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Just did this with my players. I used the level dependent DCs from the Core Rukebook.
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I had thought of something similar...it's certainly much bigger then Hargulka's though I'd like to also introduce mass combat to the game earlier. Currently we are on the first book so we aren't too far yet.
Hi all, I'm currently running Kingmaker for one of my gaming groups and I'd like to include the hobgoblin town/kingdom Fort Feilong described in Ironfang Invasion Fangs of War. The fort is in an unnamed spot in the River Kingdoms, and I'd like to insert it into one of the Kingmsker maps of the Stolen Lands, perhaps replacing the Tiger Lords and Armag with the hobgoblins. Anyone have any suggestions? Thanks!
Thanks Raynulf. I appreciate the kind words! I have really enjoyed Hell's Rebels so far, but I'm always finding ways to make the story fore fluid and connect in ways that suit my campaign. It's been quite fun. And, my players and I play via virtual table top. There's always room for 1 more. ;)
I've gone over a lot of Raynulf and Razcar's ideas posted above regarding the Lucky Bones/Cult of Mahathallah and have worked some changes into my campaign with them. If anyone is interested in using these ideas, I've modified my Hell's Rebels with the following changes to make things a bit more fluid, interesting and slightly more complicated (though my players enjoy such complication!). Please note, the spoilers are quite long to read. Cult of Mahathallah/Soul Anchor Storyline Changes:
The following changes are being made to the Cult of Mahathallah and the Soul Anchor:
Nasperiah the Blood Hag and her followers set up the soulbound lift, under the disguise of gravekeepers of Kintargo's cemetary. After the cultists built the shrine around the soul anchor in in 4382 AR, Nasperiah set into motion a plan to keep the above-ground portion of the soulbound lift protected and observed by her followers. Abducting a strong male speciment from Kintargo, Nasperiah birthed the first changeling for the purpose of looking after the soulbound lift on the surface. Raising that child as a priestess like herself, she sent her back to Kintargo when she was in her early twenties, tasking her with taking over as her agent in the city in the role of a gravekeeper to watch over the lift, in a similar manner as the original cultists did. With her, she gave a missive stone for communication and sent several ageless constructs to directly protect the entrance while the changeling was to be her eyes and ears. Realizing that the best defense of the soulbound lift would to prevent its existance from being revealable knowledge, she wiped her first daughter's memory of the lift and the soul anchor itself; the changeling only knew the location in the cemetary was important her mother's name was Nasperiah and she would receieve instructions which she would follow. To keep this defence ongoing, Nasperiah instructed her daughter to keep a low profile and avoid attracting attention to herself, simply keeping her aprised of activties in the city. If an event within Kintargo seemed worthy of expoliting, Nasperiah would instruct her daughter to undertake whatever steps were necessary. The changeling was allowed to recruit human servants to assist in the day-to-day events in the graveyard and more clanderstine cult activities, however they were to be kept even more in the dark than she was. Eventually, Nasperiah would have her daughter kidnap suitable male subjects to be brought to her via the Font of Visions portal she would place. The man would be brought to the soul anchor for breeding and the changeling baby would be sent back to the surface through same portal, to be raised by the older changeling as her replacement as age took her. Those changelings that served well were rewarded by being able to return to the soul anchor and transitioning into a full blood hag under Nasperiah's control. And so for two centuries, the daughter's of Nasperiah have tended the soulbound lift in Kintargo without knowing what they were actually protecting. The latest in the long line of cultists is Luculla Gens. It is during her time that the status quo has been disrupted. Not long after her "mother" (the previous changeling guardian) departed for the soul anchor, the Church of Asmodeus removed the "Gens" family (and their human cultist-employees) from their long-standing tradition of tending the graves in the cemetary. Unknown to Nasperiah, this was a calculated move of Barzillai Thrune once he learned of its existance (several months before he arrived as the new lord-mayor), as he wanted direct control over the site before his arrival. Forced out of her direct role in protecting the soulbound lift at the source, Lucella used cult funds to buy the closest unoccupied property near the graveyard, which happened to be an empty part of the Tooth and Nail tavern. She turned it into a confectionary to help create an innocent-looking cover story as she planned her next moves. Only slightly concerned with the development on the surface due to her constant drug-infused haze, Nasperiah took her time in replying to Luculla's concerned missives. She instructed Luculla to begin creating a tunnel from the Tooth and Nail to the soulbound lift to bypass the defenses of the now unwelcome cemetary. Knowing she needed to rid the shared building of Setrona Sabinus but rightly fearing her connection to her protective Hellknight cousin, Luculla used her magic to call a gambling devil from Mahathallah's court to begin a scheme to "buy" Setrona out of the building. The devil took on the persona of a fat moneylender named "Fat Anto" and convinced Setrona to allow him to run games of chance in her establishment for a large sum. She agreed (in part due to the devil's reckless aura ability), and Fat Anto had her sign a contract for his service. A crafty devil, Fat Anto followed Luculla's plan to increase his "offputting" presence in the establishment to lower her business and drive her to sell...in which "sweet, friendly" Luculla would step in to help. She would buy the Tooth and Nail portion and kick Setrona out and begin the tunnel construction, with her cousin being unable to help, given the purchase was done lawfully. Plot that specifically happened in my Hell's rebels Her plan almost worked, even when a new group of people (the PCs) befriended Setrona and tried to remove Fat Anto for her. Reading the contract, they correctly deduced the primary way out of it for Setrona; if she sold her place to someone else, the contract with Fat Anto was void. Both the PCs and Luculla offered to buy the place, but fate seemed to intervene on Luculla's side. As Setrona gave herself a few days to think about both offers, the PCs made the mistake of attacking a Dottari investigator in Old Kintargo without disguises. The local Dottari went on a two-week long manhunt for those responsible, which forced them out of Old Kintargo for a short time. Setrona heard of the attack and decided to go with Luculla's help (given the poor judgment of the PCs). Continued Plot Change Yet just as fate seemed to help Luculla, it turned around and has made things more difficult. She informed Nasperiah of her success, and the blood hag sent several caliban's through the Font of Visions to the basement of the Tooth and Nail to help with the tunnel excavation. While Luculla decided on the best way of removing Setrona from the Tooth and Nail without angering her new friends (whom she knows are the Silver Ravens), Barzillai Thrune made his move to enter the soulbound lift with his minions. Luculla was not able to warn Nasperiah (given her further distance from the graveyard and her attention on the tunnel) and shortly after the Turn of the Torrent begins, the cult in the shrine has been slaughtered. Luculla doesn't know this, she only knows Nasperiah has gone silent and the construct guardians in the graveyard have been destroyed. Someone lost without Nasperiah's instructions, Luculla has slowed the tunnel construction, keeping the caliban's in hiding below the Tooth and Nail's basement. She has also decided to keep Setrona in her establishment for now, hoping that the woman's inquisitive nature and the resourcefulness of the Silver Ravens can possibly help her find out who has silenced her mother. Once she learns it was Barzillai, she sees both Setrona and the Silver Ravens as potential allies for revenge against Thrune. Reasoning/Additional Thoughts I like how this keeps Luculla and her cult more in line with their whore-queen's dogma and the story of the soul anchor in general. She is also changed into an important NPC, either a foil or an aid depending on how she views the PCs and whether or not they detect her evil nature. Lucky Bones/Old Kintargo Dottari Changes: - Hei-Fen is not a wererat, but instead a werespider. This helps to create more a theme when it comes to the Gray Spiders and the Jorgoumo's she tends to employ. Hei-Fen keeps many "ears", her agents, in settlements throughout Cheliax and beyond, and Kintargo is no exception. However, her "ear" in Kintargo is none other than her own daughter Kiem-Fen. A natural werespider like herself, Hei-Fen trained her daughter to return to Kintargo in an attempt to break through the Order of the Torrent wards in the remains of the Lucky Bones to retrieve the treasures there. Kiem-Fen had instructions to be extremely discreet and to create a small criminal empire through the lax Kintargo Dottari, by taking control of existing criminal elements that had come into play since the Gray Spiders were defeated. Using forged papers and an assumed identity, Kiem-Fen arrived in Kintargo and immediately joined the Dottari in her social identity. Meanwhile, she set up her criminal persona, simply known as "The Lady." Kiem-Fen also entered the Lucky Bones with the information provided by her mother, finding it deserted. When she visited the shrine of Norgober, four of the long-dead thieves that died protecting the site were reanimated as dread skeletons. Showing them her proof of allegience to the god (and Hei-Fen's daughter no less), the skeletons designed to serve her for the chance at being a part of the "new" Gray Spiders. These skeletons became her agents, having the unique ability to look like their living selves during the day before they returned to their undead form at night. She also used her entrothropic empathy ability to attract spiders as additional guards and spies. During the day, Kiem-Fen used her investigative skills and her hidden inquisitor magic to work for the Dottari, proving herself quite the capable officer. She began to rise through the ranks with astonishing speed, also thanks to her criminal persona; as "The Lady", she would recruit desperate criminal elements with the promise of wealth only to arrest them shortly after in her Dottari identity. Indeed, within a year she became a lieutenant in the Old Kintargo Dottari and a Captain six months later. Due to the generally lax Dottari in Kintargo, her deception was never detected, let alone investigated by her fellows. After two years of this game, Kiem-Fen became the Durotas (or rank-warden) of Old Kintargo and controlled all the guardsmen of that district. Although she never revealed her identity as the rumored "Lady", she was able to identify those within the ranks that would be suseptable to bribary, corruption and "looking the other way." While she had sights on becoming the Duxotar of the entire city, her attentions were placed on another target; Vezio Delronge, a young man from one of Kintargo's noble families that became quite infatuated with her. Sensing an immediate opportunity for more power and influence, she played into his feelings but surprisingly found herself able to genuinely care for the man. A year after their introduction, Kiem-Fen was married into the Delronge family, which immediately bolstered the power she wielded. Her mother, Hei-Fen, was quite pleased. Meanwhile, in her criminal endevours as the Lady, she had transitioned from using her persona to recruit and then immediately arrest hapless criminals to becoming a "protector" of Old Kintargo's illegal elements. She offered the criminal gangs that were arising a certain degree of protection and immunity to the Dottari in her district, in exchange for wealth or favors. By this point, "The Lady" was a hushed whisper among criminals in Old Kintargo...to see her or one of her agents meant they were rising in influence, but to refuse her meant certain doom, as the Dottari would soon find and eliminate them. She used these methods of intimidation and blackmail on Old Kintargo's current gangs. For the Flowershop Crew, she desired information on choice individuals for later blackmail. The Logrunner's she was especially interested in their drug-trade and demanded a high percentage of their profits. When both of these gangs began a fued with one another, The Lady allowed it, finding the concept rather amusing. For the Jollytime Girls, she allowed their random beatings to continue in return for causing harm to a woman whom had caused her husband to do a "double take" of her. The Black Eyes, on the other hand, were not approached by the Lady. More mercenaries than a protection racket (as the Black Eyes simply demanded heavy coin for protecting people from other gangs, not actually instigating the attacks themselves), she allowed them to operate as a third-party "check and balance" to the gangs she did control. Finally, the Spellcrafters, being a unique, fluid adventuring group, she has seen the use a bunch of young arcanists could have, especially in her currently fruitless efforts to open the Order of the Torrent's seal. As almost all these criminals agreed to The Lady's terms, crime began to arise in Old Kintargo and the district's once steller-record for stopping it changed almost overnight, becoming the most "lax" of the Dottari in the city. When Lord-Mayor Barzillai Thrune took over Kintargo, and did a scouring of the Dottari, Kiem Delronge was ready to abandoned her post entirely, however her marriage with the Delronge family saved her from being removed as Durotas like the other rank-warden's were, as Thrune saw the political wisdom in keeping one of his few supportive noble families happy. Secure in the knowledge she is safe in her posting (for now), Kiem Delronge is nonetheless stepping up her Dottari's duties so Thrune has no reason to change his mind. Reasoning/Additional Thoughts In the Lucky Bones itself, it is a new, smaller cult of Norgorber rather than those of Mahathallah. Kiem Delronge, as I've built her, is a LN/NE Female Human werespider Vigilante (Zealot) of Norgorber 7 (CR 7). She has four Dread Skeleton Rogues and several giant spiders as guardians. I've not yet finished changing the encounters in the Lucky Bones around, but I've decided to keep Luculla's tactics for Kiem in the shrine area; the PCs would see the leader of the Dottari about to be sacrificed and may decide to "help her out". If the PCs don't fall for it and manage to defeat her, they can expose the corrupt Dottari of Old Kintargo and earn more fame and recognition for the end of the Turn of the Torrent. For the Lucky Bones itself, I'm removing the secret passage that leads past the Order of the Torrent seal, as Hei-Fen would have known of it and simply sent her daughter through long ago. I'll keep the skum encounters as written, and I also like the previous idea of making Baccus and undead creature instead of skeleton laying against a wall.
I'm still working it out. I mostly didn't like the rapid hideout leapfrog from the coffee house to the Tooth & Nail to the Lucky Bones, so I thought I could accomplish several goals with a raid on the coffee house: 1) raise the stakes now that their rebellion is actually getting some traction, 2) remind them that their actions may have unforeseen consequences, 3) give them a reason to go to the Tooth & Nail (two of my characters already chose that as their workplace, so it's an obvious choice), and 4) introduce more of the flavor of the noble classes, who have been absent thus far. I'm picturing a young Sarini noble (totally a Draco Malfoy-esque clone) getting his/her hands both on Blosodriette and the knowledge of the Silver Ravens' whereabouts and going in without notifying Thrune so he/she can get all the glory. Even when the players win, their base will have been compromised, and they will have royally pissed off the Sarinis. Capturing Laria is something I'm still toying with. The PCs didn't really take to her, so she's not serving much of a function now. Captured, she'd give them more of a reason to hate Thrune. Interesting take. How does the Sarini get her contract, when it's in the Wasp Nest itself? I've introduced a Sarini as well, as a LN Cleric (Appeaser) of Asmodeus. The "nicest" Asmodean they'll meet.
What the players don't know, you didn't mess up. One option here is to just let sleeping dogs lie and move the story forwards without the little imp. The key question is: does bringing this back in improve your player's experience of the world? It is indeed a key question. I believe it would improve the player's experience and add more elements of intrigue. I find myself in the exact same position. And while I could just let it go, I feel like it makes more sense to have there be some kind of consequences for their inaction. I'm thinking I might have the little bugger finally figure out a way to get her contract into the hands of a lesser Sarini, who then tries to prove herself by raiding the Wasp's Nest. This also has the added bonus of pushing the players towards the Tooth and Nail or the Lucky Bones. Maybe Laria will even get captured. Would you be able to elaborate? I'd love to hear your idea!
Hello all, I need some advice when it comes to Blosodriette. My PCs are level 4, and we are just finishing up some interlude adventures before we start Turn of the Torrent. I did some of the scenes with the imp when I ran In Hell's Bright Shadow, but the PCs were not able to decipher what caused the collapse or messed with one of their member's minds. Normally I'd just go along with what the adventure path suggests next, however I had stop my campaign for about five months after my wife passed away. I've since restarted and I completely forgot about Blosodriette entirely. Although many months in RL have passed, in game time, about three or four weeks have gone by since they last had anything to do with her. We've played about five sessions so far since restarting. My problem is this; my PCs are level 4 and due to forgetting the little imp, I haven't done any of the security checks or had the PCs look for her. Indeed, they've mostly forgotten about the problem in the Wasp Nest itself. In game, they haven't been spending a lot of time there though; they've been mostly at the Tooth and Nail or gallivanting around Old Kintargo. Does anyone have some advice on how to bring the imp back into play? The Adventure Path says when she's found out manipulating some of the Silver Raven's teams, she lays low for awhile. I can have her restart, though given the PCs advanced level and lack of security checks, I'm wondering if anyone has any advice on what I could do to wrap it up in a more meaningful way.
I'm having some trouble using the Gray Queen's Court from the Bestiary section. I was going to use them to enhance the murders taking place in Old Kintargo, but after looking at the Rat King and the Grimples it commands, I've realized the Rat King really can't communicate with the grimples, given its absence of a language and its ability to communicate only with rats. I could replace the grimples with rats of course, but anyone have any suggestions on how to foster communication with it? My players do not have the ability to cast speak with animals.
Finally figured out what I'm going to do with the Order of the Rack from my earlier post, in case this is helpful to anyone with similar issues or wants to change things up a bit. I think I'll have the PCs meet Setrona in between In hell's bright shadow and Turn of the Torrent and get to know her a bit before the proclamation outlawing the Order of the Torrent happens. When that does take effect, I'll have the PCs in the Tooth and Nail has an Order of the Rack signifier enters with some armigers and interrogates Setrona for her cousin's wareabouts. If things go well, he'll leave without any violence, but his familiar will follow the PCs to the Shrine outside the city where the Lictor is. When the PCs are rescuing the armigers after meeting with Octavio, the Order of the Rack will move in and take him captive. This way, when the PCs are on the way back to tell Octavio the good news about his armigers, they'll have to do a jailbreak from the prison carriage-like scene from Council of Thieves. Thoughts?
What you say is true, yes, he has nothing against the Torrent for doing what he's done to them, but there's enough material in the module to suggest he'd like Octavio's loose end cleared up, regardless if he sends a lot of resources out to do it. I personally am not fond of how it plays out in the module and am looking to change it to something both believable and exciting. I suppose I could just have Laria tell the PCs that Setrona could be a good ally, and then have the whole Torrent thing go down after they meet with her.
Like others, I'm having some problems using Setrona and her introduction as written, given the general secret nature of my players and their Silver Ravens. I'm in the process of rewriting that, but need some help fleshing out my ideas. I find the story would have most logically gone this way: 1. Thrune outlaws the Order of the Torrent and goes for the Lictor, but finds he's gone
I don't really see Thrune ignoring the quite obvious connection of the Lictor's rebel-rousing cousin as a means of finding him. Someone mentioned it in another post, but I really like the Council of Thieves prison caravan rescue against the Order of the Rack. I could simply put that in with the Order of the Rack having captured the Lictor from the Shrine, but I also like the idea of keeping the Shrine as a safe house as written. Anyone have any ideas?
Hello! My group is almost done In Hell's Bright Shadow, but I always love adding in personal touches here and there. Here's a few of the custom additions to the module so far, in case anyone needs any ideas. Spoiler:
The Devil's In the Details
Giveni Henge (CG Bard 3) of the Three-Legged Devil is a known supporter of rebels (as per the Kintargo write up). I've had him turn his dance hall into a place where the Chelish Citzens' Group and Dottari use as their favorite off-duty place to go. Laria tells the PCs to check him out, as they were former friends and to see if he's using the authorities for rebel causes or if he's thrown his lot in with Thrune. I've made Henge a Calistrian, and the PCs met him in the back of his establishment. Using innuendo, he basically told them he'd like to see the CCG and Dottari punished in a public, but non-violent display. If the PCs would do that, he'd throw his lot in with them. Unsure of his motivations, the PCs decided to take the risk and I used the Unsanctioned Excruication where the PCs had to publically rescue Zea from the CCG without killing them. They succeeded and found Henge was as good as his word. I made a custom team and ally for them: Devil's Harlots: This group of prostitutes from the Three-Legged Devil act as a group of rumormongers, which grant the Gather Information and Spread Disinformation rebellion actions. Giveni Henge: The Calistrian bard of the Three-Legged Devil has agreed to lend you a group of his harlots as a bonus team. In addition, Giveni's cordial relationship with the Kintargo Dottari can also be leverged by the Silver Ravens. As long as Giveni remains an ally, the Silver Ravens can use the Covert Action rebellion action, but only in regards to an event regarding the Kintargo Dottari or the Chelish Citizens' Group. Spoiler:
Three's Company
Giveni suggests that to gain more supporters for the Silver Ravens, the PCs should paint the side of Thrune or abandoned buildings in key locations to rally the populace and let the city know the ravens are out there. He has suggested doing this at night, avoiding Kintargo Dottari patrols, however the exact timing and details are up to the Silver Ravens themselves. So the PCs look for 3 locations to paint with graffiti. Mechanically, it will take all of their rebellion actions (3), and they'll need to use their two freedom fighter teams as the other two groups to target other locations. This requires two of their three actions, while the third will be to gather supporters at the end of it. The two first checks are typical reduce danger checks, however instead of lowering the city's danger rating, it successfully completes the mission. Completing it raises notority by 1d4 points each. If they fail the DC 15 security check, not only does the notority score increase by 1d6 by the team is considered disabled. A natural 1 on the check indicates the team has gone missing. The third check is the recruit supporter check, which gains an additional 1d6 supporters for each successful freedom fighter team or if the PCs themselves are successful. So essentially 2 freedom fighter teams put graffiti up, and then the PCs do it themselves in a small little event. Spoiler:
Guarding the Guards
A masked vigilantie has been attacking the Chelish Citizens' Group over the last month, with each attack becoming more deadly. Laria and Rexus suggest the Silver Ravens find out who this person is and either recruit them into the Silver Ravens or end their violent assaults before they seriously threaten the future of Kintargo. The masked vigilante is simply called "The Mask". The Mask is actually a former paladin of Kintargo's hidden shrine of Sarenrae who survived the fire at the Silver Star during the Night of Ashes, however he was horribly burned in the process; Chelish Citizens' Group thugs were outside the building and prevented many from escaping, forcing them back into the fire. When he awoke in Songbird Hall, the temple of Shelyn, where the few surviving priests went tor Asylum, he was angry. He refused to stay idle in the church and left as soon as he was healed, stealing some of the church funds to start his own crusade to take the dawnflower's light to smite the evil he's witnessed. He used those stolen funds and acquired a new set of full plate and a greatsword to take the fight to the Citizens Group and help any Kintargans that they were abusing. At first, he remained righteous, using nonlethal methods to punish them, but as his skill grew in combat he's resorted to more lethal and brutal methods, including intimidation. He's already lost most of his paladin abilities for stealing and the actions he's committed thus far, but has managed to hang onto Sarenera's favor. However, if he continues his current course, the Mask is destined to loose his goddess' grace and decend into darkness. Stat wise, the paladin is a LN Paladin (Gray Paladin) 3/Vigilantie 3 (Faceless Enforcer). The PCs have not yet done this in my game. Spoiler: The Devil's Advocate
AA devil-tongued priest of Asmodeus is using peaceful conversation and rallies to increase support for the Church of Asmodeus and House Thrune, which is also reducing the influence of the Silver Ravens. Rexus Victocora suggests beating the priest at his own game by interjecting rhetoric into his speeches using non-violent methods. This LN Cleric (Appeaser) of Asmodeus is a disliked member of the church, for he looks at Asmodeus' non-evil parts. Thrune uses him specifically to rally support and the characters need to use the verbal duel rules to discredit him without causing violence or upsetting their own support.
Hi everyone, I'm wondering if anyone would be able to give me some advice regarding how to accomplish the following goal: In the campaign I'm running, the PCs will soon join/build a small faction that's primary purpose is hunting down the Night Heralds and their myriad cults and other agents of the Dominion of the Black. The story I have in mind is too large for just the PCs to venture everywhere and do everything, so I'd like to be able to have them form teams of NPCs, either those they recruit or hire, to help them on those side missions. My question is, what rules set should I use, or does one even exist? The PCs are currently using the downtime rules, and I was thinking of perhaps using the rebellion rules in Hell's Rebels with some tweaking to send out these "teams" to infiltrate cults, find information or eliminate specific threats. Does anyone have any thoughts?
My PCs happened to kill a nest of harpies that had an egg. The PCs are generally good, and they've decided to take the egg with them so it won't die...possibly even raising the harpy to be 'good'. Anyone know anything about harpy gestation an growth rate? I looked in Mythical Monsters Revisited, but I don't see anything about growth rate. Kind of hesitant to let them raise it, but might be interesting to watch. Anyone have any advise on handling it?
Hi all, I'm just wondering the opinion/thoughts of the Pathfinder Community on Psychic duels against boss NPCs. I've had one of my players use it on the NPC, which then essentially disables it for the other players in the real world, which can attack it at leisure. Sure, the dueling PC is gambling their own life in the duel, hoping the team takes out the monster, though I'm finding the potential abuse of that spell could be problematic later on. One way to help stop it is include other NPC's with the boss, but that's not always viable. Does anyone have any comments or advice? Thanks!
Yes, though comparing and combining the two from the Golarion standpoint is what I was referring to.
Hello! Looking through my copy of Occult Adventures, I couldn't help notice the 'Order of the Eastern Star' cavalier order and compare it to the 'Knights of the Eastern Star' element of the Knights of the Ioun Star faction in Occult Mysteries. According to Occult Mysteries, the Eastern Star subfaction was concerned about searching the lands beyond Imperial Azlant's borders looking for secret lore, and the cavalier order presented in Occult Adventures says the order exists to keep dangerous secrets hidden from the world and protect it from horrible threats that are not mortal... So, my thoughts are this: were the Knights of the Ioun Star originally purposed with finding secret/occult lore and protecting the Empire from otherworldly/alien or aberrant threats, perhaps specifically the Azlanti's Aboleth masters? In more 'modern' Golarion times, certain elements of the Knights of the Eastern Star are looking for a new prophesized emperor of Azlant in the Windswept Wastes of Casmaron. Could they not only be doing this to restore the empire, but to perhaps defeat the aboleth or otherworldly horrors? Just wanted to share my musings...seems like a lot of good connection points to me. Wondering if anyone might have any further thoughts, especially connecting the faction to the Dark Tapestry.
Here's hoping for some more information on the Night Heralds and the Dominion of the Black!
Does anyone know or have an idea on what elements will be present to add the new rules elements to existing games? I'm at a great part in the Dragon's Demand that I'd love to give the PC's a little taste of psychic powers. Other than the new classes, are their any feats or some such that could unlock minor potential?
Hello! I'm wondering if any loremaster's can help me with NPC reaction regarding Taldan law. I'm GMing a home game of the Dragon's Demand and need some advise on how to deal with the below issue. Please be advised there are spoilers for the Dragon's Demand here. Please don't read any further if you want to avoid any plot points from that fantastic module. So, I'm at the point in the module where the PCs become dragonslayers and agree to head to the Crypt of Tula to acquire the potent dragonslaying treasures within. They have done well to integrate themselves into the town and they are very trusted by the Baroness and the populace. Saying this, I'm having the campaign continue in Taldor for some time after the module is finished, but they will be moving to other locales later on. The PCs will be Knights of Taldor if they're successful in slaying the dragon and thus minor members of the aristocracy. According to some lore I've found on Pathfinderwiki, Grand Prince Stavian III has taken interest in keeping historic and cultural relics of Taldor within Taldor's borders. He's put heavy taxes and tariffs on such items to discourage them from leaving the Empire. All in all, I'm wondering what I should do about the treasure within Tula's crypt. The Baroness has asked them to treat the relics with respect and not desecrate the remains of the town founder, and I can see the PCs complying with that. She needs them to get these items to help save her town, but she'll also want to comply with Imperial law and try to ensure these items stay in Taldor after the PCs are done with them. Does anyone have any suggestions on how I should handle this? My initial thoughts on options are either: 1) The PCs return the items to the tomb after their finished (and miss out on a lot of treasure in the grand scale)
Any help would be appreciated!
I'm not sure if there's an official source on black holes as portals to the Dark Tapestry, though I've noticed in the Dragon's Demand, they talk about any relation between the Dark Tapestry and the plane of shadow. The connection was described as "laughable." Not to say there couldn't be a connection, but thought I'd just mention it.
Hello everyone! I'm attempting to create a mission-based system for a faction I'm creating in my campaign world, and I'm finding I need some assistance. I'm drawing my inspiration from Dragon Age Inquisition. Essentially, I'd like to be able to have the PCs send other NPCs of the faction on certain missions that help to evolve the story without going through every mission themselves. For example, the spymaster of the faction finds out that a shipment of X will be at location Y and it needs to be captured or destroyed. The PCs themselves are busy with plot Z and instead send one or more NPCs, sort of like an adventuring group to complete the task. The PCs will have to recruit various NPCs into their group and such, and then pick the right group for the mission. When the group is finished, success or failure, they report back to the PCs and that result helps or hinders them. That's the gist of it, though I'm looking to create an ideally non-complicated yet point-based system to do this. I was thinking something perhaps like the mass combat rules but instead changing some of the values to a small group, though does anyone have any suggestions? Any help would be greatly appreciated!
Hello everyone! Does anyone have any information on the Pillars of Rovagug? They are located at the very northern tip of the World's Edge Mountains. I've looked around and can't find anything, though any information would be appreciated. Thank you!
Hi Mark, Thank you so much for the very quick reply. It is greatly appreciated!
Hi folks, As the title says, I'm curious if anyone has more info on the town of Dunholme in the Verduran Forest. All I've been able to find is what's at the following link. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks! Gromnar
Hi everyone, I'm in the process of making a large, complex campaign using various Pathfinder sources; I'll post more about it later, though right now I'm scouring for information regarding the Aucturn Enigma and the Countdown Clocks. I've checked all the usual places (Occult Mysteries, Entombed with the Pharaohs, Pact Stone Pyramid, The Dragon's Demand, Doom Comes to Dustpawn, Iron Gods, Lost Cities of Golarion, Legacy of Fire, etc..). I think I've done a good job compiling the information I need, though one source particularly eludes me. Within the Pact Stone Pyramid, the module mentions the Sand Sage and his countdown clock, inside a small dragon statuette. His description also states he's seen three other countdown clocks, and Occult Mysteries says only 4 have been discovered as of 4714 AR. From my research, I've found the following clock: - Amber Chronograph (In the Slave Trenches of Hakotep)
So my question is this; where are the 'three' clocks the Sand Sage has seen? One is obviously the Amber Chronograph, so that leaves two. Yet, I am assuming the Sand Sage was not a part of the harrowing summoning of the Veinstone Pyramid in the past, and thus could not have seen the Countdown Wall. He waits outside of the Pact Stone Pyramid and awaits the PCs to tell him about any clocks they find within, so he couldn't have seen the Countdown Gem until the PCs bring it to him. So does anyone know of the other two he might have seen? I can always make their locations up myself (such as the lost city of Tumen), however I'm wondering if anyone knows more. Any assistance would be appreciated!
Some great ideas there TwiceBorn. I fully understand your point of view and your campaign sounds very fun and detailed...that's the kind of game I really enjoy running and playing. As for Bellis, my current campaign (not the one we're discussing) is running concrently with the one I'm now designing, and it used the Realm of the Fellnight Queen as a spring-board. Both my campaigns are running in the same game world, though Fellnight was done about a year or so ago (and expanded a lot after it was finished). The new PCs in the dragon's demand campaign I'm running are connected to the PCs in the other game; what those characters have created in Bellis exists as something accessible in Belhaim. You're also right in the fact that we've derailed the thread a bit, so I'll get back on topic. I think playing the 'Taldan Knight' reward angle is good starting as an honorary title that gives several smaller perks; the PCs should really have to work in game (regardless if its the module or not, this works well for any game) to expand the title into actually being something worth it.
Actually, I've had another thought that may help both of our games, TwiceBorn. Looking at the timeline, it seems Belhaim was founded roughly around 3676 AR, while the Treaty of the Wildwood began roughly in 3841 AR, a difference of 165 years. Spoiler:
The module states that Tula Belhaim was given the title of Baroness and the stewardship of the Verduran Fork region, including all of Dragonfen for her service to the Taldan Empire. As this happened many years before the Treaty of the Wildwood, it could be argued that Belhaim and its enviorns are not exactly part of the Treaty of the Wildwood; the forest beyond its borders may fall directly to the druids, but the area assigned to Belhaim's baroness before that treaty is probably still a direct part of the Taldan Empire, and not part of the semi-autonomous prefecture that the druids control. That's not to say that the druids don't have influence in the town; just look at the factions and its resident druid, but Belhaim could probably get away with developing the Dragonfen without the druids officially able to bat an eyelash. They'd probably be upset and perhaps try to sabotage such work, but they probably won't be able to stop it via legal means. Still, gaining their co-operation would be a good idea for all involved, if the PCs and the town took that route. I'd say the main reasons for the lack of development is the infighting between the factions: Spoiler:
For such a small town, Belhaim is full of political manuvering. The way I see it, the factions look at things like this:
Abadarians: Advance civilization, develop the town, have it prosper.
If the PCs successfully convince the three factions to agree with some sort of expansion, the possibilities are endless. Them being knighted (even with just the title), would help them stake that claim.
My game has not yet started, though I'm preparing for the long haul, and I'll share with you TwiceBorn how I plan on handling some of the Dragon's Demand's elements, incase they may be helpful for you. To prevent any of my players froms snooping: Spoiler: I'm expanding the Belhaim factions to include them as a major element of the module and future part of my campaign. Sort of turning them into 'mini-factions' using the Faction Guide as an example; they'll be able to give a few small boons depending on how much faction you get (max of 10 points, boons in line with the size of the settlement, constant up and down for those 10 points depending on what you do for each faction affects the other).
Reason for this is the module aftermath (Module spoilers ahead). I know my PCs will want to develop Belhaim as their home. In the module, it states that many in the town want to drain the dragonfen for development, but its always been deemed too costly or prohibtive. That's probably due to the Wildwood Treaty and the remoteness/lack of funds in the settlement. In my game, if the PCs play their cards right, they could go through with this provided they have high enough faction in all three (Green Faith, Shelyn and Abadar). If they saved the druid's wife and such, they'll have him in their pocket to help them convince the Wildwood Lodge to allow it, provided effort is made to minmize damage to the woods. This is the political action they can do in the game; satsisfy all three factions to The PCs get an absurd amount of treasure in this game which they can put towards the development. Now, I like your idea of expanding the Devy's political climate, though I know my PCs would be bored with that route. Instead, I'll have the Devy's look to make the PCs their strong allies with the funds they're gaining are enough to have them be a serious ally or enemy; if she can make the PCs knights beholden to her, she gains strong allies to help revitaltize her town. So its in her best interests to help the PCs out as time goes on. I do want the PCs to be able to take the monastary for their own, but that's because I'm planning on going the dark tapestry route with my game. After the dragon's demand and the PCs spend soem time in the area making their mark, I'll have them do the Doom Comes to Dustpawn module and bring both Dustpawn and Belhaim under their thumb. As for your idea with Andoran, I absolutely love Andoran more than Taldor, though I personally don't see Lady Devy trying to leave Taldor for Andoran...they don't accept nobles, afterall, so her way of life is gone if she goes there. It also marks her as a traitor like the Canteclures, and it was her own relative that help put down that seditious family. Taldar would probably crush the town for good, and Andoran won't risk a war for that. If the PCs could instead balance out the factions and make each happy to to do something with the dragonfen, you've got a new source of income for the town, making it larger and thus increasing Lady Devy's own wealth, who in turn would help the PCs out, though that's my take on it. :)
And, the more I think of it, the tile of knight in Belhaim or the outskirts of Taldor in general, is probably an honorific one. Belhaim mentions several aristocrats or people with 'Sir' or 'Lady' as an NPC, yet the town has no true army or knights in shining armor that protect it. In the major areas of Taldor, I would assume that the 'knight' status is very much along the lines of an equal mix of feudal and imperial; the soldier in heavy armor, with lance/horse (regardless of actual skill as knight), who has some minor perks as a low-level aristocrat. The further one gets from the major population centres where such armor/weapons/material and people are available, the more the title becomes honorific than militarily practical. That's at least my thoughts on it.
Some good points from everyone. I think I'm going to go with a mix of feudal and imperial. Lady Devy will grant the PCs these titles as per her authority, however the title is more honorific that comes with several perks, yet the PCs will have to work harder after the Dragon's Demand to really make use of it. My home game makes use of bonus material, and I'll be granting the PCs the Taldan Knight feat as a bonus feat after being knighted. In addition, the more RP-focused elements of the title will include: - Lower taxes, should the PCs make Belhaim/Taldor their home
I'd like to be able to use this 'knighthood' as a reward, such as it was intended in the module. You bring forward some good plot twist elements later in my campaign that I could use, however I would like this title to give them some boons, if even minor to moderate ones. Each PC so far is not a native of Taldor. Any ideas?
I don't meant to do thread necromancy, but I've a question regarding Taldan Knights and this seemed like the appropriate place for it. I'm about to Gm the module The Dragon's Demand, and one of the rewards at the end of the module is Spoiler:
a Taldan Baroness knights the PCs.
'Lady Origena knights the PCs as well, elevating them into the aristocracy of Taldor and granting each of them the title of Lady or Sir.' My question is, what does this really give the PCs? Are there any special considerations? As this type of gift seems like a title, not a military rank, they don't have to join the Taldan military, so would they be bearded/unbeared? Would they then be granted land? Exempt from some taxes? I'd like to develop this somewhat and any advise would be appreciated.
Hello all, Some of the players in my campaign are using the downtime to create businesses. The PCs feel that, by and large, the system does not really allow them any profit. They sink far more money into their businesses then they get a return for. I've explained that the downtime system is essentially an RP mechanic more than it is a gold producing one. The main income stream is still supposed to be adventuring. However, I understand the player's view points and desire to accomodate some of their desires by devising a system that gives them a little more income. One of my players runs a caravan and shipping business that's just getting off the ground. The other has created a magical academy. The one with the academy is desiring to use the War College idea in Inner Sea Combat, essentially creating a school with the academy. He's trying to combine this system and the downtime system which were never meant to be combined, and I'm having issues with it. Essentially, this long post comes down to this point; does anyone have any suggestions on how to either make the downtime rules generate a little more income, know a possibile bridge between the school and downtime systems, know a custom/3rd party system that might be better or have any other advise? Thank you for your assistance!
Hi everyone! I'm wondering if I could get some advice/help with designing a magical staff for one of my players. The theme is Nethys, specifically his domains of protection and destruction. If you're one of my players, please turn back, spoilers ahead. A little background: my PCs (level 12, tier 3 mythic) will be traveling to Osirion in the next little while and enter an ancient tomb-city where they'll find an old temple of Nethys. Within is a ghost of the high priestess who, in punishment for earthly transgressions, has been 'split' into two seperate halves of herself; one focusing on the destruction domain, the other on the protection domain. Her magic staff was split into two as well (literally, as if chopped in half), and each ghost wields a ghostly version of it. My party consists of a follower of Nethys (NG Human Wizard 5/Fighter 1/Eldritch Knight 6/Archmage 3), and this is his channce to shine. Essentially, Nethys has punished the ghost priestess by splitting her like he is split himself. She is to remain in the temple waring with herself until another worshipper arrives and settles the dispute between the 'better' of the two spheres. Enter the PC, who's given the oppourtinity for two choices...aid protection or aid destruction. Choosing one side over the other has reprocussions; the one the PC aids helps them against the other, and then gives them a boon depending on their sphere. The boon primarly being the corporeal version of their staff, one focused on either protection or destruction. However, there's a third option. If the PC can convince both ghosts the merit of both aspects and they are indeed one and the same (feed off one another), then both ghosts return to rest and their staves are joined with a more potent item, one focused on protection and destruction. Saying this, I need some help on exactly what versions these 3 items should take. Ideally I'd like to use craft staff for this, though a combat-oriented quarter staff would also work. A little more detail; the PC already has a legendary item, so I can't go this route. I'm also okay with the staff having divine spells even though the character is arcane, but any help on the staves would be appreciated. Ideally, I'd like the lesser staves (only one half) to be CL 8, while the combined one is CL 17. The lesser versions are not mythic, while the greater one can be (but it is not required). Thanks in advance for any help!
A quick question based off of something I was told by a fellow player. He said all harrowers are female, though I was wondering what the official word on that is, as somehow I doubt that is the case.
Yeah. So far, with a level 5 build, with a couple of extra hex feats, I've chosen fortune, evil eye, soothsayer and cackle. I agree that a varisian harrower cackling like a hag makes no sense, so I'm re-skinning cackle to be a varisian dance.
I'm also looking at this build. Though misfortune may end up falling out of favor as you hit the harrower class, considering witch hexes use the witch's level for their save DC, not the Harrowers. Unless I am incorrect, that is.
A spellcaster with this feat can enhance a deck of cards as though it were a ranged weapon with 54 pieces of ammunition. This enhancement functions only when used in tandem with this feat, and has no affect on any other way the cards might be used. Only a character who possesses this feat can use an enhanced deck of cards; she must still use the Arcane Strike feat to activate the cards’ enhancement. I've a question regarding this portion of the feat. Does the character with deadly dealer (as a spellcaster) need craft magical arms and armor to enchant the deck as per the above, or does the deadly dealer feat itself give this ability?
Hello everyone, I'm looking through the Guide to the River Kingdoms and there are locations present in the book that show as active to followers of Milani. Those locations are Artune and Liberthane. Both locations show followers of lawful classes (monks in Artune, paladin in Liberthane). I'm assuming these were written before Milani's CG alignment was fully established, so I'm wondering what I can change the classes to that would still be appropriate to the setting while still following Milani's printed alignment. I'm wondering if Brawler instead of monks and a warpriest instead of a paladin, though I'm curious as the community's thoughts. One of my players has his origins in Liberthane and I'd like the change to mesh appropriately. Thanks for your time!
What feats did you choose, if I can ask nate lange?
I wouldn't do it from an optimization perspective so much as a story one. The character is supposed to be one of the Wasp Queens (female elf calistrian thieve guild), and the extra skills/wasp spell-likes would be thematically appropriate, while continuing along the deific exalted path.
Actually, I suppose I could take one level of exalted, then evangelist and increase the exalted class with aligned class...
Perhaps, though the loss of skill points and advancement of sermonic performance may be a killer. I've also been reading that the stunning touch ability doesn't get increased with the class. Does anyone know if that's accurate?
Hello everyone! I'm making a character for a new Pathfinder game, where the PCs are level 7, the GM planning to use the mythic rules. I've decided on a half-elf cleric of Calistria(evangelist) archetype who specializes in enchantment, and I want to use some of the new material in inner sea gods. However, I'm kind of conflicted on which prestige class to take; evangelist (which fits with more than just the name), which would advance the sermonic performance, some of the lesser channel and give saving finale spell-like ability (useful with sermonic performance) at the loss of a caster level, or take exalted, keep the caster level, increase the oratory and, gain more enchantment abilities, improve the charm domain and get cha to AC down the line. I'm finding the choice difficult. Anyone have advice? Thanks for your time!
The way I'm sort of looking at how the Gardener's operate is essentially overseen by Norgorber in the higher tiers. As the class requires divine ability, the spin I'm putting on it is anyone can join, but the highest, most powerful Gray Gardeners know the truth about Norgorber's faith; non-worshippers who are Gardeners are good cover for the secrecy as a whole. At the moment I'm a bit stuck on Bremovir. I know I'd like him to follow Norgorber now, but I'm not sure if I should keep him a life-long follower or have him once have been an Abadaran. The idea is sort of as follows: Bremovir began as a LE cleric of Abadar (perhaps separatist archetype, so already a bit in trouble with the church itself) who comes to power in Galt, originally distaining the use of the final blades to bring "proper" civilization to Galt and not rely on such barbaric punishment methods. Though Bremovir himself is not a good example, and skirts the edge of faith and heresy. Perhaps Abadar was hoping to see what he could possibly accomplish in troubled Galt and allowed him the spells. Over the years he progressively falls more and more into Norgorber's sway. Meanwhile, the 'informant' that tips the Primarch off with the impending coup, I've come with is a Gray Gardener who is a LN follower of Abadar (or perhaps a non-affiliated oracle) who originally joined the Gardener's to affect positive change, and carefully moved up their ranks. The high-ranking Gardener's allowed this, perhaps to keep cover of the true faith and to use the aspirant in various ways. This particular Gardener saw noble purpose in Bremovir (with possibly shared faiths) and helped him out. When they get to the dread dungeons after the coup, the Gardener reveals to his erstwhile ally that they should return and finally put an end to the Gardeners themselves and destroy the final blades. As a high-level member of their organization, he knows how. However, Norgorber doesn't allow this and Bremovir has him imprisoned within the Dread Dungeons, to 'keep the secret'. Now, that former Gardener is Galt's one true hope at finding peace. He knows what the Gardener's are, and how to destroy the blades and bring their power base to an end. The Primarch, for his part, has finally fallen over to Norgorber's worship, perhaps reluctantly so, now sitting upon treasures he stole, with no ability to rule and a life divided by choices and conflict from two faiths. My other idea was having Bremvior be a Gray Gardener himself; he plays two rolls, one as a Gardener, the other as Bremvior, wanting power in both places. He reasoned if he could control the Revolutionary council and the Gray Gardeners, he would have the ability to weather both storms. Somewhere along the way however, Bremvior's secret becomes revealed and he's ousted from both organizations, and he flees to his dungeons. In this scenario, the important prisoner that has Galt's freedom in his hands could perhaps be Hosetter, one of the original revolutionaries, that the Primarch released from the final blade, as an insurance policy to have him help cement Galt under his rule. What do you think?
Hi everyone, I'm wondering if I can get some feedback and opinions regarding the Gray Gardeners, Norgorber and the Dread Dungeons. Soon my PCs will be heading to the Dread Dungeons in an effort to rescue the one person who can return Galt to a state of peace and prosperity, and I have some questions. First, I'm in the belief that Norgorber controls or at least heavily influences the Gray Gardeners. For my game, I'm assuming they combine his aspects as the Reaper of Reputation and the Gray Master, except instead of focusing on stealing wealth, they focus on stealing souls with the final blades. The Norgorber connection is at least evident with the Gray Gardener Inquisitor of Norgorber in the Inner Sea NPC codex. With this in mind, I'm also looking at Primarch Bremovir, the individual in charge of the Dread Dungeons. As from established sources, he seems to be a trickster of sorts, distaining the use of the guillotines, finding/building the Dungeons, grooming a double to die to a final blade and then escaping with a good amount of Galt's treasury. I'm wondering if I should have him be a follower of Norgorber as well, specifically in his aspect as the Reaper of Reputation, however I'm wondering how to justify his removal of power in Galt when his faith is similar to the Gray Gardeners, the true power behind Galt? Another idea I had was to possibly make the Primarch a servant of Abadar who was eventually corrupted by Norgorber himself. Does anyone have any thoughts or ideas regarding this subject? Thanks!
Just got my early copy and I have a question regarding the combat schools. They use the fame/reputation system from Ultimate Campaign but in a slightly different way. Does anyone know if you calculate your combat school fame differently from your 'regular' fame from Ultimate Campaign? It seems to be that way from the vague wording, but I'd like to be sure, as my players have a lot of fame points in my campaign and they want to know if that affects their combat school choices (as one was already a member of the 'school' before the book came out). Anyone have any clarification? If its different, then a PC may have two fame two PP modifiers, one for generalized fame, one for the school?
Is there anything Calistria-related in the book, or options that would benefit worshippers of her?
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