Dr Lucky

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2 posts. Alias of Divinitus.



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Discuss things here, you sodding Clueless! Just, you know, don't bring the Lady down on us or anything, you hear?


If you have made it this far, then congratulations and you deserve the ability to dot the gameplay thread!


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Okay, so most of you have probably seen the interest check for this campaign and have at least a basic idea of what's going on, but for those who do not, please allow me to explain.

Barmy in Sigil is something that I came up with when I looked at an old AP that a friend and I created called Echoes of the Sephira upon my return to the messageboards. I was initially interested in redoing it exactly as it was, but with a few minor retoolings. Then the idea hit me: I missed the nostalgia of playing in D&D's old multiverse, because Planescape was one of my favorite settings. So I decided to rework the AP to fit the setting better and reduced the level for... reasons. And here we stand, after weeks of retooling the setting, rebalancing the encounters for tristalt, and such!

Now, the basic premise of the campaign is that you are all planar adventurers that have been previously acquainted. Your names are almost synonymous with getting results, at least to those who know you. The campaign begins in the famous World Serpent Inn, a planar tavern whose winding back hallways lead to virtually every plane of existence. The bar's owner, the snake-bearded man Mitchifer, hands the group a letter that someone left for them, an invitation to meet up and discuss a job of some sort. From there, the campaign will span from the wild and wonderful early days of wandering the planes, doing odd jobs for the various movers and shakers of the multiverse, to the later days when the stakes grow much higher. In a way, it's like the progression of the old Planescape modules, at least in spirit, if you played them in order.

What should you expect from this campaign, you may ask? Well, I will tell you. Expect to reach level 20. Expect mythic levels. Expect the ability to push to level 25 and, yes, each class will have abilities that proceed past their 20th level capstone, if you are interested in taking a few classes all the way. In the last portions of the campaign, the players will have the option of becoming full-fledged gods, complete with a set of rules governing it stripped from 2 sources (Deities and Demigods is where the bulk of it comes from,). Expect artifacts to be occasional rewards. Expect to come face-to-face with some of the powers of D&D's multiverse. And, above all, expect barminess! It's a tristalt Planescape game, after all, and either one by themselves is pretty barmy!

So, moving away from that exposition, let's get to the nitty-gritty of character creation, shall we? I will offer the caveat that, if options are too extreme, that I can ban them, but that's always a given, is it not? Now, if you have any questions after this, feel free to ask me. I hope I covered most of what people would be asking about in this massive first post in recruitment.

CHARACTER CREATION

Starting Level: 14 tristalt (As gestalt, but melding THREE classes together into one!)

Alignment: You may be of any alignment, BUT evil is expected to be smart and/or child's cartoon evil. If you are the type that will burn down an orphanage of Aasimar babies, chances are you are not the type that will fit into the Planescape vibe.

Classes: I have went through a plethora of classes and the only ones that I am putting the ban hammer on from my personal library and d20PFSRD's list are these: the Monster Hunter and all associated classes by Northwinter Press (On account of being too broken), the Hellenic Sorceress by Sean K Reynolds Games (As it is more of an NPC class in power level), and the Pugilist by Wordcasting Entertainment (For the same reason as the Hellenic Sorceress). I will even allow some of the old 3.X classes, although they will receive boosts from a premade list. If it is not on d20pfsrd, just ask me on whether the class is allowed or not. Otherwise, unless it is one of those listed above, it is allowed.

*On Alignment and Class*: I am loosening alignment restrictions on classes. Monks can be of any alignment, although some aspects of their class will change to fit, such as their alignment types upon becoming outsiders. Paladins may be of any good alignment or LN, Antipaladins may be any evil alignment or CN, having alterations to class abilities made based on their alignment. All classes, like Barbarian, with meaningless alignment restrictions now have them removed (In the case of Barbarian, a lawful alignment actually makes sense, because they suppress their rage to the point where, when they choose to release it, it is powerful indeed!).

Races: Now, races are something that will require a little better explanation. You may play a base or custom race, either of which you will be able to power up to a threshold of 20 RP. I would prefer the former, as it is easy to use a base race and adding stuff on to it. If you choose to go the route of making a custom race, however, I want a full write-up from you of the race's appearance, customs, society, home environment (And plane, if it is plane-specific), general personality, and such. For modifying base races, I expect explanations if you use extreme alterations to the base race. For example, if you wanted to give your Human wings, celestial resistances, and such, you could say that a good-aligned deity blessed you. There is no particular need to explain things like low-light vision or ability score increases, as those can be explained away by simple variance. Also, you may use a 3.X race, but will need to ask me the RP value of it.

Playing a Creature:
Now, since this is Planescape, I am definitely going to allow the option of playing creatures. Now, there are a few rules to this, which I will outline below in this spoiler tab. Now, for obvious reasons, I reserve the right to ban any type of creature but, as you will see below, there is not as much of a list of things that I will ban.

1. If you play a creature and/or add templates, the conversion rate for CR-to-level is CRx1.5, rounded up if necessary. To give an example, if you play a CR 8 creature, it is worth 12 levels. If you added a template that gave it another CR, it would be worth 13 levels. You are also limited to 2 templates, tops.

2. The above levels MUST fit within one side of your gestalt. I will not allow someone to begin play as a Solar, Balor, or Great Wyrm dragon by fiddling with gestalt rules.

3. Creatures with 'save-or-die' powers are generally banned, unless there is a legitimate reason given as to why such a creature would not be broken. Templates that are just straight stat bonuses, such as advanced, are likewise banned.

4. Creatures with Energy Drain and/or Ability Drain/Damage will be scrutinized. Bear this in mind. In the case of certain creatures, I can alter those abilities into something more appropriate, such as giving a vampire immunity to sunlight in place of energy drain, a more than fair trade, in my opinion. It is FAR too easy to kill with ridiculous combinations like Flurry of Blows-Energy Drain to not scrutinize the abilities before allowing or disallowing it.

5. Creatures and/or templates with regeneration will likely have it reduced to fast-healing that can be halted by the same type of damage. There is a cap on how much fast-healing that you can have.

6. DR and SR from your creature type is capped as well, with the amount varying based on what else you gain from your creature/template, what CR it is, ect.

7. You may be any alignment, regardless of your creature/template specifications. Planescape's infamous Falls-From-Grace is a Lawful Neutral Succubus Cleric and Cirily is a CN Firrinal Eladrin Bard, so set alignments are out of the door as far as race goes.

Ability Scores: You gain 30 points to distribute, on a 1-1 basis, amongst your scores with a base of 10. You may dump ability scores at your leisure, but I will expect those ability scores dumped to taken into account when making roleplaying decisions based around it. Your 07 INT Dretch is going to be as dumb as a bucket of bolts and can probably barely spell his own name (Assuming he even knows it!), your 07 CHA Halfling is going to be hideous/socially inept, ect.

Skill Points: You gain TWO extra skill points per level, so enjoy.

Feats: You gain a feat on those levels when your class level would normally not grant you one, giving you a feat every level up (Plus whatever bonus feats and such you gain!).

Traits: 2, although you may take a Drawback for a third.

Wealth: 200,000 GP. Yes, it's 15K gold above the basic WBL table listing, but you're not exactly an average adventurer, are you?

NOTES

1. No Variant Multiclassing, as the complexity is probably going to be up there for people unused to tristalt anyway.

2. No Background Skill bonus points, as you already have two extra skill points each level.

3. The Plane of Faerie was boring and not very fleshed-out, so the First World is the plane that the Fey originate from. It is primal, spanning realities, which is why, even though it is originally from Golarion, it is part of the D&D cosmology.

4. You may combine magic items effects, as per the usual rules on the SRD.

5. You cannot talk your way out of every encounter in this game, given how normal rules for CHA skills usually infers that you can talk your way out of anything with a high enough skill. So don't think that can happen.

5. The Factions of Planescape are still around, although they have long since fled Sigil or at least keep themselves as low-key as possible. If you want to be a part of one of the Factions, feel free to note which one in your character creation. And yes, if you want to be a crazed Bleaker, you can be one!

6. I will try to find out if the founders of the Planescape site mind me putting up their free Planescape documents as a link for you all to peruse. If they do not, I will add a summary for some of the major points of Planescape.

7. You may be from nearly any plane in the multiverse or from nearly any world on the Prime Material Plane (Such as Athas, Eberron, Toril, Oerth, Ravenloft, Mystara, Wild Space ect.,). This allows you a MASSIVE amount of leeway in constructing a background. Want to be a disgrunted imp lawyer from the Nine Hells? An gothic, emo angel who once wiled his days away in a Sigil cafe, sipping on lattes and playing music with your trusty lute? A mighty Thri-kreen warrior from under the burning sun of Athas? What about a Wild Space-faring awakened Gorilla gunslinger decked out in power armor and wielding a laser cannon? A wizard-king from the land of Mystara? A mermaid priestess of Lathander with an amazing singing voice from Toril? Yeah, you really have a LOT of options for a character! And no, they don't have to be as silly as some of the ones listed here, but trust me, there are definitely some weird individuals in Planescape's setting, Sigil in particular.

8. You may not play as a pre-existing character, such as Mordenkainen, Drizz't do'Urden, the Lord of Blades, ect. I want to see YOUR creativity.

9.Remember the unwritten rules of the game: be respectful to other players and your DM/GM, ask about a rules conflict before going rules-lawyer about it, no PvP, and just have fun!


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I am wondering how many people would be interested in this? The campaign would be level 14, tristalt, with most options open for PC use and would be a planes-hopping adventure that extended into the level of mythic play and epic levels, with the possibility of continuing the campaign later on as full-fledged gods.

The story would begin in Sigil, the (in)famous city in the middle of the Outlands, at the center of the known multiverse. The PCs would all be part of a planar adventuring party and would spend the early game doing adventure-y stuff, albeit from a very high power level. The late game, as in most campaigns, would be some pretty serious stuff.

And yes, the implications of this campaign is that you can play someone from Greyhawk, Eberron, Ravenloft, Kara-Tur, Mystara, Faerun, Athas, the vastness of Spelljammer space, or any other old-school setting!

So, who's up for this sort of campaign? Any takers? The rules have already been figured out, the various class options playtested (Therefore I have a complete list of which classes are allowed, core, 3PP, or otherwise.)... all I need is an idea on whether people are interested in this sort of thing or not.

If you ARE interested, just post as much here and, if you have a concept, feel free to post it. At 5 separate posts, I will create the official recruitment.


As the title states, it is an honest question. Consider this: a WIZARD, widely regarded as one of the more broken classes (If there is such a thing as broken,) can take leadership and gain MORE power from just that feat than a summoner's eidolon.

A cohort with about the same power level as an eidolon PLUS an army of followers that can often overwhelm foes with natural 20's, even if they could not hit the enemy otherwise? Insanity in a feat is what leadership is.

To this day I still don't see why people were all on the 'nerf-bomb the summoner' bandwagon when you could easily get more out of a 7th level FEAT that ANY CLASS could take!

As a note, I have always disliked how high of a power curve leadership is on and that has been exacerbated when paired with 'summoner is broken' arguments, considering that the summoner's main class feature can be had by a FEAT!

That's the end of that rant. Please feel free to let me know your thoughts on the matter, because I have tried way too hard to conceive of a way that leadership can be considered balanced and the summoner, by comparison, is not.


Dot the thread, my delectable, crunchy victims, I mean... honored PCs! :)


"That is not dead which can eternal lie and, in strange eons, even death may die."


Okay so here is the long-awaited 'Fear the Old Blood' recruitment! I am almost done with the primer on Yharnam and the surrounding areas, but will likely have something for you in a few days regarding that. In this first post in recruitment, I will be giving you the run-down on how character creation works and some basic information on Yharnam and the surrounding areas.

Character Creation

Level: 5 Gestalt. Unlike normal gestalt, you do not mix and match 'statistics', only abilities. Your statistics, such as HD, saves, BAB, ect., are calculated based on one class. This preserves the diversity of hunters while making it impossible for players to make each fight a cakewalk.

HP: Max per HD, until you reach level 8, then only 1/2. Once you reach level 10, you stop gaining hit points from level entirely.

Classes: All are open from the SRD, so far as I have figured out. If you have a specific question regarding one, please let me know.

Ability Scores: You start from a baseline of 10 in all scores and have 20 points to spend on a point-for-point basis. You may also reduce certain scores by up to 2 in order to redistribute those. No ability scores may be above 18 or below 7 after doing this and applying racial modifiers.

Races: There are two races in this campaign, Human and Vileblood. Humans are as noted, but with FOUR extra skill points per level. Vilebloods are Dhampirs and have their choice of any two Dhampir-exclusive feats, due to the Vilebloods being vampiric. In addition, Vilebloods gain neither benefits, nor penalties, for aging and effectively have indefinite lifespans.

Feats: You gain a feat every level. This does not mean that you gain a bonus feat on those levels where one is automatically accorded to you by level.

Skills: You gain an extra skill point each level.

Traits: You gain two traits. You may reflavor most traits on the SRD.

Notes (READ!): The world of Bloodborne operates differently than a standard campaign world and, thus, several things need mentioning.

There are several things that do not exist in Bloodborne, at least usable by the PCs: healing magic, 'control' effects (Charm, dominate, hostile polymorph effects, petrify, paralysis, sleep, instant death effects,), effects that grant flight, negative levels, and anything else that I may later deem as being lore-breaking.

Fear effects exist in Bloodborne, but they carry a few special caveats: aberrations are immune, madmen are immune, and they can only inflict panicked condition on foes of lesser CR than the PC's level. If a condition would otherwise reduce a creature that isn't immune to fear effects to panicked state, but they are equal or greater than the PC's level, the effect instead inflicts another -1 penalty that stacks on top of what they already had. There is evidence to support this ruling, if anyone wants me to elaborate.

The Campaign Setting: While the campaign, quite obviously, takes place in the city of Yharnam, I think some things need to be elaborated on. I have thus constructed a VERY condensed timeline of events so that you get an idea of the history of Yharnam.

Antediluvian Era ( Date: ?-?):
The Pthumerians had a thriving civilization and communed with the Great Ones regularly. The people of Pthumeria had great power bestowed upon them freely by their alien gods, as the Great Ones are sympathetic in spirit to the plight of lesser creatures.

There are few records remaining of Pthumeria, but it has been speculated by the scholars at Byrgenweth that the Old Blood was what brought low the millenia-old Pthumerian civilization.

The Cainhurst Dynasty (Date: 679-1371):
In the year 679, Lord Strahdivan Cainhurst came from a foreign land to fight his nation's enemies in the land now known as Yharnam. During the long, bloody war, Cainhurst disappeared into the wilderness, following a voice in his head from an entity that he called Oedon. After being gone for three months, he returned wielding a sword whose blade was said to be made out of pure moonlight and a mind full of eldritch secrets.

He led his troops to victory against their foe soon after in the year 713. During the bitter cold winter of that year, a great battle took place under an ominous blood-red moon. Not much remains in history of this battle other than the fact that it was a bloodbath, with Cainhurst and his soldiers decimating the enemy. They impaled their foes and left the corpses to rot, forming the infamous Field of Spears where the thousands of spears and enemy skeletons still linger.

Cainhurst began building his grand castle in 714 and ruled fairly and justly, although he was known to be an eccentric king. He died a few years after the castle's completion in 732 and his son, Prince Mareus, took the throne.

Over the intervening years, the city of Yharnam and it's various satellite communities arose around Cainhurst Castle. The line of Cainhurst ruled fairly over the centuries... until Byrgenwerth.

[sLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL


Go ahead and dot the thread everyone!


Starting the discussion page with "Holy Jeebus, Jack Daniels whiskey burgers are delicious with pepperjack cheese!"!

EDIT: T.G.I. Fridays is amazing!


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Hello everyone and welcome to my Kingmaker campaign recruitment! It has been a while since my last campaign, due to some medical problems, but I have overcome those and now am looking for a few good people to tame the Stolen Lands and forge a new kingdom in the wilds of the River Kingdoms.

This campaign will have an additional thread, due to an advice thread that I read that stated to create two threads, one for gameplay and the other for kingdom-building, so that gameplay is not bogged down with the rather post-heavy kingdom building process. So if having to track an additional thread, which will have it's own campaign tab and stuff of that nature, is too much for you, you may wish to apply elsewhere. It will not require that much extra time posting, so it's not like a whole other campaign... it just serves to keep things neat, orderly, and will help facilitate a smoother campaign in general.

Also, I will eventually create maps, so those who can download the maps I create or print them will likely appreciate having a visual of combat areas, so there is no confusion about where people, monsters, and objects are placed.

Be warned: some 'boss' creatures, including the main foes at the end of each book and an assortment of others, will have mythic ranks. One thing that has bothered me in the past is weaksauce bosses and how easy they are to trample under the PC steam engine, so to speak. Not only that, but this AP is notorious for it in some places, because PCs have so much time to recuperate in between a lot of the encounters. Don't think that every foe is getting this treatment, so don't expect Mythic Dire Squirrel juggernauts or something like that. Bosses will not roll over and die that easily though.

Now, I believe that I elaborated on most of the major points that needed to be expounded upon in this recruitment, but if I missed something, feel free to ask me about it.

Starting Level: 1 gestalt, since there was some clamoring for it in the other thread.

Race: Most Paizo races are allowed. No space races, such as the Lashunta or Kasaath. I reserve the right to deny individual races, but don't anticipate this to be a problem.

Alignment: No Neutral Evil or Chaotic Evil. We're not looking for psychos or those without any form of loyalty but to themselves in this game, we're looking for people that will build a kingdom and will actually care about it.

Class: If it is on the SRD, I will probably allow it. Paizo material is automatically allowed. I may also allow other 3PP material for submission, but if you use ANY 3PP material, ask me first. And I know what this infers: technological archetypes and such can be a thing as well. While it is not something found in the River Kingdoms, they do not exist in a vacuum and Numeria exists in the Golarion setting. As such, I am fine with them being used in Kingmaker, despite what many people consider 'genre-wrecking'. Not only that, but Numeria already has some influence in the River Kingdoms. It is not much, but there is one small area that has an embassy.

Ability Scores: Focus and Foible, setting a score to 18 and another to 08 before modifiers. Then, after that, distribute 16 points on a one-for-one basis among the other scores as you wish, which are by default set to 10, before modifiers.

HP: Max HP per HD, because you will need it!

Gold: 1,500 gold. Why so much? Well, you WERE given a charter to build a small kingdom by Brevoy. It would make little sense for them to not invest some money into making sure that you were properly outfitted and have some spending money for use in the River Kingdoms, for whatever reason you may need the money. To be honest though, I want players to be able to get at least one decent item, all the necessities, and still have some money for fluff items, while retaining some funds for down the road.

Special Items: You start out with one of any nonmagical outfit, not including a royal outfit. In addition, all PCs may select any one item that they have purchased or have gained through their class and make that item Masterwork. In addition, players who put points into Profession or Perform gain an appropriate Masterwork tool or instrument matching their profession or perform skill specialization.

Skills: In addition to regular skills, you also get 2 additional background skill points per level. See Background Skills for more information, should you know nothing of the system.

Feats: You gain two bonus feats at first level. You also gain a bonus feat of your choice at 4th level and every 4 levels thereafter.

Traits: 2 standard traits and a campaign trait. You may take a drawback, obviously.

Hero Points: 3 per character. The party will also gain an additional point after each objective that they complete that I believe is worthy of one. These are your trump cards for when you get a string of natural ones or an enemy gets off a crit that would otherwise spell the end of the campaign for your character. It is my suggestion that they be saved until you truly need them, not just when you want to end an easy, if obnoxious, fight quickly.

Starting Age: You may be of any age category of young or above, but just be warned that most venerable players will not live to see the end of the campaign, as the adventure path takes place over several years in-game. This rule of mine will allow you to play concepts like the young savage raised by wolves from the River Kingdoms or the old, grizzled soldier. Also, age penalties and bonuses are NOT cumulative, meaning that the bonuses and penalties are just as listed under each age category. You may also opt to NOT have your age carry any penalties, but if you do so, you gain no bonuses from it either. This does not apply to any magical aging that may occur in-game.

Fluff: You MUST include fluff with your characters! This is a roleplaying game after all and, as such, I expect there to be something to roleplay with. 'I grew up as a 1st level Fighter' doesn't quite cut it! Add some backstory, your appearance, what your character's personality is like, ect. I encourage you to post whatever you desire in the beginning, even if it just a blurb, but your final character must have at least a decent amount of fluff.


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After playing Warlords of Draenor, I have a newfound respect for Orcs and, as such, would like to create an AP that stars them as the exclusive PC race.

Of course, there will be several Orc subtypes and Half-Orcs available for PC use, so don't be discouraged by the burdensome 8 RP of the base race. Options would include the Trueblooded Orc (Base Orc stat array as it should be), Tome of Horror's Orc races with appropriate RP boosts (Black Orcs, Blood Orcs, Ghost-Faced Orcs, Forest Orcs, ect.), and a few homebrewed Orc subraces as well, such as the subterranean Pale Orcs.

The base start for any of the campaigns would be a moot between the various Orcish clans to handle a certain problem (Demons seeping from the Worldwound making their way to Belzken, Giants pillaging the Hold of Belzken, a band of Orcish exiles deciding to carve a kingdom out of the Stolen Lands, ect.). The PCs, obviously, would be a part of this moot.

Not sure on character creation rules yet, as I am just checking for interest right now. I like gestalt, but I am not sure whether it would fit this campaign or not.

Also, having saw the ridiculous changes to the Scarred Witch Doctor, I am telling everyone in advance to ignore errata unless I say otherwise or unless it boosts something in power that was formerly weak.

EDIT: In those APs which feature mass combat rules, Orc siege weapons are going to be allowed.

EDIT #2: Way of the Wicked could be pretty awesome with all Orcs, if a few things could be changed around.


Not sure if this is the right place to post this, but I figured that Pathfinder Adventure Path - General Discussion would be a good and appropriate place to post this.

Okay, so I was going to run a Kingmaker campaign but, since I already am running a Northlands campaign and the way that I envisioned Kingmaker was very much a Game of Thrones-esque adventure path with some very clear Celtic and Norse tropes spread throughout the campaign, I did not want to create overlapping campaign themes. As such, I found myself at a proverbial impasse regarding what to create, since I still want to eventually create another campaign on these messageboards.

That said, I have a few ideas that I think are pretty cool and wanted to post them here so that community members could get a chance to comment on them, tell me that I failed a sanity check for coming up with them, offer me glowing praise for cool concepts, and such.

Without further ado, here is a not-so-complete list of alternate adventure paths and some details on them.

1. Space Skull and Shackles- Alternately the most and least complex of the reskinned campaigns, this would cast the characters as recent fodder aboard the Wormwood, a notorious starship piloted by space pirates in Golarion's universe.

The campaign would start in the last half of the first book, for those who know what that implies.

The players could use any official Paizo race and could, upon request, be allowed to make a new player race that is basically a foreign alien race (With the option to work with the GM on statting up new racial abilities nor present in the ARG such as bioluminescence or extremophile).

The campaign would follow a pretty similar path but, instead of sailing the seas of The Shackles, the players sail the vastness of space and can land on the various planets and moons.

Major NPCs would, quite obviously, be replaced by flavorful alien counterparts.

Main Villain and Final Boss Reskins *SPOILER ALERT! DO NOT READ IF YOU PLAN ON TAKING PART IN SKULL AND SHACKLES OR MIGHT APPLY FOR MY CAMPAIGN ON THESE MESSAGEBOARDS!*:
Thrune would be a renamed, reskinned version of herself as a Mythic Formian Queen, gestalted as a Psychic, named Divaala the Hive Mother, a being bent on making the multiverse a more orderly place, a sterile utopia where her people rule all.

The Hurricane King would be reskinned as the Regent of Yawning Void, the brutal leader of all the space pirates, an alien who brutally hunts down those who do not pay him fealty. His base is at the edge of the largest black hole in the known universe. The final fight with him for dominion of the Space Pirate Empire would include him (Unique Gravity Elemental with a touch like a disintegrate spell, nearly impenetrable, artifact-level armor that contains the collapsed star that is his body, and similar awesomeness!), his loyal Kasaath bodyguard that is a gestalted Sorceror (Starsoul)/Soul Knife built around Dimensional Assault and blasty stuff, and an Android assassin by the name of Nyx who has a fatal obsession with one of the characters and whom uses her skills as a gestalt Slayer/Investigator to try and eliminate that character.

Technology would also be rampant in this setting, fitting the sci-fi theme.

2. Way of the Wicked as a Space Campaign- There are the two cardinal sins of tabletop roleplaying right there: evil PCs and space! Still, one cannot ignore the awesome notion of PCs escaping from an interstellar prison in order to bring low the federation of peace-loving worlds that imprisoned them,

Changes would be similar to the previously mentioned alternate APs, but would also feature a massive twist in the plot.

SPOILERZ!:
Instead of the characters benefactors being Asmodeans, they are secretive cultists of Nyarlothep the Crawling Chaos and thus, the Dark Tapestry. Will they, once they learn the truth, play the part of good dogs until they can betray their masters? Or will they dance among the ashes of civilizations, mad agents of the Black Pharoah who seek nothing more than to foment chaos and discord in the multiverse in the name of the Black Pharoah and his Dominion of the Black?

3. Kingmaker in Space- As mentioned by many people, X with space makes things better and this is true with Kingmaker! Especially since I have PDFs with kingdom-building rules for structures similar to Android Factories, Orbital Cannons, Pharmaceutical Structures, Psionic Resonance Chambers, and stuff.

4. Inverted Wrath of the Righteous- Instead of the classic 'heroes slaughter demons' campaign, consider this: what if the celestials, angered at the wickedness of Cheliax, opened an angelic rift in the heart of of Cheliax's mainland and have begun to occupy the surrounding countryside, turning the area into a bastion of good. The PCs, favored agents of Thrune, are tasked with ending this occupation along with the rebellions that will come during the crisis.

5. Wrath of the Rightous for Angels- As Wrath of the Righteous, but the PCs are angels/archons from the Heavens. I am unsure of character creation rules for the races, but the campaign would be much more high octane than most Wrath of the Righteous campaigns.

6. Carrion Crown in Ravenloft- Considering that there are pretty good replacement areas and NPCs that fit almost perfectly and seamlessly into the Carrion Crown adventure path, I think this is a pretty good concept.

7. Skull and Shackles in a Dune-like World- Pretty much as described. Sand-ships skim across the treacherous sands and pirates are a constant


Dot?


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I feel there is a distinct NEED for this thread on Paizo!

Let me start off with my epic semi-trusies-to-completely-trusies trollolo rant!

First off, let's talk about mead, the FINEST ambrosia of a drink to ever caress a person's taste buds! HOW can people get by WITHOUT mead in their lives! And no, American mead does not count because it is an ABOMINATION compared to the real taste of sweet, heavenly mead! And the alcohol content of this unholy mead-substitute? Abysmal! You might as well drink water or perhaps goat p!$$, because that's about all you're getting out of it! Put some CHEST ON YOUR CHEST and drink REAL NORSE MEAD!!!

Marvel's Thor series is so cool, but SO WRONG! Loki is not the Satan of Norse Mythology! He is the shunned and exiled trickster, much like the Native American's Coyote. The only reason he was imprisoned is because he went too far with one of his pranks, which led to a demise of another divine entity. I love Marvel, but that depiction of Loki was very BLEGH!

Sea reavers were awesome! They were the pirates before pirates became known and get NO credit for it! Sure, Jack Sparrow was awesome in Pirates of the Caribbean and yes, Davy Jones was a beast in battle, but you know what? Old Olaf didn't need no fancy Calypso transformation or mad luck, because all he had to do was rage and swing an axe clear through his foes! Get your facts straight folks, THESE were the original pirates and they didn't take any S&!# from anyone!

And finally, to conclude the first segment of this salty rant, let's talk about real salt. You know who were dirty scoundrels who salted people's land instead of taking it over like real men? THE ROMANS! NaCl was the tools of fascists and corrupt bureaucrats back in the day! You heard it here first, folks! Forget your fancy history lessons, because they glorify the Roman Empire, whose negative contributions to society still go unnoticed. I mean come on, they gave OUR CURRENT SYSTEM OF GOVERNMENT (U.S. anyway!), for pity's sake! That should be enough to make you hate Rome right there! VIVA LA REVOLUTION! DOWN WITH THE TOGA-WEARING FASCISTS!!!


Sing your lays and recite your eddas here, fellow Skald!


Halsningar everyone and well-met! Ejrik the Norseman welcomes you to the hearthfire of his mead hall. Come, sit and listen to this old Skald spin a tale for the masters of the spear-din and battle dew amongst you!

I noticed a distinct lack of Norse-style campaigns on these messageboards during my week or so long period of lurking after finding this site and, as such, feel that needs to be rectified!

Before the inevitable 'but you're a new guy, do you know PBP' questions arise, let me assuage your worries. I did some Obsidian Portal PBP years ago and, just to get myself re-acclimated to the feel of how it works, I have watched a few games and read a few guides listed by some of the gracious players on these forums, such as Painlord's guide to PBP among others.

How the idea for this campaign was born!:

The Northlands campaign began years ago when I came across the Northlands Saga by Frog God Games and I read a few books from the *SPOILER* adventure path by Paizo, which featured some very Northlands-style concepts. Once Mythic Adventures came out, I just KNEW that I had to create this campaign!

After a long while of figuring out things, tweaking encounters, making treasure much more appealing, and building an epic storyline, I believe that it is time for this campaign to be played by those hungry for glory!

I had originally built this campaign for my home group of players, most of which are seasoned tabletop RPG players. Alas, our group had to disband, due to many of it's constituent player base moving off elsewhere, but I feel that these forums are the perfect place to feature my baby, as I believe the fine men and women of these messageboards can help make it an experience to remember, a tale worthy of the Poetic Eddas themselves!

The Basic Concept of the Beginning of the Campaign:
The Northlands campaign is set in a land very much like Viking Era Scandinavia with a culture and pantheon to match. However, the campaign is NOT set on Earth, but instead a fantasy world featuring magic and mythical beasts, many of which are drawn from Norse lore.

The campaign begins simply enough, with the players residing in the coastal town of Halfstead, a small community ran by the famed sea reaver Jarl Olaf Hendrickson. When his ship is a fortnight late, whispers begin around town that something fell is afoot. But, as well-versed in the spear-din and song of battle as the Jarl is, surely nothing could have befallen him?

There will be a bit more to work on as you read this post further and you see the first gameplay post, which should give you all a fair idea of how things will proceed.

Northlands Culture and Customs:
Northlands culture is sophisticated and included advanced shipbuilding technology, poetry, metalworking and agriculture. The Northlanders have a complex society with elaborate rituals and social hierarchy. They have a reach that extends far into the lands to the south, bringing their beliefs and culture with them as they settled new lands. The root of their culture and the richest examples of it, of course, are found in their cold homeland.

Northlands culture is rich in art and forms of entertainment. Not surprisingly for a people whose homelands featur a cold climate and long winter nights, their entertainment relied heavily on indoor activities. Their literature, rooted in oral tradition, includes a wealth of poetry and tales. The Northlanders also enjoy strategic board games, some of which they adopted from other societies such as backgammon and chess, and others such as hnefatafl, which they devised themselves. Metalworking is another important part of Northland culture, and craftsmen create intricate jewelry and excellent weapons in addition to manufacturing tools and household items, the quality of which could shame the finest craftsmen of the southern lands.

Alcohol deserves a special place in Northlander culture. They love each and every type of alcohol produced throughout the known world, but often gravitate towards hard ales, ciders, and, most importantly, mead, which is often used as a libation to the gods.

Northlander society is largely community-based, with widely dispersed small to medium size communities led by Jarls who often also act as priests. They have been known to establish trading communities, particularly with the Ulanat people in the Far North.

Although the Northlanders practice agriculture in their home bases, they are rightly famed as seafaring raiders, traders and explorers because they are extremely skilled sailors and navigators who build the most technologically advanced ships of the age. Powered by either oar or sail, or both, their ships feature a removable side rudder and a shallow keel, allowing them to sail at any depth, navigate rivers and easily bring their ships onto shore. As they set forth to plunder or trade, they tend to establish settlements in the new lands they visited.

Northlands honor is a matter of gravest importance to them. Loyalty to one's clan and one's Jarl is considered paramount, as is fighting bravely in battle and not showing signs of cowardice.

The laws of hospitality run deep in the Northlands. Any given traveler can expect shelter, food, and the warmth of the hearth from any community he finds himself within, although travelers are themselves bound to make themselves useful to their hosts and to not raise a blade against them without just cause. Violations of the unspoken laws of hospitality are often grounds for a duel, often to the death.

Northland men are deeply protective of females and have a very low opinion of those who would do them harm, often challenging the offender to a duel to the death.

Oaths are taken very seriously in the Northlands and any decent man's word is as good as binding. Oathbreakers are often exiled from communities or at least made into the worst sort of pariahs possible. If the oath broken is severe enough, such as with a blood or life oath, there may be deadly repercussions from the wronged party.

Northlanders are often unashamed of their baser impulses and live life with a verve that those in the south could scarcely imagine.

It is common in the Northlands for people to brag about their achievements. Indeed, it is one of their favorite past times!

Honorable men are called drengr. They embody drengskapr—doing
the right thing. This encompasses sacrificing to the gods, keeping
oaths and being loyal to comrades, upholding the laws of the Þing,
honoring offers of wergild (and pursuing feuds when necessary),
disavowing those made outlaw, and being a good host and leader of
men. To call a companion drengr, especially if they were not born
in the North, is a profound compliment.

Ofermod is the fearless courage embodied by Donar, essential to any
northern hero. It drives warriors to throw themselves recklessly into battle but also allows for a sense of fair play and the urge to settle disputes with duels rather than a knife in the back. Skalds refer to those filled with ofermod as being “over-hearted” or “having too much heart” but this isn’t considered a bad thing. Since no manlives a moment longer than he’s fated, it’s always best to be bold and daring.

To possess sisu is to have strength of will, determination, and
perseverance beyond the norm. Ofermod may get you into a fight
but sisu is the tenacity to keep fighting when the battle goes against you—a “never give up!” attitude that sees northerners through the long dark winters and gives them the resolve to continue bloody vendettas and seemingly impossible quests.

A coward, a betrayer, an oath-breaker or treacherous host are those
who earn the name of níðingr: a person without honor, the object of loathing and scorn. In a world where reputation and acclaim determine status, a níðingr has proved that they deserve none. They can expect to be bullied and mocked relentlessly by more honorable men, expelled from felags and longship crews, and to receive only meager hospitality—poor food and seated in the shadows far from the lord at feasts, if indeed they are invited at all. Although the two often go hand in hand, this is very different from being made outlaw.

Don’t fall into the ‘civilized’ ways of sarcasm, innuendo, and snide remarks: Questioning someone’s honor is asking for a fight. Sometimes it happens by accident—especially at drunken feasts—and indeed many northerners are quick to laugh off such happenings… once a sincere apology is given. Sometimes only bloodshed can heal a warrior’s wounded pride. This is called holmganga (“going to the island”), named after the first duel fought in this manner. When an island isn’t available, duels are typically fought at crossroads, in sacred glades, or on a cloth staked to the ground. The fight ends only when one combatant flees or is unable to continue. The concept of “first blood” is laughed at, how can a mere scratch satisfy the demands of honor? Typical provocation for a duel is accusing a warrior of a crime, cowardice, or falsely claiming credit for heroic deeds. Whoever caused the offence has three days to publicly apologize for the slight or meet the aggrieved party for the duel. Failure by either side to show up earns them a reputation as a nithling and in some cases can lead to outlawry for a year or two. Each warrior is traditionally allowed to take their personal arms, armor, and three shields to the dueling ground. Breaking a shield or throwing it down ends a “round” of fighting, allowing a brief respite (no more than a minute) to catch one’s breath before battle begins anew. Contestants may use magical items and their own magical powers, but outside assistance is forbidden. If a duel is grossly mismatched, a champion may fight in one’s place or the defender can go before the local Þing and petition to have the duel declared unfair. Despite this many warriors make a good living as wandering duelists, making challenges in order to extort “gifts” from men unable to stand against them.

Northerner’s concept of justice can be hard to define. There are relatively few crimes—most come down to theft or dishonoring someone’s good name—and ‘justice’ is synonymous with compensation or avoiding a feud, not some abstract idea of right or wrong. Assuming they have not committed an especially heinous crime (treachery for example), the accused may well not be treated as a criminal by the populace at large, or even by their victims. Fines are the usual punishment, known as wergild or mansbot, paid by the offender to the victim and/or their family (traditionally in silver rings), and in exchange the victim and his kin swear to let the matter drop. If the accused isn’t around to answer the charge themselves, then their family or comrades are expected to pay up. Those who cannot pay must serve as bondsmen until the debt is paid off or face outlawry and a reputation as a níðingr. The crux of deciding a wergild is often not whether or not the accused is guilty, but how much they should pay. There are no written laws detailing appropriate amounts, so this is typically decided by debate at the Þing and modified by the social status of accused and victim, and the greed of all involved. Sometimes things aren’t as clear cut as just paying a fine, however: Arguments often arise over who is truly responsible. Disputes are heard at the Þing and popular vote or the vote of the Jarl decides the matter. The community rarely stands for lawyerish babble.

Religion in the Northlands:
The old powers are known as Vanir, which means The Old Gods or Those Who Came Before. Their dominion is deep earth and deeper sea, harvest and famine, winter death and spring rebirth. Their eclectic clan includes fey lords, elementals, ancient titan progenitors of the giant races, and the demigods of nature. Not as stern and lordly as Wotan’s kin, the Vanir are quicker to laugh and more bountiful with their favors, but also capricious as the sea and skilled in dark magic. Wotan leads a very different clan. They govern the lives of mortal creatures; their lusts and glories, strengths and weakness, and just reward in the afterlife. Known as the Aesir (Those who dwell in Asgard), they displaced the old gods from the hearts of men and so provoked the first war to trouble the mortal world. Some of the vanquished made peace with their enemies and became friends and allies, wives and husbands to the Aesir. Others retreated deep into swamps and forests and caves beneath the mountains, nursing wounds and dreams of revenge.

Piety in the northlands is a curious thing. Although it has its share of true believers, most people regard the gods like unruly kings rather than divine beings: Powerful and dangerous if crossed, helpful when bribed or flattered, and thankfully easy to appease with tribute. Blood is the usual sacrifice—goats, cattle or horses suffice most of the time but it’s not uncommon for men to go beneath the knife when matters are serious. Each god prefers their offerings delivered in a particular way: Wotan demands sacrifices are hung and pierced by spears, while Baldur’s offerings are burned and Donar prefers heads bashed in with a sacred hammer. Druids, oracles, and even witches are all common classes for priests. Full-time clerics in the southern style are a relative rarity, treated more as favored champions than clergymen. Most holy men also have another role, from jarl or captain to soothsayer, hunter, or smith. Worship isn’t someting to be kept separate from everyday life; it takes place in feasting halls and forges, on battlefields and the swaying decks of longships. Dedicated temples are few not because northmen are impious but because they consider it fruitless to try to contain their gods: They’ve better things to do than visit you, so it’s best to call on them in the places where they like to walk. Few northerners devote themselves to a single deity. Most acknowledge all gods as powerful and best not angered. Although most people have a deity or two that’s close to their heart, when traveling it’s not uncommon for northerners to call upon local gods for a while, abandoning them with equal casualness when they move on.

Baldur, the Shining
Youthful god of light and beauty, happiness, and rebirth
Baldur is the shining god with hair like spun gold and skin white
as snow. Donar may be more glorious and Wotan wiser, but no one
is more beloved than Baldur.
He is the god of light and patron of all things beautiful, from the
smile of a comely maiden to the engraved pillars of a well-crafted
hall. He’s the bringer of light and joy, teacher of forgiveness and
mercy. His wife is the sun and his son is Justice, and many call him
the best of all the Aesir.
Baldur is the god of the things to come for he experiences dark
dreams of his future fate: Although his death is fated to begin the
end of the world, he will return from the Underworld to lead the
gods of the new world from the ashes of the old. He’s revered as the
sun that comes after the storm and the dawn that rescues men from
darkest night. He’s god of protection too, for his mother has warded
him from every manner of peril: Neither fire or water, metal, stone,
earth, trees, sickness, beasts, birds, poison, or serpents can
harm him. Indeed, the gods often amuse themselves
by throwing dangerous objects at him, laughing as
they bounce off harmlessly.
Baldur’s chosen domains are: Charm, Good,
Healing, Protection, and Sun.
His favored weapon is the mace.
What Baldur Demands: Baldur surrounds himself
with beauty and demands that his followers likewise seek
out the finest thing s in life—not to hoard but to share
with others. They must always be kind and charming,
offer aid where it’s needed, remind those who struggle
through dark times that dawn will always come, and
otherwise plant the seeds of a better world.

Boreas, the Devouring Wind
Cruel god of the North wind, bringer of
storms and killing cold.
Boreas is the god that brings autumn
storms and winter gales, the biting wind
that delivers sleet, hail, and snow. Son of
the Winter Maiden, his duty is to deliver
his mother’s killing cold to the world. It’s a job he takes
seriously.
Boreas’ aim is to cover all of Midgard with eternal winter.
Prophecies foretell that he’ll one day succeed and cover the land in
endless winter. He works tirelessly to ensure that his day of victory
comes soon. From the highest mountain in the North he brews
storms and dispatches thuellai, yeti, and other minions southward.
He’s sometimes worshiped merely as the herald of Mara, much to
his chagrin.
Boreas typically appears as a winged old man with shaggy hair
and a wild beard—a cackling madman plagued by lust, paranoia,
and rage. He enjoys shape-shifting however, sometimes appearing
as a living storm or a massive white stallion, dragon, or hawk—
and occasionally in more seductive forms. In horse-form he’s
been known to impregnate the free-roaming mares of the steppe,
producing some of the strongest, fastest, and toughest horses in the
world. He also claims to be the grandfather of all winter wolves and
other snow-beasts. True or not, northerners curse his name as the
progenitor of all manner of evils.
Boreas’ chosen domains are Air, Evil, Madness, Travel, and
Weather.
His favored weapon is the pick.
What Boreas Demands: Boreas claims those who serve him
will be spared when his victory comes. His demands are relatively
direct: Help destroy the power of other gods and cover all Midgard
in winter storms. Worshipers make sacrifices by exposing victims
to the winter night and pray to him to send destruction upon their
enemies. They sabotage hearth fires and storehouses, and assist yeti,
ice maidens, and other creatures to do Boreas’ will.

Donar (Also known as Thor), the Thunderer
God of strength and thunder, slayer of monsters and protector of man.
Wotan’s eldest and boldest son, Donar is the champion of man and
dwarf. Riding out in search of glory on a chariot pulled by tireless
celestial goats, equipped with potent artifacts, he is the eternal
adventurer of Asgard, eternal foe of giants, trolls, and other monsters.
His hammer is the symbol of strength and thunder, fertility,
and protection from the supernatural.
Everyone from raiders to farmers make offerings to
Donar. Warriors look to him for strength and bravery,
while his hammer is raised by peaceful folk to ward
off trolls and keep danger from their doors. Its touch
blesses newborns with strength, secures marriage vows,
and drives back undead. His strength is both physical and
spiritual.
Donar is typically depicted as a large man with a wild
red mane and beard, filled with ofermod and none too
bright. Countless godlings and ancient spirits fell beneath
his hammer during the Vanir War, and to this day Donar
is feared and hated by many northern monsters, especially
giants. The dwarves too are wary of him, for although
he created them alongside Volund, he
also smote their halls when they dared
to favor the smith god over him. Reaver
dwarves invoke him both as creator and
for vengeance and retribution.
Donar’s chosen domains are
Destruction, Protection, Strength, War,
and Weather.
His favored weapon is the warhammer (Mjöllnir,
‘Crusher’).
What Donar Demands: Donar’s worshipers invoke him with
deeds, not words. His name is shouted in the midst of battles and
duels, and as a challenge to monsters in the wild. His temples are
battlefields new and old, where oaths of brotherhood are sealed with
runes of painted blood and the sacrifice of bears and oxen. Followers
must emulate his deeds of strength and bravery, never fearing death
or evading an honorable challenge. To fall bravely in battle is the
perfect end for them—the Thunderer has little love for those who
live to see a straw death from sickness or old age.

Freyr & Freyja
Twin Gods of Passion, Fertility, Magic, and the Natural World.
Freyr and Freyja are twins, children of the Vanir who now dwell
among the Aesir. Technically hostages exchanged after the Vanir
War, they’re now considered one of the family and sit in the highest
councils of Asgard. It’s said they taught the gods witchcraft, and
were the divine sponsors of Njord the Sea Master.
Freyr and Freyja are gods of the old religion that have adapted
better than most to the new ways. Freyr bestows peace and pleasure
on mortals, is protector of farmers and a foe to fire giants and out of control flames that destroy farmsteads and fields. Freyja’s is a skilled
witch, so beautiful that she cries golden tears. She wears the necklace
of the Brisings, an unmatched piece of jewelery she purchased by
sleeping with all four of its dwarf creators. Freyja’s is also the patron
of shieldmaidens.
Both deities are adventurous and have seen their share of battles.
Like Wotan, they gather fallen warriors to them to form an army
with which the Vanir will fight beside the Aesir at Ragnarok.
Freyr and Freyja’s chosen domains are: Animal, Charm, Magic,
Plants, and Water.
Their Favored weapon is the sickle.
What Freyr and Freyja Demand: The twin gods are often
worshiped together but each demands equal due from their followers.
Worshipers must revere the old ways, respecting the power of nature
and the fey and elementals bound to it. Their chosen offerings are
the bounty of nature as well as drunken debaucheries. Freyr and
Freyja demand their worshipers punish with curses those who scorn
the Vanir and the old ways.

Hod, the Blind
Blind god of caves and darkness.
Brother to Baldur, Hod is as dark as his brother is fair. He wasn’t
born blind: Sired by Wotan during a tryst with the Queen of
Nightmares, it’s said that Mara gave birth to him in the Underworld,
and there he saw such terrible things that his newborn eyes were
seared from his face.
Hod is the god of dark places: The Underworld, lightless caves
and the moonless night. He is the god of escaping one’s limitations,
be they bonds of servitude or physical disabilities. His blind eyes
make his fellow gods uneasy, so he travels. He protects adventurers
exploring caves and subterranean ruins, and in the Underworld he’s
been known to intercede on behalf of restless spirits, so his name is
sometimes invoked against undead.
Most of his worship goes on beneath the earth. These temples are
kept in permanent darkness; priests rely on their ears and memories
to move around, and deadly traps often lurk ready to punish an
unwary misstep. Hod is worshiped at dusk and sacrificed to before
ventures down into the earth. His holy days correspond to the dark
of the moon. His sacred animals are dogs, bats, and any creature
relying on senses other than sight.
Hod’s chosen domains are Darkness, Earth, Liberation, Repose,
and Travel.
Hod’s favored weapon is the dart.
What Hod Demands: Hod asks his worshipers to venture into
the darkness, both underground and into the night. They must
rely on senses other than sight and work to free those in bondage,
including the restless dead. Hod’s ceremonies must be performed
sightlessly. Priests and worshipers usually blindfold themselves,
although the fanatical have been known to permanently blind
themselves in his honor. Worshipers make pilgrimages beneath the
earth to set up underground shrines and waystations. His sacrifices
are entombed alive.

Loki, the Trickster
Shapeshifting god of cunning, mischief and malice.
What’s known and rumored about Loki is surely only the tip of the
iceberg compared to what’s hidden behind misdirection and lies:
You’ll never hear the same story twice of his origins, and that’s just
the way he likes it. Loki is a trickster and an instigator. He brings
change—often dangerous change—but also helps the gods escape
the trouble he causes. In a world dominated by the strong and
forthright, he has the talents that northmen all too often overlook:
cleverness, stealth and guile. Many liken him to a fire—useful,
bright, and alluring; unpredictable, uncontrollable, and potential
deadly. Like a flame he can suddenly go from small and harmless
to large and dangerous—he’s a renowned shapeshifter even among
the gods and has sired numerous monsters; among others the World
Serpent, the wolf Fenris, and his half-dead daughter Hel.
Loki is blood-brother of Wotan and a common companion to
Donar, and is the thyle of the gods. Yet he often provokes the Aesir
and finds himself unwelcome in Valhalla—at least until his cunning
is needed once more.
Loki’s fate is a dark one. Driven by jealousy, he will kill Baldur
and his monstrous children will bring about the twilight of the gods.
These deeds may be in the future but they cannot be forgiven or
forgotten even before they have been done. Some say the suspicion
of the gods and scorn of mortal men will drive him from mischief
to evil, others that Loki was wickedness incarnate from the start.
The truth—like so much more about him—will probably never be
known.
Loki’s chosen domains are Chaos, Fire, Luck, Travel, and
Trickery.
His favored weapon is the net, which he’s said to have invented.
What Loki Demands: Loki has no temples and his name is more
often a curse than a prayer. He’s worshiped by those who consort
with monsters and those about to do acts of treachery or cunning.
Few dare to call upon him, for his divine ‘help’ often gets out of
hand and causes more trouble than it solves. The trickster himself
demands nothing from his followers: “Do what you think would
amuse me” is all the guidance he gives. His worshipers have learned
to serve him while maintaining an outwardly respectable demeanor.
Their aim is usually to place themselves in the same position among
mortals that Loki is among the gods—renowned for skill and
cleverness rather than strength; sometimes unwanted, but always
indispensable.

Njord, the Ocean Master
Fearless god of the sea travel.
Njord is a master sailor and explorer, patron to the city of Noatun
and those who’d master the dangers of the sea. Dolphins, seals,
and flying fish are especially sacred to him. Once a mortal wizard
(although some say, divinely descended), he ruled the city that
would one day be called as Noatun, and its kings and tower lords
still claim descent from him. Statues depicted him as a trylleri
sea captain with a long black beard, curling shells and starfish
for jewellery. He laughs often and loves a good tale of adventure.
Legend says his feet are more comely than any other god’s. Freyr
and Freyja are his chief allies.
Njord earned his godhood by supplanting Aegir, former god of
the sea, in the hearts of men and dwarves and that god has never
forgiven him for the affront. He isn’t the god of storms, reefs, and
sea monsters as Aegir was, instead being god of those who evade
and challenge such hazards: Sailors, shipwrights, and Vikings.
Although Njord often dallies with Aegir’s many daughters (who
intercede on his behalf with their father), he’s actually married to
the demigoddess Skadi the Icewalker, but sadly they’re too different
to ever be happy together—each despises the other’s domain.
Njord’s chosen domains are: Artifice, Magic, Travel, Water,
Weather.
His favored weapons is the harpoon.
What Njord Demands: Challenge the waves, master the currents,
fear neither storm nor maelstrom. Sacrifice to the sea people and
sjövættir to ensure their tolerance; show courtesy to mermaids and
selkies in case they are the daughters of Aegir in disguise. Travel far
seeking unknown shores, and raise a runestone in Njord’s honor
where you beach. Craft or oversee construction of a longship at least
once before you die. Keep a wary watch for Aegir and his wrath.

The Norns
The Norns embody fate. Some call them witches and oracles, others
gods, but no one truly knows what the Norns are, because fate is
woven that way. The three most famous Norns and guardians of the
Well of Fate that waters Yggdrasill are Urd (mean Past), Verðandi
(Present), and Skuld (the future). There are many other, lesser
Norns as well—Valkyries, for example—each unique in form and
function, and though rarely seen their powers are felt by commoner
and king alike.
Even gods are subject to the Norns’ fate-weaving, but they do
not abuse their power. They consider themselves servants of fate
rather than its mistresses. Many pray to them hoping for a good end
or good luck, but they rarely concern themselves with prayers and
supplications; they are destiny, and entreaties for mercy or favor go
unanswered, although they can sometimes be persuaded to reveal a
little of someone’s destiny—usually with disastrous results for the
asker.
The Norns domains are Fate, Glory, Knowledge, Death, Luck.
Their favored weapon is the dagger.
What the Norns Demand: The Norns use their mortal servants
as agents to ensure that the world’s fate moves forward as it should.
Their worshipers are mostly witches, oracles, and other seers. The
Norns demand little except obedience when they call, but rarely
punish those who lapse in their faith— it was fated, after all. Only
those who try to cheat destiny suffer their wrath.

Volund, the Master Smith
Master of fire and anvil.
Volund is the god of earth and fire, of the hammer’s ring as it
lands upon the anvil and the hiss of steam as a new-forged sword
is quenched. He’s one of the divine patrons of the reaver dwarves,
but many races pray to him as master craftsman and lord of all the
jewels and precious metals in the earth. In his youth he was a great
traveler—some even dare to say a mortal—and in his wanderings
taught many races to forge not just swords and shields but laws and
communities. If angered however, he was merciless in his revenge;
often crafting cursed items still linger in Midgard, causing trouble
into the present day.
He’s also known as the god of family and hospitality, especially
among humans, who call him Svarog south and east of the Neider
Straits. Marriage, forging a bond between two people, is sacred
to their faith, as are horses for it’s said he stole the first steeds
from Boreas and showed mankind how to tame them. Dwarves
everywhere scoff at such tales, but the Kazzakhs of Rhos Kurgan
praise this aspect above all, revering him as The Rider, master of the
open steppe and guarantor of their eternal freedom.
Volund’s chosen domains are Artifice, Community, Earth, Fire,
and Travel.
His favored weapon is the battle axe (shashka, among Kazzakhs).
What Volund Demands: Volund demands his followers craft
great works in his name and harness stone, metal and fire to their
will. Humans call him Svarog and add mastery of riding to his divine
portfolio. His priesthood and many of his worshipers marry young,
a sacred act which represents building a family and forging links
with their community. Pilgrimage to shrines and temples far and
wide is common: Worshipers must take raw materials or tools with
them, to donate to the places they visit, and must add something,
no matter how small, that they have wrought themselves to every
temple they visit.

Wotan (Also known as Wodin or Odin), the Rune Father
God of strife and wily king of the Asgard.
Donar and Baldur may be more beloved by the people, but Wotan
stands head and shoulders above his kin in power. He is the creator
who carved up the body of the first giant to make the world; he
is the magician who stole runes and charms from the unknown
void. He rewards the heroic dead with a place at his table and is the
patron of proud and ruthless kings. Ravens fly across the world to
bring him news and rumors, and from his enchanted throne he can
spy upon all Creation. He plucked out his own eye in return for
wisdom, and when that wasn’t enough he hung himself upon the
Tree of Worlds, stealing secrets from the void beyond existence. His
name is a kenning for wisdom, poetry, and the kingly arts of war.
Wotan embodies the virtues of a strong king—foresighted and
wise, ruthless toward his enemies but generous to followers, master
of magic and lord of war. God of strife, chieftains and kings, master
of runes and stealer of wisdom. He slew Aurgelmir the first giant
and so earned the enmity of all giant kind. Their battles have been
largely one-sided however; Wotan’s superior cunning and wisdom
ensure that he triumphs time and time again.
Wotan’s chosen domains are Fate, Knowledge, Nobility, Runes,
and War.
His favored weapon is the spear (Gungnir, ‘swaying one’).
What Wotan Demands: Wotan demands his mortal servants
embody the qualities for which he’s famous, so most of them are
jarls and kings. Warriors also pray to him, hoping to earn luck and
victory in battle, or if defeat is fated then to attract the attention
of his Valkyries and a place in Valhalla. Wotan demands that his
followers be canny in judgment, skilled in poetry, and quick to lead
men into honorable battle.

Lesser Gods of the North
There are many gods in the North, some known elsewhere
and worshiped by other names, some seemingly unique. Most
northerners show little prejudice and sacrifice to whoever can help
them at the time. Even the term ‘god’ is applied somewhat vaguely,
blurring the line between genuine deities and powerful creatures
both mortal and not. Many heroes have been invited to dwell
among the Aesir, and in time have acquired a cult of their own.

Aegir
Aegir is an elder of the Vanir, the ancient power of the sea who lost
his place and much of his power to the upstart, Njord. While that
god is the patron of sailors and those who’d tame the sea, Aegir is as
wild and dangerous as the storm-tossed ocean, more likely to wreck
a ship than aid it. He does not take humanoid form but prefers to
swim the depths as a great marine beast. Sharks and giant squid,
kraken spawn and krakens are his worshipers now.

Aurgelmir
First of the giants, Aurgelmir is the patron of his descendants and
all those who consider themselves foemen of the gods. Frost giants
especially revere him, but all giants claim him as an ancestor and
with it the right of blood feud against the gods. Some druids also
acknowledge Aurgelmir, as his murdered body was used to create
Midgard itself.

Gullveig
Gulveig is known by many names and kennings; Gold Drink and
Golden Might, Heiðr the Gleaming One, She Who Returns From
Flame. She’s a powerful witch who inflamed gold-lust in the hearts
of the gods and provoked them into war against the Vanir. Misers
and hoarders worship her, as do enchanters and others who use
magic to cause trouble and get their own way.

Fenris, the Demon Wolf
Fenris is the greatest of the terrible children of Loki. He grew to
such size that the gods feared his hunger might be turned upon
them, so bound him and cast him out of the world. In order to trick
Fenris into submitting to their shackles however, the god Tyr had
to sacrifice his hand.
Fenris’ followers are wolves, worgs, lycanthropes, and nightgarms.
They work to bring about the Wolf Age, when fire and steel with
falter and all mortals become prey, and their master bursts free to
devour the gods. They consort with giants, Boreas and anyone else
who seeks to bring about Ragnarok, but their first love is always the
hunt and the kill.

Forseti
Forseti is the god of justice and rightful retribution. Son of Baldur,
he embraces justice as a form of beauty and source of harmony. He
defends his peaceful father from attack or exploitation, and helps
Tyr enforce the laws of the Þing by ensuring judgments remain
honest and true.

Heimdall
Heimdall is the watchman of the gods, guarding the Rainbrow
Bridge between Midgard and Asgard from attack. He’s well suited
to the task, for his senses are amazingly keen: He can see a hundred
miles in both daylight and darkest night, hear grass growing, and
feel the footfall of an ant. He is the patron of the besieged, popular
all along the Reaver Coast, as well as with scouts, lookouts, and
those who guard treasuries and grain stores.

Hel
Hel is mistress of the inglorious dead. Her father is Loki and
her brothers are Fenris and the World Serpent. Thrown into the
Underworld by Wotan, she makes her home in the hall Eljudnir,
where those who suffer an unheroic death go. She’s charged with
punishing níðingr, oath-breakers, and traitors. One side of her body
is beautiful; the other as ugly as the rotting corpse of a dead hag.
Necromancers pray to Hel for mastery over the dead and undead,
and by those seeking to retrieve loved ones from the Underworld.
Her hall is one of the few places that Loki is always welcome, and so
she’s sometimes praised and cursed for the hospitality she shows her
father. It’s said that at Ragnarok she’ll send an army of the dead to
fight against the gods, crew of a mighty ship named Naglfari that’s
made entirely out of traitor’s fingernails.

Kvasir
To seal their truce at the end of their war, all the Aesir and Vanir
spat into a clay pot, and from this mixing of divine spittle their
came Kvasir. In him was a sliver of the power and wisdom of every
god, but it could not save his life—he was murdered by a pair of
unscrupulous dwarves (clan unknown, and every reaver dwarf hotly
denies it was anyone from their lands). They brewed his blood into
mead that granted sublime poetic ability. Kvasir is revered as the
patron of poetry and wisdom among those who follow the Vanir,
and by others who’d rather not call on strife-loving Wotan for these
things.

Lada/The Bear Maiden
Sometimes regarded as the servant or consort of Baldur, the Bear
Maiden is a protector of both her namesake and all in need. She is a
patron of hearth and home, guardian of lovers and patron of those
who pray for loved ones to return safely home. When her charges
are threatened she is a fierce shieldmaiden, fighting in the form of
a red-furred dire bear.
Southerners call her Lada the Golden, goddess of healing, love,
and mercy. Most popular among the over-burdened peasants of
the Reaver Coast, Lada’s clergy have recently launched a crusade
to convert the North to less violent ways. They’ve found few
converts among jarls and warriors, but a peace-loving farmers and
overworked thralls have heeded her call. Her missionaries travel
north preaching love and peace; many are slain outright, enslaved,
or ‘honored’ with the blood eagle’s ritual death. Martyrs to cause
cry Lada’s priesthood, undaunted. She’s not without her defenders
however: Paladins and pilgrim-protecting monks are now heading
north to protect the Golden Crusade.

Mara, The Winter Maiden
Mara is the Queen of Nightmares, promiscuous mother of monsters
and unfaithful consort of many gods. Boreas is her son, as is blind
Hod. She is the goddess of winter and the terror that makes cowards
and traitors out of man and dwarf alike, and of diseases that bring
down heroes who would otherwise earn a place in Valhalla. She
is grandmother of snow maidens, patron of hags and evil witches,
those who lust and who satiate it, and all who cower in fear and
desperately hope that this year the Vikings will pass them by.
Like winter itself she’s often beautiful, a seductress whose delicate
appearance hides a wicked and destructive nature.

Skadi, the Ice Walker
Skadi is a giantess whose veins flow with the potent blood of both
Mara and Aurgelmir. A masterful explorer and huntress, she’s
daughter of the Snow Queen of Frozen Reach and Thjazi of the
Crashing Hall, the now dead frost jotun who once stole Donar’s
hammer. For decades she sought revenge or wergild from the gods,
eventually getting Njord as a husband in return for abandoning her
feud. She hates the sea and everything in it however, and although
the flame of love flickers in their hearts, the pair spends little time
in each other’s company.
Skadi’s followers are hermits and rangers who enjoy the solitude
of the mountains—the open sky, the thrill of flashing by on ski
and skate, and of the hunt and the kill. She roves the mountains
and tundra endlessly, hunting game and indulging her wanderlust,
although Skadi inherited her mother’s quickness to icy. fury, she
does not share the Snow Queen’s wicked heart. Mostly she just
wants to be left alone, although tales tell of her sharing a camp with
lone travelers from time to time.

Tyr
Tyr was born among the Vanir but has long dwelt in the halls
of Asgard. Most fearless of all the gods, he’s prayed to by those
who’d stave off terror and the temptations of cowardice. His chosen
weapon is the sword, with which he protects the sanctity of the Þing
and enforces its laws. When the gods sought to trick Fenris and
capture him by making a game of tying him down, the demon wolf
demanded that one of their number place their hand in his mouth
as a surity of trust. Tyr immediately held out is fist, and when the
wolf saw that the gods would not untie him, he bit it off. Tyr never
flinched.

Character Creation Rules Props to GM Fallen Herald for creating this format and for allowing me to use it!

Level and Class: 4 Gestalt. Gunslingers and any other classes utilizing firearms or advanced technology are banned. Some classes will need reskinning, such as the Eastern classes, but I could easily figure the Samurai being reskinned as a huscarl, for example. Path of War material is allowed with some reskinning (The Disciplines are actually mystical powers from the gods/your wyrd [Sort of like the strand of fate the Norns have weaved for you]. Hypnotists are disallowed as well, as are Vigilantes, Antipaladins, and the base Summoner, though the Unchained version of the latter is acceptable. I may allow other third party material, but you need to pitch how it could fit into an epic Norse campaign.

Ability Scores: 24 points from a base of 10 on a one-for-one basis. Seriously, who uses scaling?

Race:The core races are allowed, as are select other races. If you do not want to play one of the standard core races, please state which race you may be interested in. Things like Aasimar will be allowed, things like Drow, Goblins or Strix... not so much.

Alignment:Not Neutral Evil or Chaotic Evil. If you do choose Lawful Evil, you must EXPLICITLY STATE what makes the character evil so I can weed out problematic characters and preserve those who are simply morally complex.

Traits: Two Traits, plus the option for a third if you choose to take a Drawback, which I suspect that most will.

Skills:You gain +2 Skill Points per level.

Feats:You gain a bonus Feat every level that you do not normally gain one from your level. You still gain it on a given level if you would gain a bonus Feat from your class, but not your level.

Hit Points:Maximum per HD.

Starting Equipment: 3,000 GP and one masterwork weapon or piece of armor. You also gain a set of cold-weather clothing and another nonmagical, nonroyal outfit of your choosing.

Mythic Path: Although you will not gain a Mythic Rank until the end of the second adventure, which in this AP is essentially like being at the end of one of Paizo's first AP books, I want you to plan ahead on what you intend to take. I personally do not care if there is PC overlap with Mythic Paths, but it would be much more flavorful if everyone picked something different.


This thread is obviously where people discuss things out of character!


Dot!


I don't believe I need to discuss what you do in a discussion thread, right guys and gals?


Dot!


Here is the long awaited recruitment for the Fallen Sons and Daughters of Heaven campaign!

For those who did not check out the initial interest check, this is a crazy-powered campaign set in the Lower Planes. The PCs are all recently-fallen angels who begin their long plummet down into the darkness of Hell. After a short time learning how to survive in Hell, cut off as they are from the energies of the Heavens that once sustained them, they will work to leave their mark on the multiverse.

This campaign will feature all the usual facets of adventuring, but will also utilize kingdom and cult building.

Before people read the campaign rules and assume that nothing from the bestiary is going to be a challenge to PCs but the most powerful, you are correct... but that does not take into account that the bestiary entries of creatures are their BASELINE power levels. In Hell, only the most exceptional rise in station and how many out of those beings are content to languish at a set power level for millenia? Very few, I would suspect! Most enemies that the PCs will face are tristalt as well, with many having mythic ranks and generous amounts of templates and each 'big boss creature' having Dual Initiative. So, before there is the inevitable 'but balance', just throw all ideas of balance out the window and prepare yourself for the awesomeness that is this campaign!

I will be selecting two groups of PCs, one for each table that I plan on running so, despite the numbers of probable applicants, do not let yourself be intimidated.

Okay, so let me get the character creation out of the way!

Level and Class Information:
Tristalt 13. This works like gestalt, although instead of melding 2 classes for each level you have, you meld 3.

With regard to classes, everything on the SRD is allowed, save for Paladin, though Antipaladins can be of any evil alignment.

Be warned, however, that I am NOT looking for concepts that are about 'summon everything', because I DO NOT want the thread to be glutted with 50 creatures. It might seem cool, but it's not happening on my watch, not in this campaign. Any creatures that you summon will likely be obsolete and will only serve as paper dummys that get wrecked in moments anyway.

You may also use levels from any side of the gestalt to acquire templates, with the calculation of (level=CR-1, mimunim of 1). These templates DO NOT grant any ability score bonuses and any DR, SR, AC, or similar bonuses from templates DO NOT STACK, with you only receiving the highest of any particular one that you possess.

Ability Scores:
Okay, so here's the thing, you are all angels. You each start with a baseline score of 12 in each of the six stats. From there, you may spend 30 points on ability scores. Each point spent raises the stat by one. You may raise any individual score up to a value of 24 at initial character creation. You also gain the normal ability score bonuses from your levels. Please note that if, later in the character creation process, you decide to become undead or incorporeal, you will NOT gain any bonuses from your stat, it is simply gone.

Creating Your Fallen:
All of the Fallen are unique beings, more unique than the angels they fell from or the fiends that they will reside among. Hence, you will be allowed to build your Fallen in most any manner.

You will be able to use the ARG to build your race, but may select any of the 'base forms' for Eidolons as a body type.

You gain 30 points to buy racial stuff from the ARG with, though ability score bonuses are banned and AC bonuses cap at +4.

You also gain the equivalent of 10 Evolution Points from the Eidolon list to add to your character. These points may be spent on anything but ability score bonuses and AC/SR/DR.

Arms cap at 3 sets (Six arms), so there are no 'hundred handed ones' in the group.

Each character also has the power of flight. You choose either Winged Flight or Supernatural Flight. Winged Flight functions at base speed x2 with Good Maneuverability, functions in antimagic zones, gives you wings, which allows you to select the Wing Buffet natural attack from the Eidolon list of abilities, should you decide to spend points on it, but does not function if you are unable to use your wings somehow. Supernatural Flight functions at base speed x3 with Perfect Maneuverability, allows you to move in any combination of directions while airborn, and can be used even if physically restrained or immobilized, but is completely negated in areas of antimagic.

You also gain immunity to ONE type of energy damage of your choice, chosen at character creation. Choices include fire, cold, electricity, acid, sonic, negative energy, and positive energy.

Your type is Outsider (Evil, Fallen).

You also have several powers and limitations as Fallen, but it is up to you to discover those in-game. Benighted Prince spoiled a few of the weaknesses in the interest check, but no more shall be spoiled

Alignment:
NO Chaotic Evil or non-evil alignments. You were evil enough to be cast from Heaven into Hell, so you are not anything resembling good or neutral. I also have a distaste for CE depictions of the Fallen. I am aware that the latter is a personal preference, but please stray from the CE stuff. Your Fallen is in Hell anyway.

Traits:
You gain two Traits. The flavor can be altered, assuming that it makes sense.

Skills:
You gain 3 bonus Skill Points at each level.

Feats:
You gain a bonus Feat every level that you would normally not gain one, thus making it so that you have a feat/level.

Hit Points:
You roll your hit points and... WHO ARE WE KIDDING?! MAXIMUM HP PER LEVEL!!!

Starting Equipment:
Now, here's the thing: angels do not come strapped with loot. It's just a simple fact. They have very few pieces of equipment, so each piece is quite powerful. To reflect this, you gain TWO Legacy Items, listed under the Mythic rules. In addition, you have the powers of 150,000 GP in magic items as INNATE ABILITIES, MATCHING THE 'ITEMS' THAT YOU SELECT! To give an example, you could spend X amount of gold and get the corresponding Bracers of Armor +Y, which would function identically, but would be an innate power of yours, not some item. Or you could have abilities copying a Robe of Eyes or a Staff of the Magi. The options are pretty vast really. My only caveat is that items which are consumable be okay'd by me first.

Fiendish Powers:
All of the Fallen practically drip with power, though this reflects differently in each of them.

Each Fallen starts out with 21 points of Fiendish Power. Said Fiendish Power is spent on unique special abilities and special qualities.

While the list is not yet complete, I will give you a few examples. All fiendish powers from non-unique fiends from D&D 3.0 to Pathfinder that I have access to statblocks for have their abilities included on this list.

There are also corrupted versions of celestial powers to. To give an example of this, you can have the Dark Rebirth, which is basically an inverted version of the Star Archon's power, but instead of turning you into a lesser archon after the blast, it turns you into a bodiless specter of cold, shadowy death that can reform it's body after 1d6 days, during which time it loses access to Dark Rebirth. Dark Rebirth is on the highest end of the point spectrum, as it is obviously a super powerful ability. It will likely cost 10 whole points, which is the one of the highest of any Fiendish Power costs.

Said list of Fiendish Powers will be posted in the next few days, but I cannot guarantee when. If you are eager to get an idea of what is available, go to PFSRD and scroll through the Evil Outsiders and their abilities and look at the Good Outsiders and think of the ways those abilities can be twisted into darker versions.

Domain:
All Fallen get access to ONE Cleric Domain of their choice from the SRD. You may select a Subdomain, should you so wish. This domain reflects something that your Fallen had power over before their fall. You gain BOTH Domain Abilities and you gain all spells that a Cleric of your level could cast from said Domain as Spell-Like Abilities. You can use 1st level spells from this list 9/day, 2nd level spells 8/day, and so on and so forth. The saves are based on your level and the mental score of your choice, as opposed to class level + WIS.

Fallen Names:
While I hate dictating fluff, many angel and demon names will be used in this campaign, so please refrain from using real world angel and demon names. As Benighted Regent said, most angel names end with -el, the Babylonian suffix for light, so that would be a place to start coming up with a name from if you are going old school with naming conventions, you know?

Is there any information that I forgot to list? If so, please tell me and I will try my best to answer your question.


Now, just to be clear, a buddy of mine will be making this campaign on the messageboards and GM it, I'm just making a PC for it.

Seeing as how he asked me to form an interest check while he builds the crazy creation rules, let me introduce the idea of the campaign so that people can express interest.

The basics of the campaign is that the PCs are all fallen angels who arrived in the Nine Hells as punishment for their sins. Once there, they realize that they are no longer sustained by the power of the Heavens and, so, must do as the fiends do and cannibalize energy from souls, called Iliaster, to sustain their immortal power and give them the edge they need in this new, brutal existence. Banding together is the best course of action to take, as they will undoubtedly realize, and so will form one of the most powerful alliances that the Hells have seen as they make a name for themselves and work their way towards becoming major movers and shakers in the Lower Planes.

From what I gather, there will be an equal balance of roleplay and roll-play, along with a healthy dash of kingdom building and such.

Now, as for the character creation and such, let me try to adequately explain it. First, you build the basic body of your Fallen, with an Eidolon-type system. You then do most of the character creation, with the classes working like gestalt, but with 3 classes instead of the normal 2. You can then purchase awesome fiendish powers with your 'Fiendish Power' pool, which increases the more souls that you all claim. The powers range from boring things like increased vision capabilities to awesome things like fiendish powers ripped straight from bestiaries, such as Body Flames, Infernal Contract, and Hellstorm, to corrupted versions of celestial abilities, like Dark Rebirth, which causes the Fallen to explode in a wave of cold darkness when slain, reincarnating as a shadowy, incorporeal version of itself with four negative levels, a deadly touch attack, and the ability to reform it's body after a set period of time (1d6 days).

From what I understand, you are free to customize your character's appearance in any way possible, save that you must include some detail that shows the character's nature as a former celestial, whether from charred angelic wings to a halo of light to gleaming metallic skin. Other than that, you can customize them as you want, assuming that you are of the requisite size (Can't have a medium creature being described as taller than a building after all!).

So tell me, who all are interested in this? Myself and Monkeygod are already game for tearing stuff up as super awesome Fallen. Are you?


Blarghablargh!


Discuss things here!


Dot!


1 person marked this as a favorite.

Hello everyone! I'm here on the messageboards to run a Throne of Night campaign for two friends and three or four other people, to be selected in around seven days after this post is placed on the messageboards.

One of the two slotted characters is an established poster on these messageboards who can vouch for the quality campaigns that I run. I'm sure that many of you know the one known as MonkeyGod, right? That's him!

Now, what is the campaign setting about, you may ask? It's a lot to explain, so I will just paraphrase the setting and put some fluffy stuff, torn straight from another Throne of Night campaign recruitment I found on the boards.

Throne of Night is a Kingmaker-style campaign set in the Azathyr, a vast region in the Darklands under the surface of Golarion. In this campaign, you will play as a Drow or one of their select servitor races or allies. You begin as the lowly scrubs of a cruel Drow Baroness who are commanded to seize the Svirfneblin town of Fasturvalt by any means necessary for your lady. But power is a fickle thing in the Azathyr and even the mightiest can fall to plots, poison daggers to the back, or the edge of a sword. Only through a combination of subjugation, conquest, and strange alliances can you rule this realm of eternal night. Do you have what it takes? Or will you just be another corpse for the scavengers to feast on?

The Azathyr and Vothys:
The drow call this entire region of the underworld the Azathyr (pronounced ah-zah-theer rhymes with fear). It means web, so named for its many labyrinthine passages. The Azathyr is vast. These upper reaches are only a small part of that dominion. And yet they are critical enough to warrant watching. Thus was a small outpost on the very edge of drow influence built here many years ago.

This outpost is Vothys. Vothys (pronounced VAH-this) is a minor outpost of the drow city-state of Taaryssia (pro. TAH-rissia). It controls access to the lower regions. It secures the entire area including the vast Fungal Jungle. It ensures that neither the deep gnomes nor anyone else can infiltrate the drow holdings beyond. And yet absolutely no drow wants to be here. The most remote and forgotten installation of the drow empire, to be stationed at Vothys is to be banished here.

Vothys resembles a tall tower carved of black stone with numerous barbed protrusions, a spiked and crenelated spire like some dark crown, and an adjoining tower about half the size of the actual spire, both structures featuring demonic statuary interspersed throughout the architecture and are lined by a well-defended wall with a single gate allowing entry. Surrounding the ground around the main spire is the Garden of Barbs, a stonecrafted area of stalagmites and barbs of sharp stone created by Drow lithomancers back in the days when Vothys was a semi-prestigious location for the nobles. The stalagmites are carved with images of the Drow's enemies being impaled, various runes sacred to dark entities across the planes, and other, more depraved imagery.

Apart from the obvious living and dining quarters of the outpost, there is also a slave camp of Kobolds beneath Vothys, Leopard kennels, numerous alchemical laboratories, the usual torture chambers, and the 'throne room' of the Baroness.

Stuff You Should Know About the Azathyr:
1. Travel is slow. Each hex represents a vast amount of space. A hex is eight miles across or approximately 55 square miles. Caverns, with their shifting elevations, winding indirect passages and ease of getting lost always count as difficult terrain for overland travel unless everyone in a party has a climb speed and is native to the underworld.

Small parties of unarmored Drow could manage one and a half hexes, but even one armored individual with them slows them down to again one a day. And larger bands have little hope of traveling more than one hex a day. Every hex you traverse takes a full day of travel. The passages of the underworld are not level, and while some are more difficult than others, this simplification better approximates average travel times. Even in the comparative wide open spaces of the Fungal Jungle, this rule still holds. The floor of that vast cavern is anything but flat and the giant mushrooms that grow everywhere can be slow to circumnavigate.

Three types of passages are shown on the hex map, which shall be included in the Campaign Information tab once the campaign starts in earnest. These are:

-Major Passages (double line): These wide passages are consistently twenty feet across or even wider. Huge creatures can pass without issue.

-Secondary Passages (single line): The passages are ten feet across. Large creatures can pass without issue.

-Minor Passages (dotted line): These passages are traversable by medium sized creatures but often only just. Often not level, travel times are doubled. Large creatures and wagon caravans cannot take them.

2. This is a world without the sun. Darkness is the norm in the Azathyr and everything down here has adapted to that fact. Anyone without darkvision (or similar non-light based senses) is at a serious disadvantage. Using fire or magical light attracts every sort of predator and signals to intelligent opposition that you are outsiders. Most enemies will use magic to counter magical light and try to extinguish torches and lanterns, realizing that such blindness creates serious problems for their enemies.

3. Water is not a problem. The Azathyr is located beneath a great forest and water filters down through the cave almost everywhere. Many cave walls are wet. Water drips and small pools are the norm. This water is largely fresh and fine to drink. In short, water is not a problem unless specifically noted.

4. Food is a problem. Every living thing in the Azathyr struggles to find enough food. Starvation is a constant threat and even in the sprawling fungal jungle, food is not easy to acquire. Many of the mushroom that grow there are either not very nutritious or genuinely poisonous. Randomly eating mushrooms is surely asking to die.

That said the staple diet of the underworld is the mushroom. About a hundred different varieties of mushrooms are commonly eaten in the Azathyr from the common button to fire-caps to yellow frills and brown-heads. These mushrooms are consumed by almost every inhabitant of this region and provide a solid base for their diet. These mushrooms consume everything that dies underground. In the case of the Fungal Jungle that great cavern was once a sprawling bat cave before it got sealed up by seismic activity millennia ago. The mushrooms thrive on ancient guano hills that are in places hundreds of feet deep. Further, the giant mushrooms of the fungal jungle (and the Deep Gnomes’ mushroom fields) produce spores in such vast quality that they can be collected and milled into a sort of flour that can be baked into spongy grey bread known in Undercommon as Veska or mushcakes in the common tongue. Mushcake is hardy and nutritious but has an earthy flavor that is definitely an acquired tasted for surface dwellers.

There are even species of mushrooms that can be brewed into sweet wort. That wort can be fermented into beer. These “black beers” are very alcoholic and dark in coloration. Their flavor closely resembles an oatmeal stout - malty, sweet and perhaps slightly bitter. They have a unique musky aroma that those born on the surface sometimes find off-putting. But the Azathyrians themselves relish these black brews and every race proudly brews their own variation. Black beer can be further distilled into a hard liquor. These home-made “shines” are made a thousand different ways. However, if you triple distill the beer, you end up with night whisky. This powerful stuff is black as ink and, if well-made, smooth as silk. The finest night whisky comes from the drow city of Taaryssia. The drow sometimes lace their whiskey with powerful hallucinogenic extracts.

But as nourishing as mushrooms are, most species of the Azathyr also need animal protein. The Deep Gnomes raise eyeless cave fish in their stock lake. Here is the secret to eating them – they must be eaten raw and whole. By eating them this way, the valuable vitamin C in their organs is not destroyed by cooking. Of course, the Svirfneblin do not understand why this works. They simply relish a small cave fish quickly scaled, soaked overnight in a peppery-salty sweet candycap vinegar brine and eaten whole the next day. Needless to say, surface dwellers often consider this ‘delicacy’ revolting. The fungal jungle also supports lizards, salamanders, cave crickets and pteranodons all of which may be eaten. But most prized of all, and very rare, are the cave auroch. It was likely the duergar who originally bred this species of miniature cattle for the depths. Whatever the source, these cattle are often treated as more valuable than gold. They graze on mushrooms and produce meat, leather, milk and beef tallow just to name a few. Wild herds are very rare, but a large free herd does yet supposedly wander the fungal jungle. This valuable resource, if true, as yet remains unclaimed.

Food imported from the surface is eagerly sought and ludicrously expensive when you can get it at all. Honey, wine and dried fruits and meats are particularly valued and fetch at least five times their surface cost.

5. Everything is unfamiliar to you as a player. The Azathyr will be a constant source of weirdness and wonders for you as a player. This is an incredibly isolated ecology. Virtually every animal and fungus found here is found nowhere else, to say nothing of the alien locales.

6. There is no weather. The Azathyr is a fairly constant 60 F/16 C. Certain areas are warmed due to geothermal activity and those will be noted. But for most areas there is nothing equivalent to surface weather. It is always dark, damp and cool. Most dwellers here like it this way. The Fungal Jungle by the way does have weather of a sort, but that will be discussed when it becomes necessary.

7. Wood is scarce. Another surface commodity that the PCs may take for granted is wood. Wood is a precious and rare commodity that must be imported from above. Wood items are rarely available for sale at all, but when they are they usually fetch ten times their list.
However, the inhabitants of the Azathyr have learned to make due. Giant mushrooms stalks can be cut into fibrous planks. If these planks are dried and kilned at a low temperature, they become hard as pine wood. This “grey wood” is commonly used in everything from crossbow quarrels to wagon wheels. Mechanically, it has no difference from normal wood. It is unquestionably inferior to good hardwood however, particularly in terms of longevity.

8. Metal and stone are not scarce The Azathyr is blessed with rich deposits of iron and marble. Items surface dweller would never dream making out of such materials commonly are in the underworld. For example on the surface, hammers always have wooden hafts. In the Azathyr, hammers are often entirely metal perhaps wrapped with leather to avoid conducting heat.

Another example – every Deep Gnome peasant in Fasturvalt lives in a house made of carved marble. This is not because of the beauty and opulence of the stone (though it is lovely). Instead, this is because marble is easily acquired from the nearby quarry and the Svirfneblin are masters at working it.

9. The Azathyr is a wild and lawless place. There is no central government in the Azathyr. No great empire unites the disparate peoples of this region. When you leave a town or city, you are on your own. Even the so-called Gnome King’s Highway that connects to great Svirfneblin cities outside of the Azathyr is not routinely patrolled.

This anarchy has two effects upon almost anyone the PCs meet for the first time. First, strangers are always regarded with suspicion and caution. Weapons are kept at hand and a fight is expected. Second, people who don’t want a fight are often very polite and formal in their speech. They know that a single slight could start a deadly battle and so they seek to head off such confrontations by being pleasant.

The closest thing that there is to a central power is the drow vault of Taaryssia. It is very distant from where the PCs begin the campaign and the Drow are disinterested rulers. Almost all of the Azathyr is a wilderness. Perhaps it will be the PCs who will change that and bring law to this sunless borderland? Only time will tell.

Still interested? Read the character guidelines then and let's see if you have what it takes to survive in the Azathyr!

Character Creation

Level: Gestalt 1

Ability Scores: Focus and Foible alternate system. Set one score to 18, before modifiers, one score to 08, also before modifiers. Then, after that, set all of your remaining stats to 10 and raise them as you desire with a 18 points to distribute on a one-for-one scale (i.e., it takes 8 points to cap out an attribute).

Optional Alternate Racial Modifiers for Drow:
These are optional, but you may substitute the traditional Drow ability score modifiers with one of these select sets.

1. Cruel Slaver: You are enslaver of the helpless and slayer of any who oppose your clan and cause. However, as mighty as you are, you are also reckless and overly quick to anger. Benefit: +2 Constitution, +2 Strength, -2 Wisdom

2. Devotee of Dark Powers You are a follower of a wicked or even demonic faith and are destined to lead a cult to great and terrible glory. Benefit: +2 Charisma +2 Wisdom, -2 Constitution

3. Master of Arcane Secrets You would use your great intelligence and experience to lead yourself and your clan to dominate all others. Benefit: +2 Intelligence, +2 Charisma -2 Constitution

4. Silent Killer You are a born assassin, ready to slay for family, your cult or perhaps even for the sheer pleasure of the kill. Benefit: +2 Dexterity, +2 Strength, -2 Charisma

5. Treacherous Infiltrator There is no lie you cannot sell, no lock you cannot pick and no enemy you will not strangle in their sleep. But in a straight fight, you are out of your element. Benefit: +2 Dexterity, +2 Charisma, -2 Strength

6. Drow Exemplar You believe in pushing yourself to the limits, becoming the best that you can be without giving up anything in return. Benefit: +2 to any score

Race: Drow are the obvious choice for this AP, along with any offshoots like Half-Drow or Tieflings. However, Drow allies and servitor races, such as Derro, Deurgar, Kobolds, Orcs, and even Mind Flayers, who of course necessitate a racial class as part of their gestalt so that they can gain all of their powers, are all options.

Class: Any Paizo class, even the Ultimate Intrigue, Occult Adventures, and Pathfinder Unchained classes being allowed, the sole exception of which is the Gunslinger. As for third-party materials, I am allowing Dreamscarred Press's Psionics and Path of War material, as well as Radiance House's Pact Magic, Kobold Press's classes, and the Warlock alternate Oracle class from Into the Breach: The Oracle supplement.

*Antipaladin note: Antipaladins are not restricted to Chaotic Evil and, indeed, may be of any alignment. As with the Paladin in normal campaigns, you must work with me to help create a code of conduct for yourself, though I imagine that it will be very flexible. That's one of the perks of being evil... none of your dark masters are likely to hold you to high standards in an array of fields, just a few specific ones.

*Pet note: Classes that grant 'pets', such as Animal Companions and Familiars, will have an alternate list to choose from.

Traits: Two regular Traits, a Campaign Trait, and you have the option of a fourth available Trait if you take a Drawback to counterbalance it.

Skills: You gain two additional Skill Points at first level and every level thereafter. Whatever Skill these points are put into at first level become class skills.

Feats: You gain THREE Bonus Feats at first level. The Azathyr demands versatility and these will help you reflect this. I am, however, banning Leadership, due to the fact that kingdom building is already implemented in the AP and Leadership really just feels like a power grab.

Hit Points: Maximum, because who really wants to roll their hitpoints?

Starting Gold: 750 GP.

Crafting: You may take crafting feats, including Craft Construct, but must handle the actual crafting between adventures.


Dot!


Discuss things here!


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Hello everyone and welcome to the recruitment for my gestalt Kingmaker campaign!

Based on the number of replies and responses that were made during the interest check, I believe this adventure path needs no introduction. So, without further ado, here is the character creation guidelines!

CHARACTER CREATION

Level- Gestalt 1, with a caveat: One side of the gestalt may contain only ONE full class. This means that you may only multiclass on one side of the gestalt. You may, however, use parts of the non-multiclass portion for a prestige class, should you qualify for one. Obviously, this is only important after you get a few levels, but I felt the need to make it clear here.

HP- Maximum per level, based on HD.

Ability Scores- I will be using my usual 24 point buy, single point scaling method which I have used in my home games since I saw it in my early lurking days on these messageboards. Basically, each score is set to 10 and it only takes a single point to raise a stat by one. You may also, if you are needing a few points, may subtract up to -2 from a single score to gain that number of points that you can redistribute. No score may be above 18 or below 08 before racial modifiers. You may also 'buy off' a racial penalty to a stat by spending a respective number of points, such as paying 2 points to eliminate a Dwarf's CHA penalty.

Classes- All official Paizo classes are allowed with the understanding that 'techie stuff' is disallowed, so no Technomancers or similar things. Gunslingers and firearms are not considered tech for the purposes of this campaign, but they are exceedingly rare. Once the kingdom-building begins, you may hire a specialist to open a gun shop. Before that, you must make do with what you have and what you can craft.

*3PP Material- You may propose 3PP material as well. Assume that 3PP material is allowed unless it violates the sci-fi caveat above. Kingmaker is not a place for laser cannons or robots, even though they are super awesome in most other campaigns.

*Monster PCs- I will allow players to use monster classes, something that I will help them build, but I will ONLY allow two of these, maximum, with a strong leaning to only include one, should any even be submitted. That said, one of the people in my home campaign played an Ogrekin who the group rescued early on who became the Queen's crude and savage, but undyingly loyal, 'royal guard', so I know that an odd monster PC or two can be fairly cool.

Races- All official Paizo races on the SRD, apart from the androids and Lashunta, because of my no sci-fi rule. I require at least one Human character in the party, due to the patron which sends the PCs to claim the Stolen Lands.

Alignment: I would PREFER a group of non-evil PCs, because I'm already running 2 tables of Way of the Wicked. That said, I MIGHT allow one or two PCs with a murky morality, but no one who is blatantly a mustache-twirling, black cape wearing sociopath.

Feat- You gain a Bonus Feat at 1st level.

Skill Points- Running WotW in a home game and online, I have grown used to PCs having more skills. So you gain +2 Skill Points per level.

Traits: You start out with 2 Traits and a Campaign Trait. You may also reflavor Traits, so long as they make sense, and may take an additional Trait if you take a Drawback.

Starting Wealth- 500 GP, plus a single, non-magical, non-royal outfit of your choice, which must make sense with your character. You also have a free, nearly blank map of the Stolen Lands that just basically has it's borders, and small outskirts from other River Kingdoms. You also gain a bonus item based on your class. I will help you to determine what your class gains. To give some idea about what each class will get: in the case of Fighters and Rangers it is always a Masterwork weapon of whatever weapon they choose that they are proficient with (Firearms are excluded, if they somehow pick up said proficiency), whereas with Wizards it is 300 GP worth of unspecified spell components, and with Gunslingers, it is a free early firearm of their choice, along with 25 rounds of the sort used by the weapon. I hope that shows about what the 'class gifts' usually look like.

There are a few things in the campaign that I will want you know about before you even submit a character.

STUFF YOU SHOULD KNOW

1. I'm an easy-going GM that is not above houseruling some things against the RAW, if it makes sense. RAW states that you cannot jump and attack, combining the two into an aerial charge, but I do allow it. RAW says that most cold spells cannot freeze liquids, but I say that they can in most circumstances. If you have a cool idea for one of your character's actions, and could conceivably do it within the limits of your character's statistics and such by combining actions or using something on a situational basis, then propose the idea to me. The worst I could say is no.

2. I will have the hex maps, area maps, and combat maps up on Google Drive. While this requires you to create a Google account, unless you can get myself or another to move your token later on, I find it better to have a map that exists outside the theater of the mind.

3. There will be a separate thread for handling kingdom-building. My lurker-fu has shown me that threads who focus on kingdom-building in the main gameplay thread are asking for the game to shrivel up and die a death worse than a heightened Horrid Wilting can do. The kingdom-building thread will have a OOC discussion thread for the actual talks AND a gameplay thread, so players can roleplay out what happened with kingdom-building before their characters set out on their next adventure. I know this requires a little more investment than is usual in PBPs, but I don't want the campaign to die due to people getting bored with the talks and dropping.

4. PCs chosen will roll 50d20 so that I can handle secret rolls SECRETLY and not tip PC hats that something may be up. Obviously, do not worry about this unless you are chosen.

5. I am adding several cool bits from Legendary Games' 'Kingslayer' line meant to supplement this AP, as well as excising a few encounters that I felt were just there are filler (4 encounters, if that tells you how much quality there is in this campaign!). I am also adding foreshadowing that solves the 'I don't know who the BBEG is until book 6' problem that was the main criticism of this AP by most who have played it.

6. I will allow the PCs the opportunity to make a 'sidequest' or two into other areas of the River Kingdoms in between adventures, should you all decide to do so. These forays will have real, lasting effects on your kingdom, should you choose to undertake them, and can do things like open up new trade routes, grow your kingdom via annexation, provide PCs with some pretty boss gear, and, of course, provide some golden roleplay opportunities. These are completely optional, of course, and if PCs simply want to assign the tasks to some of their scrubs, they can certainly do so.

7. The group essentially has a free 'Super Leadership' feat in effect. The group's kingdom will be their followers and they can bring along one 'retainer NPC', who shall either be played by my girlfriend or I. Said retainer NPC is an NPC that they have met and befriended, or at least somehow convinced to join them, and can be switched out in between adventures.

8. I will be adding 50+ building types to those normally allowed in the Kingdom-building rules, because I am not fond of 'let's make a rough approximation of this with this' type stuff. I have most of the kingdom-building expansions from 3PPs, so there should be a plethora of options.

9. Later on in the campaign the PCs will, undoubtedly, come across special locations that I will just call Legendary Locations. These sites, if a city is built around them and utilize them, can provide VERY awesome effects both on the PCs and their kingdom. These locations will be few and far between, with around 4-5 being present in the campaign, but they will add a massive sense of accomplishment once they are captured, for they will show just how legendary the PC's exploits have been.

10. Kingdom-building will be a group endeavor. I will not allow one person to make all the decisions, king or no, unless they have been clearly delegated the authority to by the other PCs in that instance. I have seen it on the threads where the king pulled the 'I'm king in-game, so I decide everything OOC' schtick and promptly caused several people to drop the campaign.

11. Throughout the campaign, there will be some set events for the king to make a decision on, with OOC discussion of course. These events will help shape the kingdom in pretty profound ways that can have lasting impacts. For example, you could choose to allow a Halfling member of the Bellflower Network to establish a community for escaped Halfling slaves, which gives you a thriving, productive community. It could possibly make Cheliax a bit miffed at you, should they find out, but that's the sacrifice that you would make for an instant community that helps your kingdom in several ways.

12. I am also allowing for PCs to open up negotiations with other River Kingdoms and, via carrier birds or couriers, invite those from outside the River Kingdoms for negotiations. You are building a kingdom and, as such, I see no reason why not to allow the use of diplomacy to forge alliances.

13. I will alter encounters in hexes should PCs hit one of the hexes that is beyond their level or if they go to one that is below their level. This fixes another problem that the original books had.

14. I will allow the PCs options of, in the few areas in later books featuring mass combat, the option to allow me to use their army while they take out key lieutenants to weaken the enemy army. I am willing to do this because Mass Combat is a pretty complex system, even if you use the Legendary Games version, and the PCs are already going to have to know the kingdom-building rules later on. I don't want PCs to get frustrated and quit because of the multiple systems to learn.

15. Read the Kingmaker Player's Guide! Just do it if you have not done so already, because it contains a lot of useful information that you may wish to know.

Okay, I think that about covers it! Does anyone have any questions? This post took roughly 3 hours to create, due to me double-checking what I wanted to say and saying it in as clear a manner as possible, but I may have missed something. I'm only human, after all!


Dot!


Discuss things here on this thread.


Dot!


Make your OOC discussions here.


Time for the character creation process!

Level- Gestalt 1 (Stipulation: one side of the gestalt must be leveled up in a SINGLE class).

Ability Scores: 24 point buy system, from a base of 10, with increases and decreases to scores occurring on a one-for-one basis. Remember that no ability score may be higher than 18+-modifiers or lower than 08+-modifiers.

HP- Maximum per level.

Classes- Any official Paizo. You may inquire about third party material.

Alignment- LE or NE is highly preferred.

Race- Any official Paizo. You may inquire about third party material.

Skill Points- 2 bonus Skill Points per level.

Traits: 2, plus a Crime Trait, plus an additional Trait if you choose a Drawback.

Starting Equipment: Even though you will begin with no equipment, save for a ragged prisoner's garb, you will have 500 GP worth of belongings that have been confiscated by the prison in lockup.

Now, although this will not be until later, I would suggest looking up the Lords of the Nine Hells and having one in mind for being the character's 'patron'. Your patron will bestow upon you a unique permanent buff, a unique skill, AND a unique piece of equipment that levels in power with you. You may request specific things that you might want in regards to item type and power themes, but ultimately it will be my decision on what the item does.

One quick question from me before I leave you all to parsing out how to recreate/tune your characters: do you want the game to resume where it left off or do you want to just start fresh?

If you have any questions, feel free to let me know!


As the thread states, this is an interest check so that I can gauge interest in the Kingmaker AP by Paizo, which I fully intend to run.

Before I go on about the campaign itself, let me lay down a few things about the way this AP will be run that are a bit different than most

1. Kingdom-building will take place in a separate thread, so that the PCs can roleplay out their Kingdom-building decisions and such in the calm times in the campaign without it being at the expense of actual gameplay. Plus it will make referencing past decisions about kingdom-building easier. Campaign lag due to KB is the number one reason for Kingmaker campaigns dying on these PBPs, I have observed in my lurking days on these boards. This solves that quite nicely while still allowing the PCs the opportunity to roleplay their decisions.

2. I will be adding content based on the supplements sold by Legendary Games for Kingmaker. This means more enemies, more roleplay, more loot, and, best of all, some really good foreshadowing for later events in the campaign.

3. All kingdom maps, city maps, and hex maps will be put on Google Drive, so that PCs can place markers and such on explored locations, build the kingdom themselves, ect. Same thing goes with battle maps, as I want PCs to be able to control their own pawns. If someone has a better suggestion for the latter, feel free to let me know.

As for the campaign itself, it will be standard Kingmaker fare, but with the epic feel of it ratcheted up. I aim for it to have a very distinct Game of Thrones-esque vibe with quite a splash of Fey stuff as well.

There will be actual decisions to be made as leaders of the new kingdom, decisions that have real and lasting effects other than small bonuses to kingdom statistics. These decisions can do things like open up new shops filled with specialty goods, earn the PCs unique and powerful equipment, offer new 'side quests', and much more.

I will also allow the PCs the opportunity to explore the rest of the River Kingdoms in the time between adventures. While these sojourns may be relatively short, they WILL offer good roleplay and loot... and some pretty cool encounters as well! This is not even mentioning the effects these sojourns can have on the PCs' kingdom.

Oh and I forgot to mention one thing: the campaign may or may not be gestalt. I am naturally inclined to make the campaign gestalt, but if there is enough pushback, I may rescind that idea.

So, anyone interested?


Ok, so I had an idea for my second, and for now my last, campaign to be opened here on Paizo.

The campaign would be set in the world of Dark Souls. Yes, there would be several nations that would be featured, like Lindfelt, Jugo, and Mirrah.

The basic premise of the campaign would be that, due to the actions of the Chosen Undead and the Bearer of the Curse, the prophesized Age of Darkness is nigh. The First Flame gutters and as it does, the darkness grows in strength and an ancient evil slowly reforms itself.

In this age, even the undead may die permanent deaths, for some unknown force pulls on their very souls.

The PCs would all be members of one of the various Covenants, all drawn together as Gwynevere, the Queen of Sunlight and Gwyndolin the Queen of the Darkmoon gather the disparate factions. Only the Pilgrims of the Dark are not called, for they are suspects in the dark events that have been ongoing for some time.

The campaign will be suitably epic, spanning several nations, featuring bosses that inspire awe and fear in the PCs, and, of course, featuring some really phat lewt!

While a bit less combat-heavy and a little bit more roleplay-intensive than usual on the Dark Souls games, it will still be a very nice balance and will lend itself to PBP better than even most APs would.

There will be a mechanic for PCs to revive themselves by visiting a strange gargoyle-like creature in any graveyard, who can be called by a small ceremony. The PCs can feed him the souls of their enemies to revive fallen comrades, purchase relics long thought lost, or even add enchantments to their existing equipment. It is unknown who or what the gargoyle is, but some suspect that he is some reincarnation of Gravelord Nito, the God of Death. It would make sense, given that those who have devoted themselves to his Covenant and visited the Milfanito have been receiving power as of late.

As an aside, each Covenant would have a special blessing to bestow upon a PC belonging to it. For example, if a PC belonged to the Rat Kings, they would become a natural Wererat that had access to one of five different mutations. Or if a PC belonged to the Heirs of the Sun, they could shroud themselves in a light that mimics the effects of Daylight AND offers pretty good buffs to their comrades. Or if a PC belonged to the Brotherhood of Blood, they gain the ability to draw blood from wounded foes to sharpen their weapons, dealing increasing bleed damage on the target and increasing their weapon's damage each round of the bleed effect. The possibilities are quite rich and should give the PCs a bit more power in the face of the daunted battles stacked up against them.

So tell me, who is ready to plunge headforth and rekindle the dying embers of the First Flame?


Okay, so welcome to my premiere campaign on Paizo!

This is a recruitment for the Way of the Wicked adventure path. There is a major twist though: all of the PCs are madmen who will be recruited by the Cult of the Yellow Sign, assuming that they can escape the feared Branderscar Sanitarium!

Time for the character creation process!

Level- Gestalt 1 (Stipulation: one side of the gestalt must be leveled up in a SINGLE class)

Ability Scores: 20 point buy system, from a base of 10, with increases and decreases to scores occurring on a one-for-one basis. Remember that no ability score may be higher than 18+-modifiers or lower than 08+-modifiers.

HP- Maximum per level

Classes- Any official Paizo. You may inquire about third party material.

Alignment- CE, NE, LE, or a dark CN.

Race- Any official Paizo. You may inquire about third party material.

Traits: 2

Insanity: Pick a single insanity for your character. You will gain bonuses and penalties based on the insanity that you choose. You must be crazy enough to have been reasonably placed within a sanitarium, which is an older word for asylum or mental hospital.

Eldritch Points: Each character will start the campaign with a single Eldritch Point. These points are similar to Hero Points, but can achieve a wide variety of results, solely up to the GM's purview on what it can do. These points will accomplish powerful effects by drawing upon the link to Hastur that the PCs have, but once a point is spent, it is gone forever. If you wish to use one, just send a personal message to my account detailing what you want the point to be used for. In no circumstance will the Eldritch Point ever be an 'auto-win' scenario.

Ok, so I believe that covers all the pertinent questions! If anyone has any questions, feel free to put them forward!

Edit- Due to the nature of the Cult of the Yellow Sign's rites and ceremonies, I will be using some fairly mature content. These will be placed in well-labeled spoilers, so those who want to avoid vivid depictions of decadence and possibly torture should not feel the need to exclude themselves on this basis.


Would anyone be interested in playing in a Way of the Wicked campaign where the players are all madmen who are touched by the Yellow King's baleful power and who seek to bring the kingdom of Talingarde under their master's influence?

For those who do not know who the King in Yellow is, check out the Pathfinder Wiki page for, while small, it gives a passable overview of him. I will type up more information on him if people show interest in this campaign.

The PCs, instead of having a 'Crime Trait', will instead pick a single insanity, which will grant both benefits and drawbacks.

The PCs will also have a pool of 'Eldritch Points', which can be used to draw upon the Yellow King's power in horrific and powerful ways. Said points do not replenish and, once spent, are gone forever. The only way to gain more points is to gain favor from the King by accomplishing story goals. These 'Eldritch Points' will essentially be wild cards or get out of jail free cards, so to speak, things which should only be used when the PCs are down on their chips.

I am considering making the campaign a lower-powered version of gestalt but, given the number of people with an aversion to gestalt in general, may scrap that idea entirely.

As for what I am looking for in potential players, I am open to players creating a wide variety of characters. The only 2 roles that I want filled are those of Bard (Because of the King in Yellow play,) and a divine spellcaster class (Because I want the group to include an honest-to-tentacles divine spellcaster of He Who Must Not Be Named,).

As for myself, I have lurked on these messageboards for years, but did not want to run a campaign unless I was sure that I wanted to run it and would not abandon it out of boredom. By me posting this, I hope that people understand just how much I want to run this sort of campaign!

So, all of that information out there, who is ready to see the Yellow Sign dot these messageboards?

Edit- I would prefer 2+ posts per day from PCs if this campaign kicks off, as I prefer a more brisk pace to campaigns, at least compared to the average PBP.


Dot.


This is a thread for OOC discussions.


As the thread clearly states, if you want to make a case for which campaign you are interested in, just post it under a spoiler tag!


*Crushes a red dragon with a giant black dot*


6 people marked this as a favorite.

I MIGHT be recruiting for another campaign, since I have WAY too much free time on my hands and I MIGHT do a version of an existing AP with a twist.

BEWARE, SOME SMALL POTENTIAL SPOILERS BELOW!

Examples include (Thanks to Gary McBride for the first two ideas that he submitted for the Wayfinder e-zine!):

Curse of the Coral Throne- Curse of the Crimson Throne as an aquatic campaign that replaces Korvosa with an ancient Azlanti city long since sunk beneath the waves. The plot would mostly stay the same, but would be altered for the specifics of an underwater campaign. I rather like this idea, since it would let me use the Cerulean Seas books I have and use the roughly 15-20% of monsters from Paizo's bestiaries that get unused. I even have figured out a solution to three dimensional combat: one tactical map for above view to see horizontal layout and another tactical map for a sideways view to see vertical layout. It would be easier just to show people.

Council of Night- Council of Thieves as a Drow campaign set in the Underdark, within one of the more cosmopolitan of Drow cities. The PCs would all be Drow (Possibly favored Drow servants too!) that are all part of House Araelyth, a House that was formed by the disgraced First Daughter of the Asmodeus-worshipping House Zaeryth, who rule the great city-state with an iron fist. Eager for vengeance, power, and all the other things the Drow crave, the PCs plot House Zaerth's downfall and, in doing so, set into motion events which will see city forever changed.

Jarlmaker- Kingmaker set in the Land of the Linnorm Kings. That's right, you heard me correctly! The PCs would be the huscarls and retainers of one the land's Jarls, going forth to claim land, honor, and glory in his name. Unexpected events occur and the PCs stand to inherit their own kingdom. Will they be able to carve out a kingdom in the Frozen North or will they be naught but frozen corpses bereft of honor or dignity? Only the Norns know... and they aren't saying!

Agents of the Palatine Eye- Carrion Crown with the PCs all being members of the Esoteric Order of the Palatine Eye, the mysterious Freemason-esque organization (If you believe the conspiracy theories about the Masons, of course!) that has chapters all throughout the land of Ustalav. When the PCs go to pay their respects to Professor Lorrimer, himself an Exalted Brother of the Palatine Eye, they find themselves embroiled in a conspiracy that stretches throughout Ustalav. While the AP will follow the same basic path, there ARE some differences that need pointing out. First, although there will be plenty of gothic horror, the presence of Lovecraftian horror will be more prevalent. Second, the Palatine Eye will be an invaluable resource for the PCs, as well as something that helps keep the party cohesive. Third, expect some of the encounters to be altered to be more thematic, particularly in books 5 and 6. No details for you all though! And lastly, for those who had made it a rather long way in the AP, the threat behind the events of the AP will be changed significantly and the 'big threat' from the normal AP is nothing but a pawn.

Jade and Honor- Jade Regent set ENTIRELY in Tian Xia! While the first 3 books will be heavily reworked, the last 3 need almost no alterations, save for a few minor ones. The PCs can be from any country in Tian Xia where the normal races can be found. If you ever wanted to play as an oriental character in Jade Regent, but always hated having to do the contrived 'my family was exiled, blah, blah' line, this is the campaign for you!

The Saffron Regent- A HEAVILY altered Jade Regent campaign set entirely in Vudra! Expect all Tian Xia-specific and oriental references to be replaced with similar things drawn from Vudra and Indian folklore.

Reign of the Russian Winter- An altered Reign of Winter campaign set entirely on Post World War I Earth, slightly after the Bolshevik Revolution and Grigori Rasputin's numerous executions. The campaign would be MUCH lower in the prevalence of magic than Reign of Winter, but would also have more technology, allowing for an interesting inverse of 'fighters can't have nice things' trope. The plot would remain much the same, but would be a bit different regarding major enemy NPCs and the location of the adventures in Russia. The PCs can be from anywhere, but the campaign would assume that all the PCs are in Paris, France during the early days of Summer. It should prove interesting to see what PCs might be generated for this one!

Final Unity- Iron Gods set on Androffa! The PCs are normal residents of the planet Androffa when a star falls from the heavens, a star of shining blue and orange light. Going to investigate, the PCs find a savior for their world from it's corrupt ruler, a man known most widely as the Sable Regent, a sorceror-king of unimaginable power who blends magic and technology in a way reminiscent of the Ancients of yore. Empowered by the entity, they journey forth through Androffa, a land of ancient technology and old magic, a world destroyed by petty gods aeons ago and currently ruled by a tyrant, to achieve their destiny as saviors of the land, Iron Gods to bring Androffa into a golden age.

Legacy of the Sands- Legacy of Fire altered a bit in terms of the antagonist, though the villain's goals are pretty much identical. The reworking is pretty light, apart from book 5, which will be changed in several ways, primarily the location and enemies.

Serpents and Seers- Serpent's Skull campaign set exclusively within the Mwangi Expanse, requiring the first module to be altered and the second to have a different location.


This is probably a noobish question that I am simply too sleepy to figure out on my own and have likely missed, but who knows how to flag spammers?

I ask because of garbage like THIS showing up and cluttering the recent posts area on the left side of the screen. I DESPISE SPAMMERS!


Dotted the thread!


Talk about your characters, get constructive feedback on them, ask me and other GMs questions to see how a GM would respond, ect.


1 person marked this as a favorite.

Welcome one and all to the gestalt Wrath of the Righteous recruitment thread! It feels good to be back on these boards! Now, since I presume that everyone has read the Wrath of the Righteous Player's Guide, let me get straight to the point of character creation and what I expect from potential PCs!

Character Creation

Starting Level: Gestalt 1

Gestalt rules, for those not well-versed in them:
There are a few things that gestalt does, each of which are quite easy to figure out.

1. You compare the HD, skill points, BAB, and saves of each class and gain the better of them.

2. You gain each class's weapon proficiency and class skill lists.

3. You gain ALL of the abilities of each class, including spells.

4. Things like Sneak Attack damage can stack, if gained from multiple classes, but things like Uncanny Dodge do not, for obvious reasons. If you do not know whether something would stack or not, please ask.

5. Power Point pools from multiple classes combine into a single PP pool.

6. If you choose two classes from Path of War, you cannot assume 2 stances, one from each class.

7. Unlike rule #5, spell levels are not part of a pool, unless the classes specifically have some sort of 'mana system' that I just have not seen outside of consoles. If you know of classes that have these and you want to play them, please state as much here on the thread.

Races: Any official Paizo races that live on Golarion are allowed for use. Do note, however, that criteria excludes Lashunta and other races which are not found on Golarion itself (One small community in an AP being the sole exception!). Please note that if you select a race that is listed in the Advanced Race Guide as being above 20 Racial Points, such as a Noble Drow or a Svirfneblin, then your first level of gestalt will only be one class, to accommodate for your increased power over the other PCs.

Classes: Any official Paizo classes and archetypes for those said classes are allowed, as may be third party material (Which will need to be approved by me before it may be used of course!), though consider yourself forewarned that advanced technology is not something that would fit the flavor of the campaign. Gunslingers are about as far as I will allow the tech to go in this campaign, despite loving tech in other campaigns.

HP: Max per HS, same as most allow.

Ability Scores: We will be using the ever popular point buy system, 22 points, and will be using the M.A.D.-friendly 1-1 purchase from base of 10 method (Each ability score increase costs a single point, so to get a score of 18, one has to invest 8 points into that score, assuming there are no racial penalties. Make sense?). After racial modifiers, no score can be above 18+racial bonus or below 10-racial penalty.

Skill Points: +1 per level.

Feats: You get a Bonus Feat at 1st level!

Traits: 1 Trait + 1 Campaign Trait, with the option for an additional Trait if you take a Drawback. If none of the Campaign Traits fit you, then send a message to my alias and we can work something out.

Starting Gold: You start with 800 GP.

The Seven Things That I Expect From You

1. Play nice with the other PCs.

2. Don't rules lawyer.

3. No metagaming.

4. Try to keep up with 1+ posts per day. If something goes wrong in your life, just post on the thread or send a message to my alias explaining why you can't post.

5. No nonsense like Body Bludgeon + Limitless Range.

6. Have some roleplay to go with your rollplay.

7.Be respectful

So, all that said, post those characters people!


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