Yeah, it is really good.
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That is really cool. How fun it must be to flip every hex.
Not only that, you should have him (and his party) clear out some dungeons as well.
As a dm you would want to prepare all sorts of interesting tid-bits to give to the investigator, on the Stag Lord, rumours, those under him. Normally I give this sort of thing to a tracking ranger.
If the players end up freeing Princess Argenta (Palace of the Silver Princess being added to Kingmaker as a short adventure), this will give them a small friendly (I hope) faction just outside of the Stolen Lands (Nomen hills, east of Restov). The Princess will need help to restart her domain, and will ask for it, but it provides a bolthole for them, and a friendly place in which to retreat if they ever need it. It isn't exactly wealth that she would need, but resources, experts, and diplomatic missions to get demihumans on her side. All of that would be, over time, what she asks of the pcs. Ask not what the princess can do for you, but what you can do for your princess. Of course a marriage alliance is a slim possibility as a reward. Also adding some possibilities of foreign aid for other settlers, and Taldorian knights in the area. Character class based small factions could more easily be aided by early adventurers/lords, than major regions.
Unfed armies should very quickly resort to looting and brigandage, slipping from player control and becoming small hostile factions terrorising a region. Hopefully, there aren't dug-in to fortifications, and near nice fat villages.
Running two parties through the mansion attack, added more to it, more foes, four groups of adventurers working for Jamandi (two parties of pcs). Picked the areas of the Stolen Lands they would each seek to chart and tame, haggled a good deal for hexploration, celebrated, and went to sleep (one pc group immediately fled, getting out before the attack). Tartuccio poisoned an npc party, killing them in their sleep. Once the attack got going we had some wild combat, but the aftermath was notable. The other party found a secret door, picked a lock, and got into Jamandi's war/planning room. Of course they stole all of her intelligence (Rostlandi war plans, some on espionage, nearby factions, some of what they are trying to find in the stolen lands), and looted their employer thoroughly, with some good rolls for loot (electrum scroll cases, coin rewards for mapping and hex clearing). They headed through only some of the mansion, found the guardroom, looted that and managed to break out through the barred windows into the night, later summoning the guards to assist while they departed. Didn't solve the puzzles, didn't help Jamandi. I find this hilarious, and it does look like the attackers stole the intelligence and escaped. Opening Jamandi up for blackmail and ruining her plans if Brevoy ever got a hold of it. Tartuccio as well is fine and hasn't been exposed. He is embedded in another adventuring group. The party had some hints on what he was doing and that he was using magic during the celebration, but didn't investigate it well enough to ascertain the poisoning. I like Tartuccio as a competent assassin, and chuckle at the thought of Jamandi killing that party if she ever finds out what they did to her office.
Amusing.
They look okay. Yeah Ogre bounty hunters might be responding to something from Pitax, and there are all sorts of neighbours that may send in mercs to hunt the heroes.
I have a different solution. Got a diary, will be using it for the two parties, and given the Slavic feel, searched up the weather in Luhansk for last year. Have just been copying out the weather into the diary, and noting the Pathfinder names for the months and days. This is going to save so much time, and it fits with Druidic characters being able to predict the weather (will be able to tell them, rather than having to roll). Random weather rolls can be too chaotic.
He certainly could do well if he ambushes the pcs. Did he kill anyone?
Redcelt had some great ideas (and a fine choice in profile picture), I'm using some of what he put together... I'm going to make the swordlords corrupt. "Oh no, they are the good guys!" Nah, I see them as a little naïve when it comes to politics and the game of thrones, except Jamandi. She is also a rare half-elf, and doesn't play with the same limitations of human lives. She is not the most senior lord, but I am setting her up as the most politically active, the risk-taker, and her husband has quite ample wealth as well (and is also corrupt and broke his vow of giving everything up, but is very helpful to the pcs). One of their agents, a new lord of the stolen lands, was more idealistic and true, but failed and perished to Hargulka. Victims were apparently eaten. To keep it simple, yes, the swordlords estate is considerable and growing. The various swordlords symbolically got rid of their wealth and title but kept plenty squirreled away and have built upon it (as well as armed and trained plenty of men) over the years. The Rostlandi do not call them out on this, they would cut people down. Brevoy does not recognise their nobility or lordship for one second, as their independent thoughts certainly breaks from Brevoy culture and Agnatic primogeniture (that allowed King Noleski to take power). Jamandi and husband Ferox Aldori have a hold of most of the swordlords' estate, but certainly not all. They will talk to and shepherd the pcs the most.
A large party doesn't need them, but they may still want henchmen and other assistants later.
Thanks for that. Surtova should be Surtov for the king and all males made me chuckle, what a silly mistake.
I'm making Tartuccio into a more effective assassin, wiping out another party Jamandi assembled via poison and the magic of a Nyrissa hand mirror he has been given by his master. If he dies early, they get something they will realise the importance of later. If he evades justice the two (pc) parties will hunt him to the ends of the stolen lands. It might even bring them together. Not a fan of the Tartuk transformation.
I would give them a ranger so they can pick up more natural knowledge, tracks, and the like.
Friends, rivals, eventual enemies.
"The town can't grow beyond the first 4-squares until kingdom level 3. Which is forever away." Break free of all limits, is what a chaotic would say.
The lesser nobles in Rogarvia seem perfect for little adventures, forays, and dungeons. Taking their land would cause too many problems, and player destruction when the Brevoyan armies turn up, but I think a trip north can be good for side adventures, pick at their scabby weaknesses, or helping them and absorbing/recruiting them later. Plenty of depth here, so happy to use it. On the Golushkins, yeah I renamed them the Dwarves of Old Grognard (playing with some old Grognards, so I did that for them), and placed almost all of those still living as refugees in Brunderton, the rest in Restov (renamed Aldoria). Various sites in the stolen lands like Bronzeshield fortress are Grognardian (Bronzeshield being as far west as they settled). Have a subterranean Dwarven road dungeon to use as well that would connect to Dwarven roads on the surface, and below Varnhold to Silverstep which was their central home region, and the Tors of Levenies the south of the old realm. Elves were a huge deal last campaign, so Dwarves are up this time, and the players can clear and resettle Grognardians if they want to be loved by fanatically loyal Dwarves for evermore. Politically Iobaria only has real strength far to the north. Close to the Stolen Lands we have homesteaders and wildmen, but you can get into Iobaria via the plains NE of Restov, you swing right around the mountains. Restov is a little exposed to Iobaria actually, classic Muscovite problem of being exposed by plains, and Iobarians are neighbours to Rogarvia given they live in Medvyed. Also added a centaur faction to spice it up and not just make it about humans and dwarves, but that's not all! Iobarians matter with what I am running, as Iobarian is one of the three main human races in Brevoy (Issian and Rostlanders being the other two), since Medvyedians are mostly Iobarians as well. I am making them distinctly different to pale flaxen Issians, and giving them bright orange/hazel eyes. More importantly, while the city states are further away and to the N & NW, the Iobarians nearby are, in my games, dominated by lycanthrope clans that are at war with Brevoy, and assisted by Jamandi (yes, she has interesting friends). Jamandi never seemed active enough for my tastes, so she is waging a proxy war already with lycanthropic Iobarians. They are the northern plan to exhaust Brevoy. The pcs are her southern plan. This also presents a Brevoyan ranger faction they can join that hunt lycanthropes. They would turn against Jamandi if they ever found out the truth (otherwise they are apolitical). This faction of the Shattered Moon loves to take over cleared dungeons as bases, securing and making boltholes lycanthropes would struggle to penetrate. Thus the party can sell dungeons they liberate to them, or join up and rank up over time. Iobarians and those against Iobarians will thus be significant.
Damn. That is a truly aweinspiring peace of work there. Kudos - I'm definitely going to be stealing some of that for my KM campaign. While I love playing around with nobles and politics, I've never put together something this detailed, on so many different houses - I tend to just make things up as I go along. This is definitely something I can use. Yeah, definitely saves time for others there.
Quite impressed with your work, and will read through the whole document soon. This stands as a definitely useful resource, puts plenty in one place, and I can see what you have focused upon (Investors in the PC kingdom was nice). I too was a little unsatisfied with the lore, and have been building up more for monster realms, fallen Dwarven kingdoms, and the Iobarian and lycanthrope connections. More factions as well gives more connections to pcs and something more for them to dominate or work with later. Brunderton as well I think should be more connected to the setting, and I made another small Brevoyan settler town, NE of Restov. Most impressive. You have saved me time for the two groups I will be running through Kingmaker and smaller adventures, and I can build upon this.
As I head back to Kingmaker and prepare to run it, I was looking for an alternate picture of Jamandi. This is perfect, all those sashes and items will fit a description emphasising her experience, magic item repertoire, that she can fight, but is hiding plenty about her true power and past.
3 is excellent, and I will steal it. Gifts are a perfect opportunity for surveillance and casting spells through them as well. If the pcs (I have two parties) work out what is going on, they will probably destroy them and seek more of the gifts out. Tartuccio I will strengthen and make him an assassin (he poisons another npc party, starts fires, and so on). I don't like the Tartuk transformation, but Nyrissa trying to use Kobolds fits. Could give him Irovetti's hand mirror, which gives him a few illusion spells in the vein of the One Ring (as well as he is always being spied upon and influenced). Irovetti knows what's up (being both brave and smart in equal measure), and is patsying Tartuccio, turning him into a petty lordling and Irovetti is thus escaping the influence of the mirror. That then means when the players get a hold of it, I can give them all sorts of hints via feelings and glimpses... then they find another one later, and can realise the significance. They have, of course, attracted Nyrissa's attention by dealing with Tartuccio. Physical items can always serve to help a plot make sense.
Very nice. This is quite solid. I like the Medvyed deal. The choices may be a bit hard to make for indecisive parties, but they do have ways they can go. I would add more for Iobarians and Dwarves.
Good ideas. You probably don't want the players knowing everything and not being at all surprised. I also know that one of my players has finished kingmaker, so I don't want to just paint by the numbers for him either. I'm making Hargulka much more powerful, and a major player tied to at least some of the pcs (they were settlers that had to flee the advance of the trolls). Adding in some more enemy factions that could somewhat quickly be knocked over, and adding more allies or rival factions for the players to meet and perhaps join (rangers, wizards, etc). This gives them continue options if there is a tpk later on. Pitax will be more active, and there are plenty of posts on that (people have done the work). Something like Nyrissa you could really keep her in the background for longer, or change her up quite a bit. Oh, and the rival factions have secrets to unearth, and the wizards are indeed up to all sorts of chicanery, including harming other factions. Add some drama and novelty, and they will forget a bit about the main kingmaker plot, enough to be surprised later with what you do reveal from your hat.
just don't let them figure out you also dabble in necro.. I'm coming to running Kingmaker quite late (after playing, after finishing the pc version), so have had to delve into the forbidden knowledge of necromancy... only for my players of course.
Wouldn't they just be taken over by trolls? Jokes aside, I've got something for this, a minor faction in the Stolen Lands, the Taldorian Bridge Knights set up small camps and take over and repair old broken bridges, create new ones, and start small settlements under their protection. Putting these chivalric fellows in to add some more npcs, and give the players someone to attack/loot or work with early on. They don't grow like say Pitax, but if left to control the bridges, and bring in more settlers that they protect, they will create small strongholds. Then the players can deal with that if they ignore them, and perhaps annex them later. If the players did make some lovely bridges outside of their territory, or even far from their settlements if there are no patrols, I would roll whether the Taldorians or Trolls take them.
Could be an ogre's shortbow.
I just made a map of the Stolen Lands. I hope somebody here can find some use for it. Maybe print it out, put it on corkboard or foamboard, put some stickers and pins on it, etc. Still really good and clean.
Many places are perfect for prior kingdoms. I ran with the Brunderton dwarves being the refugees of a fallen kingdom. Going to use cyclops a bit more as well, expand Hargulka, and have a few hidden petty kingdoms growing along with the pcs.
Very nice ideas. I want my players to also realise spies are everywhere, and have them catch a few and see what they do.
Get elves and dwarves involved as well, like the Dwarves of nearby Brunderton. Added a fallen Dwarven empire in the area, and the refugees that left, but remember its glory. Kingmaker is about working with all sorts of groups, after all.
It is pretty cool Tal, I have been thinking of how to run the Swordlords (beyond Jamandi and her machinations). "I'd like to think about these sorts of things ahead of time because I'm planning to make Brevoy, the Aldori Swordlords, political machinations, and the impending civil war a significant part of my game, and that would help make the setting richer and the organization more believable." I am thinking the same. My game will take place after a failed attempt by a minor swordlord (and puppet of Jamandi) to take the Narlmarches. By sending the pcs in she sees it as getting back what was hers, securing another puppet under her influence. This gives the players a backer, makes the early parts make more sense in my mind, but also presents a choice later on whether they will always bow to mummy Aldori. Once they learn what she fully intends, and the loss of life that will come from civil war, they may turn on her (with consequences for the other swordlords and Brevoy).
Really like the idea of Pitax being strong, capable, and with hippogriff cavalry and all sorts of monsters to call upon. S T O L E N Did the bard win in any campaign? What did he do to the pcs and their domain?
A good idea. I am reminded of how the pc game did it, and that every character seemed to have a way to contribute to the kingdom, and pass the checks that fit their class and ability scores. It needs to be smooth, and they need to be able to succeed. May also consider failing forward if they really struggle (they do get a positive outcome, but some negatives as well).
Helpful, something needed that then impresses them, roll for their interest in the pc (d20, rolled a 2, "I just see you as a friend"), and modify the check needed (whatever you go for), then they shoot their shot and win or die. Try for a, less is more approach. A sly wink, staying together at the inn, roll for heirs (someone has to get all these hexes some day).
Yeah play with the timeline. Have fun.
I like it. Thought has gone into it. For dense areas, may want to have searching take longer to be thorough.
I would/will make some hexes take longer to explore and search. Swamps, some mountains, hills to tucked away vales, absolutely dense forest, or deltas like Hooktongue. Could double the xp for the hard work.
It's pretty old to have a stable of characters, or at least a backup party, going back to AD&D 1st ed at the very least. I had a player ask me about this for our next Kingmaker game after a TPK last week. It could definitely work, and in a Star Wars game I am running everyone else has rolled up and introduced a second character so we can cover skills and areas. In Kingmaker there is so much to do, and if one is their major character and one the minor they have near endless possibilities to help the fledgling nation. Explore and intrigue definitely is possible. Combat wombat and courtier, etc.
I've gone and got a different map, and done a bit of work on what is beyond the borders (to keep it straight in my mind). Depending on how far the pcs roam, Brevoy may be really important, and so good maps are necessary. Brunderton, for instance, may matter to players running Dwarves. If you want to expand the east a bit and add threats there you will need to sort your maps out.
So my party had just finished the Stolen Lands and have earned their own nation after dealing the badguy. We are just about to start our first kingdom turn next session and I was wondering how I should handle Varnhold and Drelev. I want to make it seem like the other two baronies are growing as well but not too much to make them infringe on the pcs. Any advice on how to handle them? I'm starting my two groups a bit later in the timeline. The "first" group has already been sent to the Kamelands and Narlmarches, and lose to Hargulka with trolls and hydras (taken from the random encounters in the video game) finishing off the settlement. That was just under two years ago. Varnhold had its disappearance one year ago, and the scouting party also didn't come back six months ago, leaving Jamandi Aldori very unhappy. She organises multiple adventuring groups, and sends them in. Drop the competitors early I say, or make it a mystery. Having the players be part of a new batch (of fodder) can help them not be overshadowed. If any of the others fall or go missing, the players can swoop in, save the day, and work out how they are going to coordinate far flung territories, or turn them over to some other faction (or faith) to take care of until they are ready to absorb them.
It's packed, and the npcs and really nice border art stand out.
Still pretty useful, I appreciate the player resources in the back. The Brevoy map is missing Brunderton. If the players were connected to the Dwarves there, you would want to give them a different Brevoy map though.
Starting as a bandit can always be good for rp as well. "I'm innocent, I swear!" |