Hi all,
I recently started reading bits and pieces of the Savage Tide adventure path, and I will certainly DM it in the near future for my players. As we all like the Forgotten Realms setting, I intend on converting the campaign for Faerun, and I read through the conversion guidelines brought by Paizo.
The stuff is that I'm not very fond of the locations being advised, and instead I'd like to put the background of the campaign on the Moonshae Isles, off the western coast of Faerun.
Main idea is that Sasserine could be put on the island of Mintarn, as its main city, Mintarn being the most cosmopolitan island of the region, and has evident trade/influence links with several kingdoms on the coast like Amn, Calimshan or Waterdeep. I could see the Crimson pirates as coming from the Nelanther islands in the south of the Moonshae, and the Isle of Dread as being located far west in the uncharted parts of the Trackless Sea.
So, what do you think of my ideas, do you think it's workable, and what kind of advices could you give me, fellow gamers? I like the Moonshae for the liberty they leave to a DM (not a lot of material from TSR/Wotc), and the remote/celtic feel they have.
I intend also on fleshing out the campaign with material from the Freeport setting.
So, any idea, advices, remarks will be more than welcome, and if they are DMs who did something similar, or know well the Moonshae, your feedback would be highly appreciated.
Many thanks!
yeah, well, the Moonshae island have/had a plethora of material actually - although mostly 2E and novels ("Darkwalker on Moonshae etc.").
Massively celtic/irish feeling (actually a lot of classic celtic myths got transfered straight to the moonshae ) and not in any way urban in a way that would fit Sasserine - more like 10th century early medieval culture than asserines mediterranean/carbbiean 6th - 18th cenbtury style.
Also the climate is much colder (temperate) than Sasserine's tropical athmosphere. Google up Ireland and Wales and you have a good idea what TSR/WotC originally envisioned the Moonshae to be like.
That said, it's your FR and campaign, and feel free to shift currents, weather patterns and cultural bias any which way you want.
yeah, well, the Moonshae island have/had a plethora of material actually - although mostly 2E and novels ("Darkwalker on Moonshae etc.").
Massively celtic/irish feeling (actually a lot of classic celtic myths got transfered straight to the moonshae ) and not in any way urban in a way that would fit Sasserine - more like 10th century early medieval culture than asserines mediterranean/carbbiean 6th - 18th cenbtury style.
Also the climate is much colder (temperate) than Sasserine's tropical athmosphere. Google up Ireland and Wales and you have a good idea what TSR/WotC originally envisioned the Moonshae to be like.That said, it's your FR and campaign, and feel free to shift currents, weather patterns and cultural bias any which way you want.
Living in Ireland myself, I know what you mean about climate and culture ;)
I do know that the Savage Tide AP as it is is more a caribbean/tropical setting, but after all, the majority of the campaign takes place on the Isle of Dread and below, and I do think that the beginning could be replaced on the Moonshae - or more precisely Mintarn, which is more multicultural than the rest of the isles. Any ideas?
Living in Ireland myself, I know what you mean about climate and culture ;)
I do know that the Savage Tide AP as it is is more a caribbean/tropical setting, but after all, the majority of the campaign takes place on the Isle of Dread and below, and I do think that the beginning could be replaced on the Moonshae - or more precisely Mintarn, which is more multicultural than the rest of the isles. Any ideas?
Ok, I find myself preaching tho the choir.
As for using the Moonshaes, your call. In my estimate though that would significantly prolong the sea journey in SWW, and change the character of many of the waystops like Fort Blackwell, Renku Island and.... Tamoachan ? There would also have to be extended (+1200 miles to even get close to the coast of chult from where the original STAP conversion is supposed to set out ) passages through or by Lantan and the Nelanther (?) islands before the Sea Wyvern would reach tropical waters, fit for dinosaurs, the Isle itself and even the Sargasso - this might be a logistic problem, as well as strangely devoid of the usual hazards encountered in these areas.
It would also cause some problems with the street-festival in BWG, as well as the entire Bullywug setup (they somehow don't seem to be temperate-and-colder swampland dwellers ) there. You most certainly have a more intimate look a celtic ways and culture, but transfering much of the "urbane merchant republic of Sasserine" feel and ambience into irish climate and temper strikes me as.... problematic ? A carnevalesque fiesta with masked dancers and acrobats ?
As for the Moonshaes - I am sorry to say, I only used them as a background setting in my teenage days (long past), and we never concentrated much on the cities like Mintarn etc.
Looking at my tattered "FR-2 The Moonshae" there is precious little said about any urban centers of the Isles, and nothing specific about Mintarn. The only thing they provide is a sort of mythical age celtica, with chariot riding heroes, mysterious sidhe-riddled forests and Northmen and disfigured monstrosities, firbolgs and all threatening the rough and humble (f)folks living here.
No real help at all for something the likes of which you are planning.
Mintarn is only mentioned in passing anyway, as an aside on trade routes - since Mintarn seems to be entirely denuded of trees a or useful woodlands, shipbuilders from Mintarn sail to the forested isles of teh Moonshae, fell lumber there ( angering the local druids), build a ship on site and sail back with the new ship and another load of wood.... (this seems pretty hoaky to me ). And that is mostly all she wrote.
I think the atmosphere might be just more 'celtic' in feel than anything else. Sasserine only has around 15,000 people so you could either make it slightly smaller or say it is the metropolis of the area, Mintarn I mean.
What it really needs to be is a port with underground areas--you could make them more 'celtic' and make them old drains and barrows and stuff.
The leadership of the town could be changed to a merchant council which had an aristocratic patron, or say the king/queen.
You might make it more of a 'small town' feel by saying there are 2-4 annual markets and that the population swells during that time, and that this is such an occasion.
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I think you might have a LOT of work to do - and if any of your players actually read some of the Moonshae Isle stuff of sec.ed. it may be even harder. Moonshae is pretty much "closed" it has its own evils, its own history and its own atmosphere - and i think any messing with it may make it hard to cling to the celtic feeling of the isle. If you decide to do that work - good luck and please let us know how you did it, I would be very much interested, since a celtic flavored savage tide sounds fascinating.
If you rather look for an easy place for the STAP, maybe the Pirate Isles on the southern sword coast (Nelanter I think) fit better - you can even download the Lands of Intrigue Boxed Set for free on WotC Homepage, it doesn't contain to much information about the islands but helps to establish the mood of the setting.
There's also the Border Kingdoms on the Lake of Steam, further south and less defined in atmosphere.
I encourage you to try for the Moonshae Isles. What's the game for if not to try out what you really think would be cool?
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I encourage you to try for the Moonshae Isles. What's the game for if not to try out what you really think would be cool?
It was by no means my intetnion to discourage him - quite the contrary. I just wanted to show him the difficulties - and a ossible alternative. As I wrote - I'd love to see some information of how he converted STAP to a celtic setting.
I dont want to discourage either but the Moonshae Isles wouldnt be my first choice either.
If your hell bent on it, get your hands on a pdf of the Forgotten Realms Atlas from way back. Theres a large section on the Moonshaes following the events of the Darkwalker Trilogy with Tristan and his bunch. The Atlas shows a more detailed map if the islands with additional settlements etc.
So, what do you think of my ideas, do you think it's workable, and what kind of advices could you give me, fellow gamers? I like the Moonshae for the liberty they leave to a DM (not a lot of material from TSR/Wotc), and the remote/celtic feel they have.
So, any idea, advices, remarks will be more than welcome, and if they are DMs who did something similar, or know well the Moonshae, your feedback would be highly appreciated.
Absolutely I think it's workable, especially if you prefer the climate and feel of the Moonshaes and Mintarn over that of the STAP.
I do think, however, that the city of Calidyrr (capital of the Ffolk lands of the Moonshaes, on the isle of Alaron) is far more cosmopolitan (and larger) than anything on Mintarn, and might be a better fit. Just a thought.
It's not what I would do (as I prefer the tropical feel of STAP as written), and thus put Sasserine on Tharsult - it's now the city of Urbeth - and put the Isle of Dread south of Chult, with Mhairhetel as Scuttlecove... but I think your idea would work fine if you like the feel of the more northern climes.