"Behind our own world lurks a realm of constant change, where anything is possible and nothing is forbidden. A place where even the gods are blind, and nature relaxes her iron laws. The creatures hailing from this place are neither good nor evil, but alien—beings who might grant you a wish or pull you apart to see how you work, without understanding the consequences of either action. Where our world has morality, theirs has only vitality, a state of nature as red-toothed and brutal as it is innocent." - Professor Jubiano Loisnich, "The Truth in the Tales"
The fey have been around for longer than modern concepts like time, or the gods. Often they like to meddle into the affairs of mortals, or use them for their own inscrutable ends. And now, some of them seem to have taken an interest into a particular part of Golarion, an area that has been untamed for millennia.
--== Hexploration ==--
The group has a number of hexploration activities per day, depending on their speed. There are two possible hexploration activities: Travel and Reconnoiter (explore). A hex is 12 miles across.
With horses/ponies (35-40 feet speed) - 2 actions/day:
To travel through a hex
* Plain - 1/2 day
* Forest or hills - 1 day
* Mountain or swamp - 1 and 1/2 day
Roads improve the terrain type by one step. For example, traveling along a road on the plains takes only 1/4 of a day, and traveling along a road through mountains takes 1 day.
To reconnoiter a hex
* Plain - 1/2 day
* Forest or hills - 1 day
* Mountain or swamp - 1 and 1/2 day
Without horses/ponies (15-25 feet speed) - 1 action/day:
To travel through a hex
* Plain - 1 day
* Forest or hills - 2 days
* Mountain or swamp - 3 days
Roads improve the terrain type by one step. For example, traveling along a road on the plains takes only 1/2 of a day, and traveling along a road through mountains takes 2 days.
To reconnoiter a hex
* Plain - 1 day
* Forest or hills - 2 days
* Mountain or swamp - 3 days
For example, travelling through a plains hex with no roads while reconnoitering would take 2 days on foot, and 1 day on horseback.
--== Influence Information ==--
The Influence System:
Influence is a short-term subsystem wherein the PCs accumulate Influence Points during a social encounter with an NPC to represent their increasing influence. These encounters are a race against the clock to reach Influence Point thresholds in order to sway the NPC. It's perfect for a single social gathering — whether it's a party, a treaty negotiation, or even an attempt to persuade various members of a panel of judges. Because of the variety of Influence skill options and the ability to use Perception to uncover more information, every character has something important to contribute in the influence subsystem, as opposed to situations where only one character has Diplomacy.
The influence subsystem divides a social encounter into rounds, with the number of rounds representing the length of the social event. During each round, each PC can act once to either Influence or Discover.
Influence
You attempt to make a favorable impression on an NPC to convince the NPC to support your cause. Choose an NPC, and attempt a skill check to impress that NPC. The DC, and whether success is possible, depend on the NPC's preferences (typically found in the NPC's influence
stat block).
Critical Success You gain 2 Influence Points with the chosen NPC.
Success You gain 1 Influence Point with the chosen NPC.
Failure You gain no Influence Points with the chosen NPC.
Critical Failure You lose 1 Influence Point with the chosen NPC.
Discover
You watch or study an NPC to learn more about that NPC's preferences. Choose an NPC and attempt a Perception check or an appropriate skill check determined by the GM. The DC is typically found in the NPC's influence stat block.
Critical Success Choose two of the options detailed in Success below; you can choose the same option twice to learn two pieces of information from the same category.
Success Choose one of the following: You learn which skill that can Influence the NPC has the lowest DC (skipping any skills that you already know), one of the NPC's resistances, or one of the NPC's weaknesses.
Failure You learn no information.
Critical Failure Choose a piece of information to learn about, as success, but the information is incorrect. For instance, you might think the NPC is susceptible to flattery when actually the NPC is resistant to flattery.
Typically, an NPC's resistance increased the DC of the check to Influence by 2, while a weakness decreases the DC by 2.
-= Kingmaker NPCs =-
Amiri, 8/8:
Influence: 8/8, Athletics is lowest DC
Amiri is a tall and muscular human woman, clad in a mix of animal skins, leathers, and battle-scarred hide armor. She wears a massive greatsword in a leather scabbard across her back.
Discover: Perception, Society, Warfare Lore
Influence skills: Athletics (to physically impress Amiri) - lowest DC, Deception, Diplomacy, Intimidation (to show Amiri you're not afraid of her), Performance, Survival (to show Amiri that you're capable in the wilds).
Harrim, 0/6:
Influence: 0/6
Harrim is a middle-aged dwarf cleric with a bald head and a long, salt-and-pepper beard.
Discovery: Dwarven Lore, Perception, Religion
Influence skills: Deception, Diplomacy, Dwarven Lore (to talk about dwarven history), Groetus Lore (to speak with Harrim knowledgeably about his faith), Performance, Religion (to impress upon Harrim your own faith)
Weakness: another dwarf attempting to Influence Harrim gets a +2 bonus.
Jaethal, 0/8:
Influence: 0/8, Urgathoa Lore/Intimidation are lowest DC
Jaethal is deathly pale and wears dark clothing. Her raven-black hair is long, and she has no jewelry. Leaning against the table next to her is a massive, wickedly sharp scythe.
Discovery: Perception, Religion
Influence skills: Deception, Diplomacy, Intimidation (to impress Jaethal with your fearsome nature), Performance, Religion (to show Jaethal you have strong faith)
Weakness: Jaethal is lonely, and after a PC successfully uses Diplomacy to Influence her, the DC of that PC's future Diplomacy checks to Influence her is reduced.
Linzi, 8/8:
Influence: 8/8, Performance is lowest DC
Linzi is a young halfling woman wearing leather armor and a weather-worn cloak. She keeps a large leather-bound journal, into which she sketches profile images of everyone present and scribbles occasional notes and verses for songs.
Discover: Occultism, Perception, Society
Influence skills: Deception, Diplomacy, Intimidation, Occultism (to show off the breadth of your esoteric knowledge), Performance - lowest DC (to delight Linzi's artistic sense), Society (to trade gossip and news about favorite artisans or performers)
Maegar Varn, 3/6:
Influence: 3/6, Brevoy Lore, Heraldry Lore Politics Lore have the lowest DC
Maegar is a ruggedly handsome man with a constant shadow of a beard on his jaw; he wears his dark gray hair in a small bun. He carries a distinctive sword that bears the crest of House Varn — four hatchets arranged in a circle — on its pommel guard.
Discovery: Occultism, Perception, Society
Influence skills: Brevoy Lore (to chat about Brevic history), Deception, Diplomacy (to treat Maegar like the noble he is), Heraldry Lore, Intimidation, Politics Lore (to chat about current events), Society (to talk with Maegar about how best to start a village from scratch), Warfare Lore
Weakness: historical topics.
Tartuccio, 4/6:
Influence: 4/6, Arcana has the lowest DC
Impeccably dressed in fine robes and silks, Tartuccio looks more like a stately gnome prince than an actual adventurer.
Discovery: Nature, Perception, Society
Influence skills: Arcana -lowest DC, Deception (to give him a false sense of superiority), Diplomacy, Intimidation, Performance
Valerie, 8/8:
Influence: 8/8, Diplomacy has the lowest DC
Valerie is a tall, exceptionally beautiful woman with striking blue eyes and a warrior's physique.
Discovery: Perception, Society, Warfare Lore
Influence skills: Deception, Diplomacy (to act properly and impress Valerie with your decorum), Intimidation, Society (to speak pleasantly upon current events), Warfare Lore (to compare notes on fighting styles or chat about military history)
Weakness: Displays of honor and lawfulness appeal to Valerie, and someone who strikes her as particularly honorable or lawful — including anyone openly wearing religious symbols of a lawful good or lawful neutral deity — gains a +2 circumstance bonus on checks made to Influence her.
Resistance: Valerie is guarded and suspicious of anyone she believes is a worshipper of Shelyn — a PC whom she suspects worships Shelyn can’t Influence her.
Materials used:
Welcome to this fey-themed Kingmaker game! I will be using some supplemental material to add spice (you don't need to own any of these, I will share the relevant information when and where needed):
- The First World: Realm Of The Fey (Paizo campaign setting)
- The Faerie Ring: Along The Twisting Way (Goblin Sky Press campaign guide)
- Forest Kingdom Campaign Compendium (Legendary Games)
- Faerie Bargains (Legendary Games)
- Faerie Mysteries (Legendary Games)
- Faerie Passions (Legendary Games)
- Treasury Of The Kingdom (Legendary Games)
- Wayfinder #18
- A number of Paizo and third-party modules and adventures
