At the center of the Fallen Duchy lie the ruins of Chordille Keep (which itself provides entrance to Dragon's Delve). This ruin offers no intact structures—only vine-grasped piles of stones, overgrown outlines of foundations, and the furtive hint of walls and arches. The entrance to the dungeon itself is little more than a twenty-foot wide open pit with an exposed stone stair that descends into darkness. Various explorers and treasure seekers have left the entrance well-cleared. Likewise, the observant adventurer may notice the remnants of cooking fires and other signs that previous delvers have made camp near this pit.
You head down the stairs, and the air becomes stale quickly. The stairs, the walls, and the ceilings 15 feet above your head are made of masonry stone. At the foot of the stairs lies a platform with three further descending staircases—one heading north, one east, and one west.
Also, as we begin, you can each make a Knowledge (local) or Diplomacy check to gather information from the town about the dungeon.
Maybe you first heard the name in a tavern well after closing time, as two old adventurers, well past their prime, spoke of it in hushed tones. Maybe it was from your own mother, who swore she'd send you there when you misbehaved. Perhaps you read the name in an ancient tome of history and lore illuminated by flickering candlelight late at night as the wind howled outside. Wherever you first heard of the place, you have long heard tales of Dragon's Delve.
A vast underground dungeon of labyrinths and catacombs, built perhaps by dwarves or perhaps by wizards—or maybe even dragons—Dragon's Delve is infamous among treasure-hunters and monster-slayers. Filled with deadly danger and ancient treasures, the dungeon offers both risk and reward in equal amounts, each growing more intense the deeper one goes. How much peril is worth risking for how much return? It's all up to those brave enough to try.
The tales of Dragon's Delve teem with contradictions and unbelievable anecdotes of impossible encounters and bizarre monstrosities. And yet, some of it all must be true. Do demonic cultists really use Dragon's Delve as a secret base? Is there truly some kind of ambient magic seeping up through the place? Did wizards of old hoard away powerful artifacts in the dungeon's vaults? Do gateways to remote lands and even other planes of existence really lie somewhere in Dragon's Delve? Does the prince of all dragonkind really hold court in the deepest reaches of the subterranean stronghold? No one knows for certain, but those that could find the answers to even some of these questions, or learn even a few of the dungeon's other secrets, might earn for themselves notoriety and wealth beyond imagining.
If they survive.
Dragon's Delve lies in a remote corner of a long-forsaken wilderness that people once called the Duchy of Chordille. Yet a hundred years ago or so, the folk of the surrounding lands took up arms against Chordille. They razed the keep and slew the duke. It's hard now to find someone who knows the real reason why this happened. A few speak of evil intent on the part of the duke, who had plans for conquest. Others, however, say that the duke's actions were always benevolent, and that the conflict arose from misunderstanding, or perhaps deception on the part of some mysterious third party.
All that is known for certain is that folks call that remote realm the Fallen Duchy. It boasts no ruler and little population. Wilderness reclaimed Chordille, and it is now a land of dangers.
People in Brindenford, a small town just two miles to the north, claim that murderous humanoid creatures prowl those ruins. Goblins? Orcs? Worse? No one seems to know for sure, and eyewitness accounts are few, and always contradictory. They also claim that the place is both haunted and cursed.
So many questions. So many secrets.
If you dare to brave this ancient dungeon, go well equipped. Be ready for anything. Keep your eyes open, and search everywhere. Any passage or door you find could lead to wealth enough for you to retire. Or it could lead to certain doom.
But that's what being an adventurer is all about, right? This isn't an undertaking that you'll finish in one foray or even a dozen. This is the challenge of a lifetime. As someone thrilled at the prospect of exploring the unknown, incredible challenges, and the promise of gold and magic, Dragon's Delve is exactly where you've always wanted to go.
Campaign Expectations:
This is a dungeon campaign—plain and simple. If that's not what you're interested in, then this isn't the campaign for you. Now, that's not to say that this is simply a slog through a dungeon with only combat and nothing else—the people at DungeonADay.com did an excellent job creating this dungeon, and it's incredibly fun. Even so, it's still a dungeon and that's what characters should be prepared for.
Take a look here to see some of the assumptions you should make as you prepare for this campaign.
Player/GM Expectations:
Based on my other PbP participation, I can say that posting from me will likely be once or twice a day on the weekdays, and probably once over a weekend. I'm currently in the midst of planning and participating in a national bus tour over the next academic year, so there may be times that I have to pause the action for a few days at a time, but that shouldn't be too often. I would ask that others are able to make the same posting commitment that I will make.
I would describe myself as someone who likes a good mix of roleplay and rollplay, and my games tend to reflect that. I like posts that are well-described and not too short, but I also like those posts to be backed up by solid mechanics. I am a relatively lenient GM, however, and reward creative and reasonable solutions to problems.
Character motivation:
Because of the nature of this campaign, I don't need huge backgrounds. It doesn't take place in Golarion, so backgrounds should not be tied to that campaign setting.
More important than the background is motivation. Why are you going to the town of Brindenford so that you can explore the nearby Dragon's Delve? Why does your character (or a character of your class) want to dungeon delve? Are you a wizard who seeks knowledge of the dungeon? Are you a rogue who simply wants to collect as much treasure as possible? Are you a criminal on the run who needs a place to hide, and a dungeon seems like as good a place as any? Are you an alchemist who is looking for new and varied ingredients for his creations and wants to explore, looking for them? Any number of motivations will work, but it must be a strong motivation.
I'm looking for motivation that is not sated easily. Don't make it too specific, or once you succeed on your goal, you'll want to leave. This is a large dungeon, so make characters that want to explore the whole dungeon.
I'm also looking for characters that are well-suited for a dungeon. These are dungeon delvers, so feel free to use traits, feats, archetypes, etc. that align with that. This is a difficult dungeon, so some level of optimization will be needed.
Character creation specifics:
Ability Scores: 20-point buy
Classes: All Paizo classes are available, including playtest classes. 3rd party classes will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis. I'll be upfront about my feelings about these, so if I approve a 3rd party class, don't feel like it hurts your application—if I don't like it, I won't allow it.
Races: Dungeon delving is a perfect opportunity to allow odd races, so any Paizo race is allowed (as long as it doesn't have racial hit dice).
Sources: Any Paizo product is allowed, but please link each option you choose to the applicable d20pfsrd.com page.
Hit Points: Since this is a dungeon, and characters dying all the time isn't that fun, we're going to do something a little different here. You'll start with 2 full HD worth of hit points. So, if you're a barbarian, that means you'll start with 24 HP + Con + Favored Class. When you reach 2nd level, you won't get any new HP. When you reach 3rd level, you'll roll for HP, with a minimum of 1/2 HD+1 at each level. This doesn't meant that you count as having 2 HD at first level. You're still 1 HD characters until 2nd level. Starting Wealth: Max wealth for your class.
Traits: Two traits from any Paizo source
If you're interested, please provide a full character sheet/stat block and a motivation spoiler tab in an alias. I'm not going to set a deadline for recruitment yet, so please just start posting characters!
Purely hypothetically, I think it would be interesting to create a campaign that spanned all of Golarion and could utilize all of the awesome work that the Paizo staff has put into creating this world. Perhaps this would be a way to introduce the world to players.
So, my question is: how would you do it? Would you do a glorified scavenger hunt across the world? Would you have a party that wanted to rule all of Golarion and thus set about infiltrating the governments of each country?
The sun rises over the quiet, coastal town of Sandpoint in Varisia in the middle of springtime. Life is relatively normal in Sandpoint, except for a recent string of rather aggressive goblin attacks in the surrounding areas.
Because of this, and because the city watch can't afford to send patrols into the trackless Brinestump Marsh, Sheriff Belor Hemlock has restored Sandpoint's old "goblin bounty" after a few years of inactivity. The town of Sandpoint will pay 10 gp for every relatively fresh goblin ear delivered to the town hall—with an additional reward of 300 gp for the
group who can bring in the head of the leader of the Licktoad goblins (the tribe making the recent attacks), Chief Gutwad.
Sheriff Hemlock invited those interested to meet him at the Rusty Dragon for a bit of advice and marching orders. Eight adventurers have arrived, yet the sheriff is so far a no-show.
For whatever reason, you've each come to the Rusty Dragon to hear about the "goblin bounty." Feel free to roleplay and starting meeting each other!
A mission to rid the small town of Sandpoint from a recent goblin menace gets turned on its head when the PCs discover that they are not the only ones seeking the goblins. An outcast of the Licktoad goblin tribe has recently discovered a chest containing a scroll and an old and battered tome entitled "The Stones of the Ancients," and other factions seek to steal this chest and its contents.
The book contains a myth about the Stones of the Ancients, a set of gems that, when brought together and activated through an arcane ritual, gives the bearer of the stones unfathomable magical abilities far exceeding those of any living being.
For the sake of the world, and led by an old hermit who has made his home in the Brinestump marsh, the PCs must find the goblin outcast before setting out on a journey across Golarion in search of the Stones of the Ancients. In dungeons deep, in lost cities, or around the necks of ignorant nobles, the PCs must compete with other factions to find the stones and keep such power from reaching the wrong hands.
The Details:
"The Stones of the Ancients" is a part-homebrew/part-AP/Module combination that takes players all across Golarion. Somewhat like an epic scavenger hunt with dire consequences, the PCs will research, investigate, and infiltrate locations across Golarion in search of 20 gems that have been forgotten for ages. Groups from around the world (Hellknights, Aspis Consortium members, Pathfinders, etc.) are searching as well, and must be dealt with in any way the PCs feel is necessary. Only once the PCs find all 20 stones and activate them (or destroy them) using the correct arcane ritual will the world finally be safe from the power of the stones.
The story will begin as the PCs set out into Brinestump marsh in search of the Licktoad goblin tribe, before they have any idea about the Stones of the Ancients.
The Motivation:
"The Stones of the Ancients" is a campaign I came up with based primarily on my love of the published adventures produced by Paizo and other 3rd party publishers, and also my regret that I have neither the time nor the group of players to run them all.
This adventure will use sections from Pathfinder APs, modules, and Pathfinder Society scenarios, along with adventures from Dungeon magazine and adventures from other 3rd party products (like Razor Coast, Rappan Athuk, and Dragon's Delve from dungeonaday.com). There are so many great products out there, and this is the best way I've come up with to get good use out of them.
Expectations:
Based on my other PbP participation, I can say that posting from me will likely be once or twice a day on the weekdays, and probably once over a weekend. I'm currently in the midst of planning and participating in a national bus tour over the next academic year, so there may be times that I have to pause the action for a few days at a time, but that shouldn't be too often. I would ask that others are able to make the same posting commitment that I will make.
I would describe myself as someone who likes a good mix of roleplay and rollplay, and my games tend to reflect that. I like posts that are well-described and not too short, but I also like those posts to be backed up by solid mechanics. I am a relatively lenient GM, however, and reward creative and reasonable solutions to problems.
Character creation:
If you've made it this far, you're ready to build a character. I have some more specific formatting stipulations for those that are selected, but for now, here's what I'd like from characters—An alias with three spoilers in the About section of the profile: one with a full first-level character sheet, one with a background that ties in your reason for being in Sandpoint, your reason for being the class you choose, and other interesting things about yourself that are reflected in the mechanics of your character, and the third with a physical description and personality description of your character. Submissions that don't follow these guidelines will not be considered (unless you provide a good reason for not following them).
Though this is not a Pathfinder Society game by any means, we'll use Pathfinder Society rules for character creation, with a few exceptions. Any class/archetype is available for use, and all races listed as "Featured Races" are available for use. Please let me know if you have any further questions about character creation.
I haven't set a final date for submissions (I'd like to see how much interest there is), so please feel free to start posting and submitting characters!
As the sun rises over Falcon's Hollow, a small town in the nation of Andoran, on Rova 2, 4713 in Golarion, the birds begin to chirp and a few people around town begin to stir. The bright light of the sun glistens off of Diamond Lake, and not a cloud can be seen overhead.
Unfortunately for the residents of Falcon's Hollow, the sunshine does not ensure good fortune, and the current days are harder even than those most in the town are used to. The hacking coughs of the sick are heard throughout town—the plague has come to Falcon's Hollow.
Each of you wake in your respective places of rest (wherever they may be—the local inn called Jak'a'Napes may be the best place for travelers). What would you like to do?
Perched at the edge of civilized lands, the small town of Falcon's Hollow on the edge of Diamond Lake has always had to rely on itself to solve its problems. Meanwhile, the uncaring lumber barons and the equally uncaring mine managers squeeze the common folk for every last copper, deaf to their pleas. Now the hacking coughs of the sick are heard throughout town. The plague has come to Falcon's Hollow and the town's leaders can't be bothered to stop it.
But the plague isn't the only concern in the small town near Diamond Lake. Kobold sightings have increased over recent months, a cause of great concern for some. Both more secret and more dire, however, are rumors of strange undead creatures infested with tiny green worms stalking the hills south of Falcon's Hollow.
Those familiar with Paizo’s products will easily be able to pick up seeds from description that reveal what the nature of the campaign will be, but hopefully some shred of mystery remains. Though it starts off fairly simple and “small-town,” it will eventually lead to world-changing events.
I am looking for a larger group of PCs (size will depend on interest, but I’m open to any number from 5-8) for a long-term campaign utilizing a few different story arcs from Paizo, along with a few other stand-alone modules inserted as well.
This game will be based on the Pathfinder RPG rules system, and will also utilize some of the systems from Ultimate Campaign and Mythic Adventures. I’d like this to be roleplay heavy, which actually gives some posting flexibility. I would expect 4-5 posts during the week and 1 on the weekend during times with roleplaying, and a bit more often during combat. As usual, there will be times when people can’t post as often, and as long as everyone is open about this, we’ll make it work.
Character Creation:
To keep things simple, we’re going to use PFS rules for character creation (though I may be open to allowing some things which are banned in PFS—check with me first). That’s a 20-point buy, 2 traits, full HP at first level, 150 starting gold, etc. Again, feel free to ask if you have questions about this.
As for background, your character needs both a tie to the well being of the Falcon’s Hollow/Diamond Lake region (live there, have family or friends who live there, etc.) and also a reason to want to leave. This campaign will be heavily tied to the area, but will also definitely leave it for bigger things. If you’re not familiar with the region, come up with a background that ties you to a small town based around both lumber mills and mining, and I’ll work with you to flesh out the specifics.
I hope I’ve answered most of the initial questions, and I’m very excited about this campaign. I hope others are as well!
You have been tasked with exploring a tower that recently collapsed near town. You know little about the tower, except that kobolds are in some way connected to the collapse, and that the town's local, eccentric wizard, who lived near the tower, has gone missing as well.
If you would like to make any last-minute preparations, or ask any questions, now is the time.
This will be a five-area playtest, and so you should prepare/conserve your resources accordingly.
You have been tasked with exploring a tower that recently collapsed near town. You know little about the tower, except that kobolds are in some way connected to the collapse, and that the town's local, eccentric wizard, who lived near the tower, has gone missing as well.
If you would like to make any last-minute preparations, or ask any questions, now is the time.
This will be a five-area playtest, and so you should prepare/conserve your resources accordingly.
Has anybody adapted any of these to fit into Golarion (besides the Dungeon Adventure Paths)? If not, what are some favorite adventures, and where would they fit into Golarion?
I'm thinking about starting a blog that does in-depth reviews of published adventures (Paizo and otherwise). One of the major aspects of the reviews would be playtested encounters.
To go about this, I would like to create a playtesters guild. I would be looking for one character per class (with potentially a multiclassed character as well) who I would then put into parties of five. These parties would be strategically created to test various strengths and weaknesses in encounters.
From there, I would present short, four-encounter playtests to the groups. We would run through the encounters in a PbP format, and then I would ask for feedback on them. This feedback would then be incorporated into the reviews of the modules, APs, etc. This does not have to be a rigorous or demanding process, and I would ask that someone be able to post 5 or so times per week when a playtest was being run.
If there is enough interest, I'll put up more specific character creation rules, but so that people know what they'd be signing up for, I would ask that people have their character leveled from 1-20. This way, we would be able to playtest adventures of any level without having to worry about character creation after the beginning. When submitting characters for consideration, I would ask that people submit only a few levels of creation (potentially 1st, 7th, 12th, etc.).
Please post on here if this sounds intriguing, and we can go from there!
I've been toying with a somewhat crazy idea—would it be possible to combine all of the existing GameMastery/Pathfinder Modules (up to the release of Dragon's Demand in the new format)into one, cohesive campaign?
Now, before asking for advice, I should say that I am aware of these things:
1. Experience points will be way out of whack. This doesn't really bother me, and I've come up with a number of ways to work around that.
2. Many of the locations, the motivations, and even the enemies in the modules will have to be changed, but that's the point, and part of the fun. I would like to keep it set in Golarion, however.
3. This is potentially impractical to actually run with a group, but again, this is okay. Maybe it's just a thought-experiment. Maybe not.
4. Multiple story arcs will likely have to be mixed together to make a cohesive campaign. Not every module has to apply to the main story plot (or maybe there will just be more than one main story plot).
5. Some recurring arcs already exist: The Falcon's Hollow arc, the Crypt of the Everflame/Masks of the Living God/City of Golden Death arc, the Last Baron arc, etc. These can be utilized or ignored, depending on what works.
So, Pathfinder community, I would like your help. From those who have more experience with the modules (I'm still reading through them all), which do you find fit well together? Which have villains that can be used as the villains of other modules? Plots that can be intertwined?
General advice is great, module-specific is even better. I think with a lot of brainstorming, we could come up with a rather cohesive plot that includes all of the modules Paizo has released up to this point.
I've been toying with a somewhat crazy idea—would it be possible to combine all of the existing GameMastery/Pathfinder Modules (up to the release of Dragon's Demand in the new format)into one, cohesive campaign?
Now, before asking for advice, I should say that I am aware of these things:
1. Experience points will be way out of whack. This doesn't really bother me, and I've come up with a number of ways to work around that.
2. Many of the locations, the motivations, and even the enemies in the modules will have to be changed, but that's the point, and part of the fun. I would like to keep it set in Golarion, however.
3. This is potentially impractical to actually run with a group, but again, this is okay. Maybe it's just a thought-experiment. Maybe not.
4. Multiple story arcs will likely have to be mixed together to make a cohesive campaign. Not every module has to apply to the main story plot (or maybe there will just be more than one main story plot).
5. Some recurring arcs already exist: The Falcon's Hollow arc, the Crypt of the Everflame/Masks of the Living God/City of Golden Death arc, the Last Baron arc, etc. These can be utilized or ignored, depending on what works.
So, Pathfinder community, I would like your help. From those who have more experience with the modules (I'm still reading through them all), which do you find fit well together? Which have villains that can be used as the villains of other modules? Plots that can be intertwined?
General advice is great, module-specific is even better. I think with a lot of brainstorming, we could come up with a rather cohesive plot that includes all of the modules Paizo has released up to this point.
I've been toying with a somewhat crazy idea—would it be possible to combine all of the existing GameMastery/Pathfinder Modules (up to the release of Dragon's Demand in the new format)into one, cohesive campaign?
Now, before asking for advice, I should say that I am aware of these things:
1. Experience points will be way out of whack. This doesn't really bother me, and I've come up with a number of ways to work around that.
2. Many of the locations, the motivations, and even the enemies in the modules will have to be changed, but that's the point, and part of the fun. I would like to keep it set in Golarion, however.
3. This is potentially impractical to actually run with a group, but again, this is okay. Maybe it's just a thought-experiment. Maybe not.
4. Multiple story arcs will likely have to be mixed together to make a cohesive campaign. Not every module has to apply to the main story plot (or maybe there will just be more than one main story plot).
5. Some recurring arcs already exist: The Falcon's Hollow arc, the Crypt of the Everflame/Masks of the Living God/City of Golden Death arc, the Last Baron arc, etc. These can be utilized or ignored, depending on what works.
So, Pathfinder community, I would like your help. From those who have more experience with the modules (I'm still reading through them all), which do you find fit well together? Which have villains that can be used as the villains of other modules? Plots that can be intertwined?
General advice is great, module-specific is even better. I think with a lot of brainstorming, we could come up with a rather cohesive plot that includes all of the modules Paizo has released up to this point.
