Hello all!
I plan on running this campaign in a few months and am wondering what specific Pathfinder Society modules mesh well with the adventure path.
I'd love to hear your thoughts and experiences. Thanks!
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Hello, I just made a large order hoping to add the holiday discount which I received in the mail. However, I never got the option to input the code when processing the order. Would you be able to add the discount to the order at this point? Thanks in advance!
Hello, my cart well exceeds $100 but I do not see any indication that the $10 off discount has taken effect. Is there something I need to do to activate it?
Hey all, I'm wondering what miniatures/terrain (if any) you are using for this campaign path. For me, I use a mix of Pathfinder Battles, D&D prepainted miniatures, and Reaper bones miniatures which I paint. As for terrain, I use Paizo's Woodland, Swamp, and Twisted Cavern flipmats. For dungeons, I draw everything out on a large sheet of 1" graph paper with marker and colored pencils.
One of my PCs wanted to know why the Swordlords decided to gift the charter explore the Greenbelt to three outcasts and misfits (a human mercenary, a gnome bard, and an exiled elven ranger). Oleg and Svetlana Leveton explained to the trio that they were not the first group to try to settle these lands. SPOILER ALERT!:
About six months ago, the Swordlords invested a significant amount of resources in outfitting a large expedition of mercenaries and engineers led by one Davik Nettles to explore, survey, and later, build infrastructure throughout the Greenbelt.
The Nettles Expedition, as it would later be called, would be the vanguard of the Swordlord's aggressive territorial expansion into the Stolen Lands. Once roads and bridges were built, colonists would settle the fertile lands of the Greenbelt. Alas, the Nettles Expedition ran afoul of a large and organized bandit presence led by the mysterious Stag Lord. While the expedition succeeded in clearing out one bandit outpost and establishing a beachhead at the northern tip of the Greenbelt (now Oleg's Trading Post), it was ill-prepared to face the cunning Stag Lord and his vicious minions. After a series of catastrophic skirmishes within the Narlmarches and the surround hillside, the expedition's forces were ultimately defeated in a decisive battle along the banks of the Shrike River. In a final act of desperation, Nettles burned his own bridge down to stop the bandits' inexorable advance north to civilization. With his expedition in tatters, Nettles cursed the man who took everything from him and then took his own life by plunging into the ice cold river below. Due to being assigned to guard the cleared fort, Oleg is the only man to survive the ill-fated expedition. Unbeknownst to him, Nettles is now an unholy undead creature. His burning thirst for vengeance and the collective trauma felt by all the men who fell in the bloody battle fuel his new existence. Six months later, the PCs arrive on the scene with a new charter from the Swordlords. Still smarting from their lost investment, the Swordlords' new charter places the emphasis on eliminating banditry "by sword or by rope." Their new investment is minimal, and their expectations are low. This new expedition, if it can even be called that, would be easily replaceable and no one would miss a sellsword and a bunch of demihumans. Any thoughts/feedback would be greatly appreciated!
Please cancel my subscriptions after shipping: Pathfinder Adventure Path #108: Hell Comes to Westcrown (Hell's Vengeance 6 of 6) (PFRPG). Thank you.
Greetings friends! I am currently running a heavily modified CotCT campaign, which has delightfully fallen off the rails. Players are currently running guerrilla operations against a tyrannical monarch and her forces. I would like to reskin/reflavor adventures that hit upon the following themes: 1) Oceans Elevens-type heist adventure where players break into a heavily fortified temple of Abadar. 2) Players infiltrate/invade a thieve's guild in order to take down a criminal empire. Part II of this will be a re-visitation of the final dungeon in "Escape from Old Korvosa." Need help with "Part I." 3) Power struggle within the Hellknights. I ran the previous scenario where players rescue a captive of the Hellknights from Hell itself. I'd like to know if there are any more adventures/scenarios that deal with the internal politics within the Hellknight order. 4) Players infiltrate/invade the Temple of Asmodeus to halt a dastardly ritual. Any help will be greatly appreciated :)
As requested, here are my edits to the campaign: Currently our game is on hiatus as our core group is scattered across the four winds. With that being said, we are in Book VI and the PCs are all at lvl 15. I've taken the liberty to expand on all the books while sticking to the Medium XP track, so they are "over-leveled." I've advanced the enemies accordingly. Anyways, when crafting the campaign, I decided that the focus will be solely on the PCs and their backstories, and I did my damnedest to synergize their character concepts with the campaign's plot points. I did this by restricting race to human only . Furthermore, each character must be a native of Korvosa and are restricted to the Varisian, Chelish, or Shoanti ethnicities (with exceptions allowed based on the quality and plot-hook potential of their backstories/character concepts). I then closely monitored their class selection (no summoners or Asian-themed classes), and had them all tied to Gaedran Lamm in some way. Before you condemn me for being a character creation nazi, I have run multiple campaigns (with more liberal character creation rules) for the same group, and Crimson Throne is their favorite campaign by far. With these onerous restrictions in place, this is what my players came up with: The Heroes of Korvosa Spoiler:
Riah Kristane - LG female Chelish paladin of Iomedae. Wields a two handed sword. Member of the last graduating class of Endrin Military Academy and a descendant of Mandravius the Righteous -- the first Shoanti paladin and slayer of the dread dragon Kazavon. Player's Description:
Alexander Bromethean - LG male Chelish ranger. Member of the last graduating class at Endrin Military Academy and one of the last remaining Sable Company Marines. Adopted son of Lord Bromethean. (He finds out who his real parents are in a big reveal in Book VI) Mavenestian Heinrickson III - CN male Chelish conjurer. First in his graduating class at the Acadamae and former apprentice to Togomor. An unrepentant gambler, Mavenestian found himself deeply indebted, and later forced to help build the Vivified Labyrinth for the Arkonas to pay off his debts. (This player joined the campaign in Book III). Fal - CG female Chelish rogue. A former Lamm's Lamb, and a former member of the Catspaw Lofties, Fal is a dead ringer for the Queen. More to follow. Player's Description:
Azazel – CN male Nidalese sorcerer. Blue dragon disciple and former member of the Children of Kazavon program. More to follow. Player's Description:
Nirali - LG female Vudran cleric of Iori. Nirali comes from a Brahmin family that has fallen on hard times. Betrothed to Bahor Arkona for access to trade contracts with the Western Kingdoms, she was sent to Korvosa to marry. Fortunately, her instructor, a blind beggar (a high level Iroran cleric under a vow of poverty) whom she fed, clothed, and took in as a child, stowed on board. As the ship pulled into harbor, the blind cleric gave his life to dispatch the Arkona retainers on board and buy her time to escape into the slums of the city. Nirali survived by cross-dressing as a male Varisian healer. (Because of this PC's unique concept, I allowed a crossdressing Vudran priest of Irori). Player's Description:
*fortunately, he smells like Jasmine and other pleasant herbs from working in his herbal "closet" most of the time. (yay)" The Big 3
Spoiler:
Not counting Kazavon, the main villains in my campaign are the Arvanxi siblings: Queen Ileosa, her older brother Togomor, and her older sister Sabina. Otherwise known as the "Big 3," this trio has made life hell for my players. The Merrin-Arvanxis were a branch of the Arvanxi family in Westcrown that refused to submit to Thrune rule. For their act of defiance, House Thrune ordered their house purged. The siblings' parents were murdered and their family's holdings were put to the torch. Out of sheer luck, the family made it out of Cheliax as refugees en route to the backwater colony of Korvosa. Upon arrival, they were separated. Sabina was taken by Hellknight recruiters to be trained at Citadel Vraid, while Togomor and Ileosa were left to fend for themselves. Togomor managed to secure admission into the Acadamae by murdering a recently admitted applicant and taking his place. He spent his life savings to provide a comfortable life for Ileosa, complete with tutors in etiquette, music, and oratory. When she reached her majority, she set her eyes on ensnaring the bachelor king. Like a perverse twist on the tale of Cinderella, she enlisted the magical aid of her older brother to sweep into one of King Eodred's annual balls and claim his heart. Once betrothed, she had her husband pressure the Hellknights into stationing Sabina at Korvosa as a liaison. Togomor quietly joined Ileosa as her advisor. By the time the tale begans, the conditions for their eventual takeover had been set. Togomor
Spoiler:
The heavily armored man strode up the gangway onto the deck of the large caravel. The sailors, rough men – normally no strangers to danger - quickly scurried aside to give the imposing warrior a wide berth.
The newcomer wore ebony plate mail, festooned with razor sharp spikes, and covered with engravings depicting the denizens of the Nine Hells. A Hellknight. These soldiers dedicated their lives to enforcing the law. To say that some of their methods are harsh would be an understatement. With iron discipline, sharply honed skill, and diabolically infused strength, they had brought many of Cheliax’s enemies to its knees. Lawbreakers suffered far worse. Torture was their forte and perhaps their only pleasure. They lived Spartan lives with virtually no external comforts. Distractions could not be tolerated. Under his black, horned helmet, he looked like an apparition from hell. A nightmare made into reality. He slowly walked along the deck, surveying the refugees brought up to the deck by frightened sailors. Most of the passengers were political refugees from Cheliax. Many were deposed nobles who had made the fatal mistake of not supporting House Thrune and the infernal pentagram. Togomor, formerly the heir and eldest son of the wealthy House Avanxi, shielded his two young sisters with his slight frame. He wore rags and looked as if he hadn’t eaten in days. His copper hair was matted with dirt and sweat. The journey across the sea had not been kind to him. ‘I would rather die than submit to these foul devil-worshippers.’ He gritted his teeth and glared at the armored figure. The Hellknight surveyed the rabble assembled before him before speaking in a harsh, grating voice, “You are all traitors to the House of Thrune. Did you honestly think that we would not follow you to this backwater kingdom? His Infernal Highness’ reach is long – there is no place on this world where you can hide from Hell.” He paused, drinking in the fear and tension in the air. Such emotions invigorated him. He fed on them and grew stronger. “Fear not, wretches. I am not here to kill you.” He chuckled. “But I will not let you roam free like cockroaches either. Our order is always looking for new recruits.” He turned to the sailors behind the refugees. “Bring the children forward.” The sailors moved quickly to comply. 10 year old Sabina and 3 year old Illeosa was torn from Togomor’s protective grasp and moved in front of the Hellknight. “Your children will repent for your heresy by becoming that which you fear and hate. Don’t worry. We will take care of them.” He laughed mockingly. He began walking down the line of assembled children, yanking the most able-bodied among them off to the side. When he grabbed a hold of Sabina’s tattered dress, Togomor yelled out, “No! Take me instead! Leave her alone!” He pushed his way to the front of the crowd to stand before the much taller soldier. With blinding speed, the Hellknight struck. Togomor crumpled to the ground, unconscious. His nose was shattered and his face was a bloody mess. The soldier laughed at hapless young man. Sabina looked on, terrified. Illeosa began to cry. The Hellknight ushered Sabina and two dozen other young children off the boat. They would be taken to the newly built Citadel Vraid on the southern border of Korvosa. The rest of the refugees would be taken to a re-education camp, where they would be forced to convert to diabolism. As she was being ushered down the gangway, Sabina looked back one more time at her brother’s crumpled form and Illeosa sobbing over him. She had not been exposed to violence before the year her world fell apart. She should have been playing with her dolls or learning how to knit from her mother. It would have been teatime at their estate right now. Her mother had bought her a new green dress for her birthday. She had said that I looked like a princess in it. So much had changed. ‘I wonder if I’ll ever see them again…’ Sabina
Spoiler:
Her hands were calloused and hard. Scars and cuts crisscrossed steely veins which covered her hands and forearms. A warrior's hands. No, a killer's hands.
The sword she was using at the time shattered against the reinforced earthbreaker wielded by her Shoanti opponent. The large, frothing savage swung down on her with all his might. Had she not rolled out of the way, she would be nothing but a bloody splotch on the ground. Even so, where she had once lain was a small crater in the hard earth - so powerful was the barbarian's blow. Seeing an opening, Sabina snatched one of the blade's halves, kipped up onto her feet, pivoted and stabbed it into the brawny native's exposed neck. His carteroid artery was severed. He was dead before he could even hit the floor. She surveyed the carnage before her. Her platoon regularly made frequent raids into the Storval Heights to test their mettle and hone their skills against the fearsome Shoanti who resided there. This was her hundredth expedition. She could not even begin to count how many Shoanti she had personally killed. Just last week, in a similar expedition, she had strangled a boy - not much younger than her - with her bare hands. She watched impassively as the hapless Shoanti youth struggled haplessly against her vicelike grip. It had been seven years since she was conscripted by the Hellknights. Out of all the children taken off the boat, she was the only survivor. She reflected on her life thus far, while casually watching the boy's life flicker away. Seven years had gone by. Illeosa and Togomor. She wondered how they were doing. She grimly smiled, thankful that it was she who was picked and not Togomor. Her older brother was not a man. He was weak. She was much stronger than he would ever be. She remembered how he tried to stand up to her recruiter: Sir Vlad Dramos. Sir Dramos had completely dominated him she remembered. He was more of a man than her brother, or even her weak father was. Had his father not let the rebels and their backers, the Devil-worshipping House Thrune completely subjugate her family? Pathetic. Hmm...she should be 17 now - a year past marrying age... Her compassion was the first thing to go. The Hellknights would arm live prisoners or wild animals and set them loose on a group of their young trainees. From an early age, children were forced to adopt the mantra, "Kill or be killed." Something within her snapped after shortly after starting these bloody exercises. A feral, bloodthirsty killer emerged from the ashes of the innocent little girl, who once dreamed only of hosting balls and socializing with other highborn women. That world seemed so far away to her. The clang of steel, the smell of smoke, the roughness of leather, and the spilling of blood became ingrained in her psyche. It was part of her now. Sabina rose quickly through the ranks. At 14, she was put in charge of the other children. She was a brutal, but efficient leader. Her superiors relied on her and her subordinates feared her. At 16, she was the youngest Hellknight selected to go Shoanti hunting. One year later, she was leading her own war parties into the Storval Heights. She had amassed quite a collection of scalps over the past year. They were the only decorations adorning the grim, dark stone walls of her spartan bedchamber. She counted them and recalled the faces of each one of her victims before drifting off to sleep. She found that it comforted her. It comforted her far more than her wooden slab of a bed or her iron slab of a pillow ever did. For seven years, she was only exposed to three emotions: fear, anger, and brief flashes of satisfaction when she asserted her own dominance over another during a kill. Love, comfort, tenderness, and compassion had no place in her world. She had turned her back on such soft trivialities. She was a spiritual black hole. A gaping void existed in the area of her soul, which had made her a human. After taking so many lives and snuffing out so many hopes, dreams, and emotions, she had become numb to the world. She existed merely to destroy, to maim, to kill. Did she ever have a soul? She forgot. None of that is important. After all, the only thing that gave her joy was to dominate others. After seven years, Sabina had become a true Hellknight. Ileosa
Spoiler:
Togomor just did not understand Illeosa.
She was clearly intelligent. She was far smarter than a seven year old should ever have a right to be, but her attitude remained the same as when she was before the exile. She was beyond bratty. Even in their current dire circumstances, she was still unbelievably spoiled. It was true that her parents doted on her - no, the whole family did. She was gregarious and smiled frequently as a baby. She always had a great degree of personal magnetism, even as an infant. Her twin and elder sister by a few seconds, in retrospect was quiet and unassuming, whereas Illeosa was loud and flamboyant. As the youngest in the family, she naturally absorbed most of her parents' love. What happened to Illeosa's twin sister remains a mystery. They were seperated during the rebellion and it was assumed that the third sister was killed along with the rest of the family. Togomor had made inquiries as to her fate, but her remains were not found. Several months later, one of family's former housekeepers claimed that her room was stripped bear by rebels and the jacket she was wearing that day was found bloodied and tattered underneath some rubble. The entire mansion had been looted. Togomor remembered that spring morning vividly. He had taken his sisters Sabina and Illeosa on a field trip to visit one of their countryside estates. Illeosa's klutzy twin sister had accidentally knocked over the urn containing Mother's great grand-uncle's ashes, destroying it and spreading his ashes all over the floor. She received a harsh scolding from Mother and was told to stay in her room as punishment. She had not come along. When news of the uprising reached him via messenger, Togomor had quickly redirected his coach to the nearby docks to prepare for evacuation. It was this split-second decision that saved the family's lives as rebels were waiting at the countryside estate as well. Fast forward four years into the future. Togomor remembered his father telling him that he must take care of Illeosa. Still, he had to find some way to provide the kind of lifestyle she was used to. He had won a scholarship to the Acadamae, but there had to be a way to accumulate power and prestige quickly. There had to be some way he could be a good older brother to an increasingly demanding younger sibling. His only family. His most precious treasure... More to follow.
Has anyone converted and optimized Gray Maidens and the Red Mantis for PF? Also, anyone recommend any good tactics? My PCs are higher level than these iconic enemies in Crown of Fangs, but I don't want them walking over these guys -- especially after I spent the entire campaign building them up. My PCs are: wizard (conjuration), cleric, dragon disciple, rogue, ranger (archer). They are 20 point buy and pretty optimized.
My players are about to attack a thieve's guild in the city that they are in. Is there a good module that depicts this scenario? The only one I can think of is the assault on the Last Laugh in the Shackled City AP. They are level 13 if that is any help. Thanks!
Out of all the other AP forums, ROTR is famed for having the most comprehensive library of community created items. Given the amount of material out there, what community created things have been the most useful for your campaign? Extra cookies for explaining why. :)
Some of the most memorable moments in this AP are the bosses at the end of each book. Half the fun in running these encounters is to tweak or customize them to make them challenging to the PCs. What are some of the changes you made (or wish you had) with the iconic bosses in this AP? Spoiler: After their first encounter with Xanesha, my PCs absolutely grew to despise her. I did not change her too much mechanically when I ran it initially, but I had her become a recurring villain who went up in sorc levels. I ended up replacing Lucretia with Xanesha, and then also had her offer help to the PCs in taking down Mokmurian (her greatest rival) in Book 4. It was particularly entertaining to watch them overcome their temptation to kill her in order to defeat the "greater" evil. Of course, this was all a part of her master plan to take over Karzoug's organization.
Some mechanics changes that I am planning on making for the third run-through: Aldern Foxglove as a Slayer
The world of Golarion has some memorable villains. From god-like wizards to mad queens to pirate kings, there is an incredibly rich roster of BBEGs to choose from. Out of all the APs (or modules), who is your favorite BBEG?
One of my favorite pastimes as a DM is to tweak/add/subtract content every time I run an AP. I've combed through these forums and have stolen some wonderful ideas for when I finally run this adventure, which I have listed below. Please feel free to share what you did differently! Overall:
Book 1: Wormwood Mutiny
Book 2: Raiders of the Fever Sea
More to follow.
I combed through the AP's and the Guide to Korvosa. Neither sources make any mention of Queen Domina's husband. Has anyone delved into the royal genealogy of Korvosa at all? If there is no official ruling on the matter, who would have been a good candidate for consort to the Queen? Also, why does that individual play no role in politics? The simple answer would be to kill the poor guy off via DM fiat, but his existence opens up a number of interesting possibilities.
Alright, so here's the scenario: The players enter a large underground chamber with gothic, fluted columns. A large circular pool of blood sits on an elevated platform in the center of the room. As the PCs approach, a beautiful woman - the queen - wearing an elegant scarlet ball gown and holding a large crimson fan emerges from the pool. Great, leathery wings unfurl from her back as a quick incantation removes all the blood from her clothes and person. She smiles at the PCs and beckons them to approach with her fan. Mechanically speaking, I have her down as a bard (arcane duelist) / dragon disciple. She's wearing glamoured armor and her fan is actually a scimitar. Given that she will be facing a party of six lvl 15 characters (a paladin, rogue, sorc/dragon disciple, cleric, wizard, archer ranger); I need some help with making this fight memorable: - If she is a CR 19 character, what would her general build look like?
Oh, and if you haven't already guessed, this is my custom Ileosa fight from Crown of Fangs (she has the Crown of Fangs, but that's about it; no devil-bound contract, etc. etc.)
Order # 1966860
Hello, I am in the Army, and we recently moved out to Washington state. This order never reached our new address at: REMOVED I believe the package shipped to our previous address in Georgia and was returned to sender. We have been very busy over the last several months, so we were unable to address this matter until now. I would greatly appreciate it if you could send this package to my new address. Thank you very much.
Please help me with assigning stats, picking feats, plotting builds for the following characters. Feel free to pick and choose which ones to work on. All Pathfinder material allowed (no 3.5). Sword and board human paladin of Iomedae
Dual-wielding halfling rogue
Human cavalier
Human archer cleric of Erastil
Dhampir inquisitor of Pharasma
Thank you very much!
I've been watching Avatar: the Last Airbender with my son and I cannot help but notice how much the oracle class resembles benders from that universe. Looking at mysteries we have:
If I wanted to make benders, I might just make a couple minor changes to the oracle class. - Make the curse voluntary
Thoughts?
Background: Down on his luck mercenary. He found an enchanted buckler off the corpse of a dead stone giant early on his career (heavy shield for him), and has built his fighting style around the effective use of his shield. Currently, he earns his living by hiring himself out to disreputable, but wealthy people as a bodyguard. Level: 4 fighter Stats: 15 point buy Given the above info, can you come up with a unique and fun build? Thanks.
Hey guys, I'd like your help in deciding what the main baddies in Burnt Offerings are wanted for. (I'm using this awesome website to make the wanted posters) Here are the villains that I'm making posters for: - Orik
How do you handle haggling for prices in your game? Do you have your players make a diplomacy check? Do you incorporate bluff and sense motive? Appraise?
I ran RotRL three years ago before the game ground to a halt in Book 4. Recently, my players have all expressed an interest in rebooting the game. I promised them that I've added/tweaked a whole bunch of things and this was one of my ideas. I was originally toying with the idea of rebuilding her as an antipaladin, but then I decided that she might make an excellent summoner (high charisma). Her eidolon can be the child she miscarried. Malfeshnekor himself could be another, more eidolon which she is desperately trying to claim for herself. What do you guys think?
Does spell focus (enchantment) apply to witch's hexes?
Has anyone written up who Nualia's real parents are? Where are they? What are they up to? Are they both aasimars? If they are dead, how did Father Tobyn find her? My PCs are all graduates of Turandurok Academy and I am sure that they'll ask the above question when they begin investigating the goblin attack. On the same note, who is Tsuto's real father? Where is he? What is he doing?
Hey, Has anyone input the monsters at the back of Stolen Lands (and others) into Hero Lab or D20Pro? If so, would you mind sending them over? In a session or two, I think I'll be running the thylacine and tatzylwyrm encounters. Thanks in advance. Email is shinwonmoon@hotmail.com
How does reloading work in this case? Assume that you have two weapon fighting, improved two weapon fighting, and rapid reload.
In an upcoming Runelords campaign, my wife expressed an interest in becoming a wolf shaman druid archetype. Considering that the AP ends at around lvl 15-16, a lot of the wolf shaman's signature abilities will be obsolete by then. I am afraid that high levels will relegate her to a support spellcaster/healer who will be vastly overshadowed by her cleric or wizard friends. She primarily wants to play a shapeshifting druid. How can I make a wolf shaman druid that is viable at higher levels? I'm willing to change stuff from RAW if need be. Are there any suggestions? BTW: I read Treantmonk's excellent druid guides. However, my wife really wants to be a "mistress of the wolves" type of character and isn't too excited about transforming into a dire tiger even though they are mechanically better at the lvl 7-10 range. Oh, we are also doing 15 pt. buy.
When a demon summons another demon of the same species, does protection from evil ward against this new summoned demon? I would just like some clarification on this matter because it was an issue in our last session. Thanks!
I've read somewhere that Mad God's Key from Dungeon 114 fits well with the start of COT. Has anyone done this? Would anyone like to share their experiences?
Hey guys, I'm wondering if anyone has implemented any material from this book to their Savage Tide campaigns. I'm currently debating on whether I should buy the book.
After talking with my wife, I've decided to run Kingmaker for her. She wants to be a paladin of Erastil with the eventual goal of getting a stag mount. She doesn't know that she is destined to be queen (I didn't want her to become overwhelmed before our first session). How to bring her to the Stolen Lands? - I've decided that she is the only daughter of Oleg and Svetlana who, as a filiel daughter, comes back to help out her parents. The fact that she got a strained letter from her mother hinting at problems back at the lodge also helped. :)
Cartography Elements - My wife is a new player and I don't want her juggling too much responsibility. However, she is a talented artist, so she might actually enjoy this element. What do you think? Should I do it or should I have her do it? NPCs - I'm thinking about supplementing her with the stock NPCs at the back of each adventure path.
Kingdom-Building - I don't think this part appeals to my wife so much. She told me that she loves the storytelling aspects of gaming; building stuff isn't really her cup of tea.
Let me preface this by saying that RotRL has some awesome villains. Nualia, Aldern Foxglove, Xanesha...the list goes on and on. However, I found Karzoug to be kind of...weak...as a BBEG. Sure, Book 6 has an amazing writeup of Karzoug's past, but that happened 10,000 years ago. In my first runthrough, my players completely missed the little hologram in book 1 and finally realized who Karzoug was by Book 4, when they looted Mokmurian's body. I tried playing up Karzoug's evil by running little flashbacks of his villainy, but since he never affected the PCs personally, they generally affected a very cavalier attitude. DM: "He was the most diabolical and twisted archmage of his day."
I guess the closest parallel that I could think of at the top of my head is the BBEG of FFIX. No, it wasn't Kuja...it was some flying dude with green skin. There was no foreshadowing of this guy at all throughout the game, so fighting him was a let-down. I was reading KJW's posts on the old What are DMs to Do forum and he brought up some good points with regards to villain-making: There is another thing...personally, BBEGs are best heard and not seen. It is very common for DMs to want to showcase their BBEG early in a campaign, it is a staple of books and movies. The BBEG shows up fights and the PC runs away until she is ready to finally meet the BBEG and have their climactic battle. I will give you a warning...PCs don't always run, BBEGs don't always survive, and the scariest BBEGs are the ones the PC does not meet. Reputation and mystique is what make BBEGs and the trick for making a BBEG truly fearsome is A) keep them out of sight, B) have people talk about them, and C) give them cool and scary minions. Let's look at three examples...Sauron from LotR, Emperor from Star Wars, and Voldemort from HP. These are three superior BBEGs, best of the best when it comes to bad guys. Structurally, Tolkien, Lucas, and Rowling handle them pretty much the same. First, they keep them out of sight, not till the climax do you have the hero face off against the BBEG. Sauron is never encountered and I would argue that because of this he is the scariest of the three, because he is a mystery and no one could face him. Second, people talk about them and people are scared of them. Voldemort is the classic in this regard, 'he-who-must-not-be-named' is over-the-top, but it should be and it is how you make a BBEG truly frightening because people a PC respects are scared of him. Third, they have cool and scary minions. We deal with Darth Vader in Episode IV and V and he is scary...but who does he kneel down to...yes, the old wrinkled guy, clearly that means old wrinkled guy is very, very scary. This formula really works. I guess Karzoug comes closest to the Emperor Palpatine model, but I always felt Palpatine was overshadowed by Vader. Thoughts? Suggestions?
Please cancel my Pathfinder Modules subscription. Thanks.
I was reading through the Chann Ti story by Elain Cunningham and her portrayal of mermaids was quite interesting. I am curious about what their culture is like and whether they are as sinister as Channa Ti makes them out to be. Aside from the little sidebar in PF 23, is there any more information about merfolk? I like the Golarion treatment of all the classic fantasy monsters and would like to know if the mermaids received a makeover along the same lines as goblins, ogres, or trolls.
I am in the process of helping my players convert to PFRPG as well as converting some NPCs. Could you help in making these concepts into viable builds? PCs A 14th level bladed scarf wielding Varisian rogue. (One of my players in my Crimson Throne campaign) A 14th level cleric of Irori -- is primarily a healer. NPCs Smoker from One Piece; he wields a jutte (baton with a curved tine like a half-sai) like in the manga. This is a bad guy in one of my campaigns. I plan on using the smoke template from Advanced Bestiary. I'm having trouble deciding whether this guy should be a monk or a fighter. Also, I'm having trouble figuring out his tactics against the players. They will face him on board a pirate ship surrounded by his crew. Any advice, suggestions, etc. are welcome.
Has anyone done this for Farshore yet using the Pathfinder rules?
One of my players' dream character is a spellcasting type that focuses on telekinesis. I know that Complete Warrior has a Master of the Unseen Hand prestige class, which fits the bill. However, the main problem with that is that a regular character needs to be at least lvl 9 to access that prestige class. My campaigns rarely go beyond lvl 9. Would it be too game breaking to swap out some wizard abilities or sorcerer abilities to gain access to a weakened form of telekinesis? What would a weak telekinesis look like? What abilities are viable swaps? This is how he pictures his character (Noctis from Final Fantasy XIII Versus). Thanks guys
In about a week and a half, I will be leaving the country on business for three weeks. I'm anticipating that I won't have ready access to the internet, so I need some books to read in my downtime. I am a HUGE G.R.R. Martin fan and would like to read fantasy books of a similar nature. I would like to get into a great series if possible. Alternately, I am a very big James Clavell fan and have read all of his books. I am interested in Asia, Middle Eastern, and African historical fiction. Thanks!
As a DM, I have a tendency to modify APs...A LOT. Savage Tide is no different. My campaign takes place in Golarion in the Arcadian Sea region. The pirates of the Shackles hold sway there and I decided to make the Crimson Fleet the up and coming rivals of the established Shackles pirates. The Crimson Fleet is a little different in my campaign. While the Cold Captain rules the fleet by virtue of his great power, there is a faction calling themselves the Protectorate within the fleet that disagree with the Cold Captain's cruel methods. They consist of a handful of Crimson Fleet captains and their crew, whereupon Harliss Javell and Kigante (the pirate captain that dies in Kraken's Cove) are members. Prior to the tragedy in Kraken's Cove (Bullywug Gambit), Kigante was the leader of the Protectorate and a well-respected member of the Crimson Fleet. For many, he was the likely successor to the Cold Captain. However, while trying to broker a peace with the Shackles Pirates via Vanthus, things go horribly wrong and a Savage Tide breaks lose. In the ensuing pandemonium, Red Mantis Assassins hired by the Cold Captain murder Kigante (the Crimson Fleet and the Red Mantis share Illazmagorti and have a good working relationship; the Red Mantis will replace the Yuan-ti in my campaign). As an important side note, one of the PCs is the only daughter of Captain Kigante -- she has a burning desire to overthrow the Cold Captain whom she blames for the death of her father and the destruction of her home. Now, you may be wondering about how Vanthus became an emissary for the Shackles pirates. The Campaign Setting mentions that the Shackles pirates basically own Eleder (the Sasserine substitute). I decided that Shackles captains nearing retirement basically assume mantles of nobility in Eleder. This is the case with Haedrath Kellani, Rowyn's mom. Vanthus, through Rowyn, gains influence with the Shackles pirates and becomes their emissary. Once he reports to the Hurricane King about the effects of the pearl, the Shackles pirates devote all their energies to acquiring them. I tweaked the shadow pearls a bit in my campaign. My gaming group is a big fan of One Piece manga and I decided that brave or foolish individuals could consume the pearls and gain their powers. There is a fifty percent chance that you become a souped up savage abomination and a fifty percent chance to gain special powers (like the Devil Fruit in One Piece). The only caveat is that you have to sacrifice something in order to activate the powers (I really had a field day with templates from Advanced Bestiary because of this). Many of the most powerful members of the Crimson Fleet have consumed the pearl and gained powers that allowed them to become a match for the Shackles pirates. (Their special templates replace the lemorian templates in the original AP; thus, the Cold Captain gets the icy template with a crap ton of spell like abilities that deal with cold or ice, etc.) So my rambling now winds its way back to the players. On their journey to the Isle of Dread, they were attacked by three Shackles caravels. They were overpowered, but rescued at the last minute by the Protectorate. As payment for saving their lives, the PCs agreed to join the Protectorate and by extension, the Crimson Fleet. That brings us back to Farshore. They receive intel that the Shackles pirates are descending upon the colony and the Crimson Fleet has refused to give them assistance: "It's a test to see if you are worthy to be a part of our fleet." (Cold Captain's orders). They know that Vanthus and Rowyn (who escaped the first time around) are coming for them. Now, that's where the collective brain power of the Savage Tide boards come into play. I've decided to replace the yuan ti sorcerer with an 11th level druid (The campaign setting mentions a druid pirate captain called the Master of Gales with a giant squid animal companion). The druid captain was instrumental in helping the fleet navigate through the myriad of storms that surround the Isle of Dread. However, I have some questions: -Vanthus is still "normal" (no fiendish template), but has a shadow pearl. Would he arrogantly consume the pearl or shatter it in the end (canon)? If he does consume the pearl, what should his special power be? I've already decided that he has unknowingly garnered the favor of Demogorgon who will raise him as a death knight upon his death.
Thanks for bearing with my fevered ramblings and ideas. I look forward to hearing from everyone!
What is the best sorcerer bloodline for a low-Azlanti sorcerer? Of course, if anyone has made an aboleth bloodline -- that would be sweet.
Hey all, My players are on their way to recover the SW, but I have one minor problem. I ran Torrents of Dread last session and replaced the two generic koprus with Skeliphipka (sp) the kopru druid who was supposed to make an appearance at the SW. Unfortunately, good tactics and great rolls prevented the druid from escaping and I would rather not have another kopru infest their ship. So, my question is: what do you suggest I put in there to replace the kopru encounter?
Is there any spell that allows you to see through fogs/mists? If not... If such a spell were to be made, what level should you be to cast it? What would its duration be? Thanks!
1) Does bull's strength stack with a belt of giant strength? If not, why? 2) I know that undead are now no longer immune to sneak attacks. Does this apply to constructs as well? 3) Can you cast suggestion on an enemy and nicely them to attack their comrades? Will there be any penalties? 4) Can the bard's suggestion ability be used in conjunction with the casting of the spell hypnotism? If not, how exactly would you use this spell in combat? 5) What are some examples for effective uses of the bard's fascination ability? That's all for now. Thanks!
Silent image is a staple of the illusion school of magic. What are the most ingenious and creative uses of silent image that you can think of? Please provide a scenario and how silent image would be applicable to that scenario. Also, effective illusionist builds can work here is well. Thank you in advance :)
Can the additional attacks of opportunity be used against the same opponent or do they have to be different opponents?
Okay, so this takes place in a solo campaign I am running for my wife. (We are running through the Price of Immortality arc just so you know) Anyways, my wife's two companions are a human wizard and a human cleric and they are all from the same village. The wizard is cocky, somewhat arrogant and handsome. (I showed her a picture of Howl from Miyazake's Howl's Moving Castle) He's shown very little regard for people or small animals (he zapped a sparrow animal messenger with a magic missile for disturbing his reading). Unbeknownst to her, he has become attracted to her character and is struggling to figure out how to woo her. He is unable to let go of his cool, guarded demeanor, which is the main reason why he is unable to express his feelings to her. [AL N] The cleric is the polar opposite. He starred in my "How do you play a high wis/low int character" thread. I described him as tall, sturdy, but slightly overweight. (I told her to picture a slightly overweight Richard Cypher from the Legend of the Seeker TV series) He is an all-around nice guy and sincerely cares about other people. He has also fallen for my wife's character, but shyness and a sense of mission (he wants her to focus on the task at hand) holds him back. [AL LG] My wife's character is a female ranger. She does not necessarily have the highest charisma (12), but she is confident, capable, and comely in a girl-next-door way. She is somewhat of a tomboy and has a higher strength score than both of her male suitors. Nevertheless, she has picked up on their cues over the past few sessions and has told me OOC that her character finds the wizard extremely attractive. Last session, she roleplayed her character as acting a little flirtatious towards the wizard (this is all in the midst of infiltrating a cult of Razmir, if you can imagine that) and the cleric--with his high wisdom--has picked up on that. [Both my wife and her ranger are CG] With that said, I have a few questions: How do you think the cleric will react? How should the wizard proceed in order to woo her successfully (and not cause her to lose interest?) How will this affect the dynamic between the wizard and the cleric? (They were acquaintances before, but never really knew each other prior to their first quest) How will this affect the cleric's relationship with her? How will this affect overall party dynamics? Let the drama commence!
In my Crimson Throne campaign, I am making my players convert their characters from 3.5 to Core PFRPG rules. (Core rules + anything from the Pathfinder setting) My wife originally had a cleric/monk/sacred fist of Irori. However, when I announced the switch, she decided to go full cleric. Of course, I can suggest traditional cleric builds for her, but heavy armor and shields clash strongly with her original character concept. How can I help her build an optimized cleric given these constraints? Should I suggest she go monk 1/cleric all? Up until this point, despite being a respectable fighter, she stayed behind and healed up the others (namely the Serithiel-wielding paladin and scythe-wielding dragon disciple). I know getting rid of her sacred fist and monk abilities will make her a much weaker fighter, but her healing and party support will rise exponentially. The party is going into Crown of Fangs and is currently level 14.
My NPC cleric of Erastil has high wisdom, but below average intelligence (8). How should I roleplay him? He comes from a small, rural town in the middle of nowhere and he is lawful good.
I just started a solo campaign in Nirmathas for my wife. We are almost through with Crypt of the Everflame and will play through the Price of Immortality Arc. I am thinking of running Conquest of Bloodsworn Vale for her afterwards. Kingmaker rules will definitely come into play once she takes over the vale. Since she is heavily invested in her home region, I plan on having her embroiled in the Nirmathas-Molthune conflict. Her ultimate goal would most likely be to unite her people, prevent a Molthuni invasion, and broker some sort of peace treaty with the aggressors. Are there any higher level modules, dungeon adventures, or AP adventures which I could adapt to this campaign?
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