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The Northlands Saga Complete is a campaign setting and an adventure path all set in the Frog God Games’ game world of the Lost Lands. Far at the northern edge of the world map where the continent of Akados connects to the frozen polar continent of Boros are the lands of the Northlanders huddled around the often-frozen North Sea and verging upon the gray-green swells of the Great Ocean Ûthaf that circles the northern portion of the world.

The Northlands are a realm of rugged frontiers on the very edge of the arctic wilderness where the people of the North contend against the horrors of the icy wastes with little more than sinew, iron, and their own mind’s worth. Here is a realm of gameplay for a classic Viking saga or adventures in the gritty north envisioned by Leiber or Howard. It is a land of epic sagas, savage creatures, and heroes of mythic proportions, and it is ours to play in.

Our Unofficial Player's Guide
Doomed Hero's Guide to PbP Gaming
Painlord's Advanced PbP Play
The Forge of Combat: Thoughts on Victory and How the Group Achieves It

• The Northlands Saga Complete Player’s Guide

Loki by Mike Vasich
Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman

Class Restrictions: The following are the only allowable classes, archetypes permitted in my discretion.

--Barbarian
--Bard (only the Skald archetype found in the unofficial player’s guide)
--Fighter (check out the Huscarl archetype in our unofficial player’s guide)
--Ranger (non-spellcasting archetypes)
--Hunter
--Skald
--Slayer
--Warpriest
--Oracle. Permissible Oracle Mysteries are Ancestor, Battle, Metal, Nature, Stone, Succor, Waves, Wind, Winter, and Wood. Permissible Oracle Curses are clouded vision, consumed, lame, tongues, and wasting.

Reflavoring class abilities to match the themes of our campaign is allowed, even encouraged. I will allow a single oracle and one other magical user (e.g. hunter, skald, warpriest), with a preference for non-magical martial types (including the Bard (Skald) archetype from the unofficial campaign guide).

No Third Party Options. Other than the adventure itself, of course! Our unofficial player’s guide contains some new options presented by the adventure, including archetypes, feats, and traits.
Races: Human only. Alternate racial traits only allowed with GM approval.
Build Rules: 15 point buy. Your lowest stat, after racial modifiers, cannot be below 8.
HP: Max at first level, ½ + 1 thereafter.
Starting Wealth: Average gold for your class. Equipment available to you for purchase in our starting location (Silvermeade Hall, just outside of Halfstead in Hordaland) includes technology up to the level of High Middle Ages as described in our Unofficial Player’s Guide. Items such as full plate armor, crossbows, rapiers, and gunpowder weapons are not available. It is assumed that much of your starting equipment was obtained through bartering or handed down from family or friends. Combat mounts are non-existent, though riding mounts (horses) are common enough. Any currency will be in hacksilver (hs) with lower denominations made up of sp and cp as needed.
Alignments: Good preferred. No evil.
Feats: No Leadership. All characters receive one bonus feat of their choice at first level. Being human, this means you gain another bonus feat on top of your normal racial bonus. You must meet any prerequisites for your chosen feat.
Traits: Two, both of which must be a campaign trait (see below), albeit from different categories (basic, magic, social, or regional).
Unchained Rules: Background Skills (everyone gains one bonus skill point at level 1 to place in Profession (farmer)), Automatic Bonus Progression
Posting Requirements: These games are marathons, not sprints. I would hope for at least one post per weekday, for a minimum of five posts per week.

Each character must select two traits from the following list. You may only select a single trait from within each category.

Basic Traits:
Hnefatafl Player: You have wiled away many long winters playing hnefatafl board games. Furthermore, you have developed some skill with them. This earns you some respect among your peers, for the Northlanders appreciate a quick mind and good game play. You gain a +1 trait bonus to Initiative due to your experience outwitting opponents.

Horseman: You are one of the few who has bothered to learn to ride a horse and ride it well. You gain a +1 trait bonus to Ride and may take it as a class skill. Also, you may learn mounted combat feats.

Merchant: While the screaming vikings are by far the most well known of the Northlanders who take to the sea, the vast majority of seamen are merchants. You have spent a part of your life plying the trade lanes from port to port, perhaps even journeying as far as the Southlands in search of profit. You gain a +1 trait bonus to Knowledge (geography) and Linguistics, and one of these becomes a class skill.

Spearman: Warfare is not just a part of Northlands life, it is a central part of the culture and heritage. You were raised to fight in the shieldwall, leap off a longship into the fray, or defend your village against raiders. You gain a +1 trait bonus to combat maneuvers made with a spear.

Magic Traits:
Dwarf Blood: It is rare that the Dvergar have any relations outside their own kind, but one of your ancestors managed just that. As a result, you have unnatural blood in your veins, something that others would find disturbing if they knew. You are shorter and uglier than average, and likely have an unusual hair or eye color. You gain a +1 trait bonus to Craft, and after reaching 5th level you may take the Craft Magic Arms and Armor feat, though if you are not a spellcaster you may only craft or repair weapons and armor that do not have special abilities.

Elf Blood: One of your ancestors is of the Alfar, a Nûklander or more rarely a Southlander elf. It is even possible that your ancestor was stolen as an infant and a fey changeling left in his place. Either way, you have non-human blood in your veins, something that taints you in the eyes of other Northlanders. You are thinner and taller than average, and likely have a strange look to your facial features, hair color, or eye color. As a result, you gain a +1 trait bonus to Stealth and Perception, and one of these becomes a class skill.

Focused Devotee: Although not a priest, you have dedicated a part of your life to the study of the gods. As a devotee of a single deity, you place his or her worship above all others (while not ignoring the other gods lest you offend). Your alignment must be within one step of your favored deity’s. Also, you must uphold that deity’s ambitions and virtues. You gain a +1 trait bonus to Knowledge (religion) and it becomes a class skill for you. Additionally, you gain a +1 trait bonus to damage rolls with that deity’s favored weapon.

Giant Blood: Somewhere in your family’s history, someone lay with a giant. The taint of the evil, demonic Jötnar is in your blood, which poses several disadvantages. You are driven to commit crimes against the natural order of the Northlands. Those who know of your taint will likely shun you, and even the gods may turn their backs on you if you prove unworthy. As compensation, you are unusually tall and hardy, gaining a +1 trait bonus on Fortitude saves. Due to your unnatural ancestry, you also gain a +1 to either Knowledge (arcana) or Spellcraft. Note: This is not the same as the giantblooded race, which represents a heritage closer to half-giant.

Rune Reader: You know how to read the runes and write them, including carving them into stone. You thus gain the Runic language and a +1 trait bonus to Craft (scultpure).

Tale Spinner: While you may not be a skald, you are skilled at telling stories and have a broad repertoire to choose from. You are considered an educated person in a society that places great stock in oral communication. Your skills at public speaking also gain you an advantage when speaking before a Thing. You gain a +1 trait bonus to two of the following skills, and one becomes a class skill for you: Diplomacy, Perform (oratory), or Knowledge (history).

Troll Blood: Somewhere in your ancestry is a troll, likely a well-kept secret, though if open knowledge, good luck finding a family that will let you marry into it. You have one or more features of the Jötnar, such as coarse hair or skin, reddish eyes at night, long ears or nose, or even a feral cast to your features that can be dismissed away but is also a telltale sign to those familiar with troll heritage. As a result of this taint in our bloodline, you may make a DC 15 Fortitude save to gain fast healing 1 for a number of rounds per day equal to your Constitution modifier.

Social Traits:
Bondi: You are a small landholder, entitled to vote in the local Thing and bring cases before it. Although the vast majority of Northlanders are freemen, you are in a class above the others. You have a small farm that yields 40 gp a year in profit, though this assumes you or someone else spends a great deal of time working on it. You have a +1 trait bonus on Profession (farmer).

Child of Heroes: One or both of your parents are widely recognized heroes, paragons of the warrior virtues, maybe even figures who have appeared in epic sagas themselves. Due to your heroic heritage, you gain one of the following: a +1 bonus to one ability score, +2 skill points per level, or +1 hit point per level. You are expected to live up to your parent or parents’ reputation.

Famous Family: You are from one of the famous families of the Northlands, such as the Gats or Hrolfs. Your family connections can help you get into higher circles of power, gives you a bonus of +3 votes when appearing before a Thing, and gives you an extra 100 gp to begin your adventuring career. Unfortunately, you are expected to uphold your family’s honor and ambitions and participate in its feuds. You gain a +1 trait bonus to Knowledge (nobility) and it becomes a class skill for you.

Heir: You are the child of a jarl, and thus stand to inherit some degree of wealth. As a result you are expected to live up to the expectations of your position, and have a bonus of +10 votes when appearing before a Thing. You begin your adventuring career with an extra 300 gp, a chain shirt, a heavy wooden shield, a hand weapon, and clothing befitting your station.

Hirdman: You are an independent landowner of some wealth and status, above the bondi yet below the Jarls. You possess a fair bit of land and have a bonus of +5 votes when speaking at the local Thing due to your position. Your land yields enough to feed you and your family, plus produce 100 gp a year in profit, though this assumes you or someone else spends a good deal of time at work planting, reaping, etc. Also, you begin play with an extra 150 gp, a riding horse, a suit of light armor, heavy wooden shield, and a simple or martial melee weapon.

Huscarl: You are a household warrior in service to a jarl or higher-ranked personage. As such, you do not need to worry about your daily needs and upkeep as long as you are in the service of your jarl and in his domain. You begin your adventuring career with a riding horse, a heavy wooden shield, a chain shirt, and a simple or martial weapon of your choice. In return, you must perform services to your jarl as determined by the GM.

Outlaw: A Thing has declared you an outlaw, and all hands may be turned against you. Any who slay you are not subject to wergild or any other legal action, and may be rewarded for their actions. Due to the fragmented political landscape of the Northlands, a sentence of outlawry may or may not apply if you flee to another jurisdiction. You gain a +1 trait bonus to Bluff and Disguise, and one becomes a class skill.

Thrall: You are a thrall, one of the few non-freeman in the Northlands. Your life is one of a slave, and you likely were not born into that condition. You may not own property, and may only carry arms if your master allows it. Most likely you are from another land, possibly the Southlands or another even more distant place. You gain a +1 trait bonus to Craft (any) and Profession (servant) and choose one to become a class skill.

Regional Traits:
Estenfirder: A harsh life in the wilds of Estenfird has hardened you and taught you how to get by on your own. Choose either a +1 trait bonus to Fortitude saves or +1 trait bonus to Survival, and make that skill a class skill.

Gatlander: As the paragons of the viking ideal, the Gatlanders are sailors without peer. You gain a +1 trait bonus to Profession (sailor) and Swim, and choose one as a class skill.

Halfsteader: Halfstead is the largest city in the Northlands, and acts as a central point for the entire region. Peoples, goods, and ideas from throughout the North, as well as from farther abroad, flow through, generating wealth. You gain a +1 bonus to Knowledge (geography) and Linguistics, and choose one as a class skill.

Hordalander: Your kingdom is in turmoil, which means that you must be well aware of which jarls are aligned with which factions. Being constantly on your toes has given you a +1 trait bonus to Sense Motive.

Hrolflander: The Hrolf in their ongoing bid to unify and dominate the Northlands have adopted new ideas from the Southlands. Among these foreign ideas are the use of alien and bizarre weaponry such as crossbows. You gain a bonus proficiency in one martial or exotic weapon not normally found in the Northlands.

Storstrøm Valer: As the heart of Northlands culture, the old ways are the most respected, and the minor jarldoms and small steadings of the Vale are as fiercely traditionalist as they are independent. You gain a +1 trait bonus to Knowledge (religion) and Knowledge (history) and choose one as a class skill.

Vastaviklander: Vastaviklanders have a reputation for being ferocious and easily angered. They also are known as some of the hardiest and best sailors in the Northlands. You gain a +1 trait bonus to Intimidate and gain it as a class skill. Also, you gain a +1 trait bonus to two of the following skills: Perception, Profession (sailor), or Survival.

The Northlands Saga Adventure Path calls for characters that are in service to Olaf Henrikson, the Jarl of Halfstead. These members of the jarl’s household are lesser servants, would-be huscarls, and other attached persons. If you are not a member of the household, then you should be associated to it in some way, possibly as a seasonal hanger-on. The Northlands are not like other fantasy settings. Rulers and others in positions of authority simply do not hire adventurers to solve their problems; they either take care of things themselves or send members of their household to see to the situation.

Having you all be in the service to the same jarl allows for the party to have a solid foundation. Not only do you have similar goals and directives, but you also will likely know each other, if not since childhood, then at least from the mead hall of your jarl. This allows for friendships and rivalries to be set up from the start, and it would be a good idea when beginning your journey through The Northlands Saga Adventure Path to establish these early on during character generation or quickly during the first adventure. Finally, do not feel like the party is locked into a life of service to one jarl. Events in the adventure may allow you to stretch out on your own in the dangerous Northlands but gives you a firm cornerstone to build off of in your early careers.

I value role-playing over roll-playing. I realize that many players relish the number-crunching game of optimizing builds, but they and I are playing different games. In fact, I would prefer you keep your builds straightforward and as well-rounded as possible. Afterall, the perils your characters will face in the relentless wilds of the Northlands are myriad.

Additionally, you must put effort into your role-playing. I am by no means a great writer, nor do I expect you to be, but you don’t have to be a great writer to be a great role-player.

Skill checks play a more prominent role in this campaign than in others. Outdoor skills like Climb, Swim, Ride, and Survival will often be tested, so don’t ignore them. Additionally, since farming is of central importance to surviving in the frigid Northlands, everyone must place a skill point Profession (farmer) at level 1. Each character is therefore granted a single bonus skill point at first level.

I use Hero Lab’s output reporting format, and I encourage that my player’s will as well. If you don’t have Hero Lab, fear not, simply try to follow a similar format. Here is an example. Please do not embed your stats within a spoiler. A GM has enough information to look up without having to search through unfamiliar PC profiles or click through a dozen spoilers.

Generally: When you post, all your actions should be described in detail. Don’t just say “I attack the slug,” tell me what you actually do to it. Below your descriptions place all of your rolls. For attack rolls, separate all bonuses into identifiable components. separate damage for attacks with a semicolon. For example, if I am a raging barbarian who is charging and power attacking, my roll might look like this:

[dice=Attack,Charge,Rage,Power Attack;damage]1d20 + 6 + 2 + 2 -1;2d6 + 6 + 2 + 3[/dice]

All rolls should be placed below your post.

Tagging: You should make liberal use of “tagging” in your posts. This means that you should interact with other players or NPC’s. To do so, anytime you anticipate a reaction or response from an (N)PC, “tag” them out of character in the post to indicate that a reaction is necessary or desired (Credit to GM Fabian for this method). For example, if I ask a question and desire an answer, I’ll tag the recipient of my question:

”I don’t doubt your love for your father, Graud, only whether your decision to search for him is rational. Do you believe you can separate love and duty?” Tag Graud.

Unlike face-to-face Pathfinder, I lump everyone's initiative together and take the average. If there are five PCs, I total everyone’s initiatives and divide by 5 to get the group's initiative. Then do the same with the enemies' initiative. It makes combat on the boards much smoother, though I understand it’s not ideal for those with the highest initiative bonuses. Note that your high initiative helps the group’s overall average.

I generally try to resolve combat actions in the order the players post- although you can specify that your action goes after someone else in the group, or make your actions conditional if you wish. Should someone do something that makes another's action invalid, I'll either give them a chance to fix it/take a new action or correct it the best I can myself. I reserve the right to “re-order” combat posts to make the most sense of out things, and I generally favor the players when I do.

Also, please make sure you list out exactly what actions you take: Move actions, standard, free, swift, or no-actions, when you take said action and in what order you take them. Dice are rolled in what order you take said action, so no messing with the order you roll your dice to get a better outcome.

You will be responsible for tracking and managing your character’s individual wealth. I will be keeping track of group loot on the Loot Tracker, which will keep track of the sell price of all loot obtained by the group. This, including coins, will be periodically liquidated and then divided up by the number of players, which equates to each player’s dividend. Dividends represents each player's share of the loot if everything is sold. You may claim specific items for your own character by typing your name on the loot list in the appropriate column beside an item. Items not claimed are liquidated and paid out as a dividend. I do not try to “equalize” each party member’s loot, but instead rely on the group to acknowledge that fair distribution of items and consumables benefits everyone in the long run.

I’ve also learned that most players hate making such decisions, and would rather just run their PC. Thus, from time to time I may make executive decisions about loot distribution in order to move things along.