable Binoculars: There is no maximum Anticipation limit for the next show.

Merch: This temporary upgrade has no direct effect on the next show. Instead, a fraction of the final Anticipation total of the next show is carried onto the show after that. With basic merch, the circus retains 25% of its final Anticipation (rounded down). Quality merch increases this to 50%. Extraordinary to 75%.