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There is an opportunity for a "sad" ending in every AP - they always have a page or two devoted to What if the PCs Fail? and Further Adventures. A lot of folks are responding like it's got to be either/or. Maybe this AP just has a slightly more extensive What if they Fail? section.
And I'm one of those who would prefer a more-Call-of-Cthulhu low-power experience, but I've modified APs before, I can do it again with this one. All I'd like is a wee bit of developer support and maybe some side-bars with suggestions on how to run this in a lower-power campaign, how to amp up the unbeatable horror vibe, how to defeat big-bads without actually killing them (like banishing them or trapping them). Just an awareness on their part that some folks will want to go in this direction... and then they can write it for the majority audience who want a more traditional fantasy experience. Just leave me a few non-Euclidean angles that I can latch onto.
Excellent. The Stars are Right.
I disagree, a horror story can have a happy ending, besides I am oppressed enough in the real world so I would like to kick but. If any campaign shouldn't have a happy ending it would be the evil campaign.
They can, yes. I actually don't like ones that have a bad ending for the sake of a bad ending. But while I haven't read everything Mythos, those rarely do have a truly happy ending. I can't actually think of one where the hero definitely and totally succeeds without consequences. And the consequence to most horror movies happen during the movie - even when the hero makes it out, it's usually only them and maybe the love interest, with everyone else dead.
You can't do that in a RP Adventure Path too easily, or at least not write the path with the expectation of one character dying per book, but you can make the ending something that leaves a mark.
I'm not saying that the ending should be 'and the monsters win', though. I'm suggesting that the heroes win, but it comes at a price. The NPC that's been around for six books is lost, a hero doesn't make it out, limbs are lost without a chance to be Regenerated. Someone's soul is stolen from there body by a devil they had to get help from, leaving a potential plot hook for a 'continue the campaign' type thing. Carnival of Tears does that - the better you do the less people die, but no matter how well you do there will be losses. That's what I'm thinking here.
What I don't want to see if the heros rocket punch the final boss, plunder it's corpse, and walk off whistling a tune. This might not be a Mythos game, but it is Mythos themed - there should be a cost, and consequences.
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If people are looking for insanity rules geared for Pathfinder I'd suggest Tomes of Arcane Knowledge by Legendary Games. It came out back when Carrion Crown was still in production and is arguably one of the best conversions of the system up to a Pathfinder/power fantasy style game.
I disagree, a horror story can have a happy ending, besides I am oppressed enough in the real world so I would like to kick but. If any campaign shouldn't have a happy ending it would be the evil campaign.They can, yes. I actually don't like ones that have a bad ending for the sake of a bad ending. But while I haven't read everything Mythos, those rarely do have a truly happy ending. I can't actually think of one where the hero definitely and totally succeeds without consequences. And the consequence to most horror movies happen during the movie - even when the hero makes it out, it's usually only them and maybe the love interest, with everyone else dead.
You can't do that in a RP Adventure Path too easily, or at least not write the path with the expectation of one character dying per book, but you can make the ending something that leaves a mark.
I'm not saying that the ending should be 'and the monsters win', though. I'm suggesting that the heroes win, but it comes at a price. The NPC that's been around for six books is lost, a hero doesn't make it out, limbs are lost without a chance to be Regenerated. Someone's soul is stolen from there body by a devil they had to get help from, leaving a potential plot hook for a 'continue the campaign' type thing. Carnival of Tears does that - the better you do the less people die, but no matter how well you do there will be losses. That's what I'm thinking here.
What I don't want to see if the heros rocket punch the final boss, plunder it's corpse, and walk off whistling a tune. This might not be a Mythos game, but it is Mythos themed - there should be a cost, and consequences.
Razor Coast does this very well.
You can still win, but it can almost seem a pyrrhic victory depending on how well your characters do. And regardless of how well they do, the death toll will be high.
I agree that not having an ending with a high price would go against the theme. Being Pathfinder, I think the heroes should be able to win outright and come out powerful and great. But there should be collateral damage that affects the PCs personally if the themes are upheld, at least in my opinion.
I'm very much looking forward to this as the Lovecraftian themed adventures James mentioned were very good at establishing the atmosphere of Lovecraft. All that was missing was a personal tie between the characters and the plot. All of the APs have been designed lately to do just that through the free Players Guides, so my hopes are high! :)
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One of my favorite Call of Cthulhu scenarios is Red Eye of Azathoth, published by Kobold Press (way back when they were Open Design). In the very early stages of development, Wolfgang Baur actually put the system that the adventure would be in up to a vote: Call of Cthulhu or Pathfinder. CoC won, and I do think it's a better fit for the adventure, but it seems that they weren't afraid of pushing the boundaries of the Pathfinder system. And that adventure includes a way for the heroes to "win" but still inadvertently doom the world.
The adventure is divided into five different segments. It is possible to "lose" the fourth segment and still go on to "win" the fifth segment, stopping the immediate danger of Azathoth arriving on Earth and one of his servitor races basically torturing all of humanity for the rest of time. However, if a portion of that fourth segment is NOT "won" then a plan of the Denizens of Leng comes to fruition, and they gain the ability to possess humans at will, even across dimensional boundaries.
For a much better and more thorough explanation, grab a copy of The Red Eye of Azathoth. It's only $10, and it's a brilliant (series of) adventures. At the very least, it could provide you some inspiration.
That's the kind of thing I'd like to see from a Mythos-heavy Pathfinder adventure.
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** spoiler omitted **
Spoiler:it is actually the Parchlands, not the Parched Lands
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Shut up and take my money!
Also I really was suprised by and enjoyed the horror background of Skull & Shackles. The story repeated in the background was this: you can kill the evil horrors, take thier stuff, and build a castle, until later you are corrupted or driven insane too. You can win for now, until later when you become the problem.
Oh, MAN! This is rad!
Lovecraft all the way! Thank you, Paizo!
Any chance we can get a little spoiler fest going on in here again soon? I'm crazy excited for this announcement. As a fan of aberrations and the Dark Tapestry, will this AP or Horror Adventures give us more options for characters who want to ally with or gain power from these otherworldly beings? I know thematically they are supposed to be beyond mortal reckoning, but terrestrial aberrations at the very least should be something we can work with. The Aberrant bloodlines, Void domains, and Dark Tapestry mysteries are fantastic, but I'm left wanting more. I've always found it disappointing that we can summon devils, even demons, but there's not a lot that can be done with aberrations, my favourite creature type. Let's put their ability to unmake reality to use unmaking the reality of our enemies!
(As an aside, I love the flavour of all thing Lawful as well, but that's even worse off as real options go. Even the Unchained Summoner's Inevitable Eidolon didn't receive a single unique evolution and is considered far and away the weakest choice, much to my dismay. But I digress.)
Regardless. I'm sure this will be an AP to remember, so thanks for all the hard work!
RPG Superstar 2008 Top 4; Contributor; Publisher, Legendary Games
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And if that doesn't fit into Paizo's plans... 3rd Party Publishers, I'll tell you right now that I'll pay good money for a supplemental handbook that really delves into how to run a successful low-magic and reluctant heroes.I haven't really kept up with them lately, but Legendary Games used to put out "Adventure Path Plug-Ins". I'm not sure if that's a way they would want to go with Strange Aeons, but it wouldn't hurt to look them up and ask if they have anything planned for it.
Legendary Games does indeed have a great deal of interest in horror adventures, as evidenced by the 18 products we put out for the "Gothic Adventure Path Plug-Ins" line, which you can find right here at Paizo.com or on the Legendary Games webstore! , either as individual PDFs or synthesized into the magnificent 256-page Gothic Campaign Compendium.
Your timing is also excellent to check out any of those products, because they are ALL 40% off for the month of October!
The products in that line cover all kinds of horror themes, but if you're looking for individual products with an especially Lovecraftian vibe, I'd definitely encourage you to check out the following:
Beyond the Void, Cultic Cryptomancia, Feasting at Lanterngeist, Gothic Grimoires: The Necrotic Verses, Gothic Grimoires: The Sepulchral Swaths of Tanoth-Gha, The Murmuring Fountain, Mutant Manifesto, Tomes of Ancient Knowledge, and Treasury of the Macabre.
There are plenty of glowing reviews of this product line from Endzeitgeist and others, so check them out and start whetting your appetite now for Strange Aeons and Horror Adventures next GenCon!
Just a handful of months left now.
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Yay! This is what I've been requesting for a few years now. I was hoping Occult Adventures would have more Lovecraft in it, but James shut that down early on. I kind of feel bad for OA though, the other major rules books got AP love, but OA seems lost in the Cheliax wash. I did really like OA though, at least what I've got to explore so far. Poor OA, at least it will get some love in my War of the Burning Sky. Creatures from the realm of dreams throughout the campaign just lends itself to psychic effects.
I really like the idea of dreamscapes and some of the ideas presented on dream magic so far and would be happy to see it expanded. I also like the King in Yellow, especially his role in theatre and am happy to see his minions in this AP. I'd like to see Tharazidun get a re-hash as well, I really liked him from Dungeon Mag. I'd also like to see something like the dreamtime explored in this AP or Horror Adventures. I know it's not Lovecraft, but it would be really cool with the dream theme. Serpent's Skull did explore this idea briefly with totem animals in the second volume, but I want something better!
