If Tosho doesn't post soon I'm just going to assume he's not going to show up and continue the game you five.
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Even with the cobblestones of Argent Avenue and the foliage of Aria Park still wet from the morning’s light rain, dozens of Kintargans have gathered along the facade of the opera house to protest the city’s new lord-mayor, Paracount Barzillai Thrune. The city’s new leader was appointed by Her Infernal Majestrix, Queen Abrogail II, in the wake of the previous lord-mayor’s sudden flight from the city—an event that still has local rumormongers whispering furiously. In a scant seven days, Paracount Thrune has instituted martial law, a curfew, and seven outlandish and polarizing proclamations. These actions and more have called many of Kintargo’s dissatisfied citizens here on this overcast morn. There’s been no sign yet of Barzillai Thrune himself, and the opera house’s doors remain tightly closed—as they have since the man chose the landmark as his new home—but judging by the growing sound of the protesters, he surely can’t ignore the scene on the streets below much longer.
Happy Fourth of July people. Unless you're British, then I'm sorry for your loss. I should also mention it be nice if you put a definite age on your characters, it might be irrelevant but there is a possibility that your characters will shift in age category so it'd be nice for me to know.
The rebellion begins! The city of Kintargo has long been a safe haven for artists, freethinkers, and those marginalized by the oppressive Chelish government, but now the city has been placed under martial law by inquisitor Barzillai Thrune. When a protest turns into a riot, a new group of heroes comes together to form an organized resistance against the devil-binding government and the church of Asmodeus—but can they survive long enough to establish allies? Or will they become the latest victims of the Thrice-Damned House of Thrune? And would that really be a bad thing? Hello and welcome to Hell's Vile Rebels. Where you will lead a rebellion against hell, for evil! "But shouldn't we be rebelling against Hell because we're good?" Well I'm glad you asked random Strawman that I just made up. Yes you should be rebelling against Hell because you're the good guys, but you aren't. You see I originally wanted you to be evil in an adventure against the Iron Gods—for obvious reasons if you know the story—but that just seems so bland. I considered Serpents Skull but that doesn't really add much of anything there. Kingmaker? Skull and Shackles? Those are sandboxes, you could already be evil in those without many problems. No, it needed to be something where you're expected to be the good guy. And I came to two options: Hell's Rebels and Wrath of the righteous, but the problem with Wrath was that it's so expecting of you to be the good guy that actually easier to just rewrite the entire campaign. No. It had to be the Hell's Rebels campaign, where you could be any form of evil and it wouldn't break the story as long as I was careful with it. After all Asmodeus is the lord of ambition. There is a god of secrets and lies. and demon worshippers can be found anywhere. So here we are, the expectedly good campaign where you actually play the bad guy. It's time to be evil, dastardly villains and take over an entire city right under a hell damn empire. But here's the catch Strawman; you have to pretend to be the good guy. That's right, you have to gather a couple of evil to call your own, while leading a righteous rebellion, while pretending to be regular citizens under an evil government. Naturally gathering a secret cabal of evil while pretending to be good guys rebelling against an evil government might seem intimidating to fledgling villains such as yourself, but don't worry, it's not nearly as bad as it could be. All of the good guys who could see you for the evil that you are, are currently unaccounted for. And everyone who's evil is in such a position of power that you are nothing more than a mere insect to them. So go forth Strawman! gather new allies and together you may become the sinister power in the shadows that all should rightly fear. And know this, no matter what you do, no matter how hard you try, you will inevitably further my own design. I highly recommend looking into the Hell's Rebels and Hell's Vengeance player's guides for inspiration on how to make your characters. Character Builds: - 20 point buy.
- HP after first level is roll your hit dice or half plus one, whichever is higher. - Knowledge of the adventure is not a disqualifier for character submission. - Background skills are in effect. - 2 traits. - Max starting gold. - No good alignment. - No third-party content and Feat Tax is not in use. It would require me to go in and edit a bunch of stat blocks for characters which defeats the purpose of a pre-written adventure. - A completed character sheet is in no way required, I constantly ask if I can just submit a character backstory without a character sheet and I am not going to demand more from anyone else.
In the kingdom of Talingarde, many crimes may send you to Branderscar Prison, but the sentence has but one meaning. You are wicked and irredeemable. Each of you received the same greeting when you arrived. You were held down by rough hands and branded upon the arm with a runic F. The mark signifies ‘forsaken’ and the painful scar is indelible proof that each of you has betrayed the great and eternal love of Mitra and his chosen mortal vassals. Condemned, you face at best a life of shackles and servitude in the nearby salt mines. Others might await the “gentle” ministrations of the inquisitors so that co-conspirators may be revealed and confessions extracted. Perhaps, some of you will be spared this ordeal. Perhaps instead you have come to Branderscar to face the final judgment. In three days, the executioner arrives and the axe falls or the pyre will be lit. Through fire or steel, your crimes will be answered. You have all been chained together in the same communal cell dressed
Escape seems hopeless. You have all been well searched and every attempt to conceal anything on your person has failed. And if you could somehow slip your bonds and fly out of this prison, where would you go? Who from your former life would want anything to do with the forsaken? Despised, alone and shackled – all that you can do now is await your doom. For each of you, your old life is over. For each of you, hope is a fading memory. For each of you, justice will be fairly meted. And who can blame fair Talingarde after what each of you has done?
Guilty. You are a lawbreaker – the worst of the worst. Too dangerous to live amongst the good people of Talingarde, they dragged you in chains before a magistrate and condemned you. They sent you to the worst prison in the land and there they forever marked you. They held you down and branded you with a runic F. You are forsaken. You won’t be at Branderscar Prison for long. Branderscar is only a holding pen. In three days – justice comes. In three days – everything ends. What a pity. If only there was a way out of this stinking rat-hole. If only there was a way to escape. If only… No. No one has ever escaped from Branderscar Prison. This is where your story ends. How to Make a Villain:
Everything you need is in the free preview from Pages 24 to 29. You're not allowed to use gunslingers, ninjas, or samurai. You are only allowed to use the core races, aasimar, fetchlings, tieflings, and dampires. Focus and Foible or 25 point buy. HP after first level is roll your hit dice or half plus one, whichever is higher.
Knowledge of the adventure is not a disqualifier for character submission. The only player information that I feel I need to add is that wizards and monks don't have any specialized schools in Talingarde so they are either self-taught or had to learn from whoever was willing to teach them. Background skills will see limited use but are in effect. The only trait you're allowed is the crime you have committed, you'll receive plenty of power ups later. No third-party content and Feat Tax is not in use. It would require me to go in and edit a bunch of stat blocks for characters which defeats the purpose of a pre-written adventure. A completed character sheet is in no way required, I constantly ask if I can just submit a character backstory without a character sheet and I am not going to demand more from anyone else. Common Knowledge:
Here are thirteen things everyone knows about the
kingdom of Talingarde. 1. Talingarde is an island. It is about the size of England in the real world. It is an isolated place far from any other nations and outsiders are something of a rarity. In the south it enjoys a temperate clime, but the north of the island is quite cold and often blanketed with snow. Most people avoid this part of the island because it is populated by monsters. 2. Talingarde is a lawful good nation. Talingarde is a place of law and order. Violations of the law are punished severely but fairly. Talingarde is also a place that reveres the ideals of goodness. Clergy tend to the sick, often for no pay. Knights seek to protect the weak. Paladins are fabled individuals often featured in stories and songs. Talingarde might be, in all the world, the nation most committed ot the ideals of law and good. 3. Talingarde is a monarchy. It is ruled by good kingMarkadian V called the Brave. Markadian is a much beloved ruler from a well established royal family known as the House of Darius. 4. The King has no son. He does however have a daughter, the beautiful princess Bellinda who is twenty years old and still unmarried. The king and the princess are the only full-blooded members of the royal family, though they have lots and lots of cousins and more distant family. The King’s wife Lucinda died in child birth and he has never remarried. 5. The Victor was the first Darian king. Markadian V is actually the great grandson of Markadian I called the Victor who established the House of Darius and defeated the former royal house, the House of Barca, at Battle of Tamberlyn. The Victor remains beloved in Talingarde even decades after his death and you still see statues of him everywhere. 6. The only god you are allowed to worship in Talingarde is Mitra. Once other gods were worshipped, but that all came to an end under the House of Darius. Worship of Asmodeus, arch-enemy of Mitra, is outlawed and punishable by death by burning. Worshipping other non-evil gods is technically allowed but highly discouraged and very rarely seen. 7. Mitra is the Lord of Light. Mitra is the god of light, healing, goodness and leadership. He is usually depicted as having three aspects – a king, a healer or a living flame. Mitra is benevolent god and the arch-enemy of the First
8. The Church of Mitra is everywhere. No town in Talingarde lacks a church of Mitra. The priests are almost always important men in their community. The second most powerful man in the kingdom is the High Cardinal of the Church, Vitallian of Estyllis. There word is not law but it is heard and respected and ignored only infrequently. The House of Darius and the Church of Mitra are allies dedicated to keeping Talingarde the bastion of goodness, law and Mitran devotion that it is today. 9. Asmodeus is the enemy of Mitra and Talingarde. Only one faith is banned and punishable by death within the kingdom of Talingarde – the faith of the devil-god Asmodeus, the lord of the Nine Hells. Before the House of Darius rose, Asmodeus was part of the pantheon of Talingarde. Asmodeus was not loved, but he was feared and respected alongside the other gods. Markadian IV called the Zealot outlawed the faith and unleashed the Inquisition against it. In the Asmodean Purges of the twenty years ago, every temple and high priest of Asmodeus was burned. The Temple of Asmodeus never recovered. 10. Talingarde is defended by the Knights of the Alerion. The Knights are a storied and legendary order of warriors who uphold the right, protect the weak and work to see justice done. They are a religious order and everyone has sworn oaths to Mitra. Uniquely, they are not all nobles. Even those of common blood may become a knight if they are deemed worthy. Not every Knight is a paladin, but their order has produced more paladins than any other. 11. Talingarde has six regions. The Island of Talingarde has six parts – The Cambrian Ports, The Heartland, the Borderlands, the Caer Bryr, the Savage North and the Lands of the Yutak. The Cambrian Ports are the three large cities of Talingarde that sit upon the Bay of Cambria. The Heartland is the farms and rural parts of Talingarde. The Borderlands are the northern reaches of the kingdom protected by the Watch Wall. The Caer Bryr
12. Talingarde is protected by the Watch Wall. Twelve fortresses mark the northern border of the kingdom of Talingarde. These fortresses control every point of access from the Savage North and defend the land from incursion by the bugbears and other monsters that live there. Markadian V called the Brave earned that name defending the Watch Wall. 13. Talingarde is at peace. But will it last? The races of Talingarde:
Humans make up the majority on Talingarde with a significant portion of half-elves in positions of power as well. There's also a sizable dwarf population in the mountains.
Any other race is too small or spread out to really have much of a presence in any one area that has any effect on your allowed character creation. Good advice to consider:
1) The whole setting is out to get you. Plan accordingly. The first five levels or so rely heavily on infiltration tactics, so playing a stupid brute who can't stumble their way through a bluff or disguise check is liable to get the whole party in a bad way. The AP provides you with tools to help make these things easier, but it absolutely will punish the usual flashy, in-your-face murderhobo PC approach. Anyone wanting to play a martial character will get a lot of mileage out of dipping into Vigilante for a level or two. Dual Identity is a lot more useful in this game than most others.
2) Be Asmodean, or at least be completely willing to swear yourself to the service of Asmodeus. That's one of the big plot hooks of the game. Don't fight it. Yes, it's a bit of a railroad, but it is also the central unifying plot of the whole story. Don't be the person trying to fight against the intended narrative. No one likes that person. (Remember that there are lots of Infernal Dukes who serve Asmodeus but offer different themes and domains) 3) This is a game for characters like The Operative (from Serenity) or Darth Vader characters. It is not a game for The Joker or Buffalo Bill (from Silence of the Lambs). Don't be the person to randomly go off the rails or try to squick everyone out. 4) Don't expect a lot of downtime. There are travel sequences between story arcs, but besides that you are going to be on a time crunch nearly every step of the way. Crafting feats will be limited in use unless you can figure out a way to craft while the rest of the party is resting or something. This is a recruitment for a restart to a already running campaign. Due to a series of unfortunate events I was brought down to only two players. I'm not going to tell you what their classes are or why the other characters left the campaign. I don't want anyone feeling that they aren't allowed to submit a certain character and you don't need to know. This recruitment is open until June 20th. 
Let me paint this scenario. My group and I were tasked with judging and sentencing a criminal alleged of theft. This criminal had been caught and punished twice in the past and this was the third time it happened. Now in order to try and figure out the truth are inquisitor prepared several Zone of Truth spells. (I'm sure you can already see the problem.) When the spell was cast are inquisitor wanted to know if the spell was effective or not and our GM allowed it because when single-target spells are cast on someone you can tell if they're effective or not even if the spell doesn't have any visible way to tell if it worked. My argument was that since it's an area-of-effect spell you shouldn't be able to tell because you're not targeting one person you're targeting an area.
I should also mention it be nice if you put a definite age on your characters, it might be irrelevant but there is a possibility that your characters will shift in age category so it'd be nice for me to know.
In the kingdom of Talingarde, many crimes may send you to Branderscar Prison, but the sentence has but one meaning. You are wicked and irredeemable. Each of you received the same greeting when you arrived. You were held down by rough hands and branded upon the arm with a runic F. The mark signifies ‘forsaken’ and the painful scar is indelible proof that each of you has betrayed the great and eternal love of Mitra and his chosen mortal vassals. Condemned, you face at best a life of shackles and servitude in the nearby salt mines. Others might await the “gentle” ministrations of the inquisitors so that co-conspirators may be revealed and confessions extracted. Perhaps, some of you will be spared this ordeal. Perhaps instead you have come to Branderscar to face the final judgment. In three days, the executioner arrives and the axe falls or the pyre will be lit. Through fire or steel, your crimes will be answered. You have all been chained together in the same communal cell dressed
Escape seems hopeless. You have all been well searched and every attempt to conceal anything on your person has failed. And if you could somehow slip your bonds and fly out of this prison, where would you go? Who from your former life would want anything to do with the forsaken? Despised, alone and shackled – all that you can do now is await your doom. For each of you, your old life is over. For each of you, hope is a fading memory. For each of you, justice will be fairly meted. And who can blame fair Talingarde after what each of you has done?
Guilty. You are a lawbreaker – the worst of the worst. Too dangerous to live amongst the good people of Talingarde, they dragged you in chains before a magistrate and condemned you. They sent you to the worst prison in the land and there they forever marked you. They held you down and branded you with a runic F. You are forsaken. You won’t be at Branderscar Prison for long. Branderscar is only a holding pen. In three days – justice comes. In three days – everything ends. What a pity. If only there was a way out of this stinking rat-hole. If only there was a way to escape. If only… No. No one has ever escaped from Branderscar Prison. This is where your story ends. How to Make a Villain:
Everything you need is in the free preview from Pages 24 to 29. You're not allowed to use gunslingers, ninjas or samurai, and you are only allowed to use the core races, aasimar, fetchlings, tieflings, and dampires.
Focus and Foible or 25 point buy. The only player information that I feel I need to add is that wizards and monks don't really have any specialized schools in Talingarde so they are either self-taught or had to learn from whoever was willing to teach them. Background skills will see limited use but are in effect. The only trait you're allowed is the crime you have committed, you'll receive plenty of power ups later. Feat Tax is not in use. It would require me to go in and edit a bunch of stat blocks for characters which defeats the purpose of a pre-written adventure. Character submissions are open until the 18th of next month, that will give you 20 days to work on a character. Common Knowledge:
Here are thirteen things everyone knows about the
kingdom of Talingarde. 1. Talingarde is an island. It is about the size of England in the real world. It is an isolated place far from any other nations and outsiders are something of a rarity. In the south it enjoys a temperate clime, but the north of the island is quite cold and often blanketed with snow. Most people avoid this part of the island because it is populated by monsters. 2. Talingarde is a lawful good nation. Talingarde is a place of law and order. Violations of the law are punished severely but fairly. Talingarde is also a place that reveres the ideals of goodness. Clergy tend to the sick, often for no pay. Knights seek to protect the weak. Paladins are fabled individuals often featured in stories and songs. Talingarde might be, in all the world, the nation most committed ot the ideals of law and good. 3. Talingarde is a monarchy. It is ruled by good kingMarkadian V called the Brave. Markadian is a much beloved ruler from a well established royal family known as the House of Darius. 4. The King has no son. He does however have a daughter, the beautiful princess Bellinda who is twenty years old and still unmarried. The king and the princess are the only full-blooded members of the royal family, though they have lots and lots of cousins and more distant family. The King’s wife Lucinda died in child birth and he has never remarried. 5. The Victor was the first Darian king. Markadian V is actually the great grandson of Markadian I called the Victor who established the House of Darius and defeated the former royal house, the House of Barca, at Battle of Tamberlyn. The Victor remains beloved in Talingarde even decades after his death and you still see statues of him everywhere. 6. The only god you are allowed to worship in Talingarde is Mitra. Once other gods were worshipped, but that all came to an end under the House of Darius. Worship of Asmodeus, arch-enemy of Mitra, is outlawed and punishable by death by burning. Worshipping other non-evil gods is technically allowed but highly discouraged and very rarely seen. 7. Mitra is the Lord of Light. Mitra is the god of light, healing, goodness and leadership. He is usually depicted as having three aspects – a king, a healer or a living flame. Mitra is benevolent god and the arch-enemy of the First
8. The Church of Mitra is everywhere. No town in Talingarde lacks a church of Mitra. The priests are almost always important men in their community. The second most powerful man in the kingdom is the High Cardinal of the Church, Vitallian of Estyllis. There word is not law but it is heard and respected and ignored only infrequently. The House of Darius and the Church of Mitra are allies dedicated to keeping Talingarde the bastion of goodness, law and Mitran devotion that it is today. 9. Asmodeus is the enemy of Mitra and Talingarde. Only one faith is banned and punishable by death within the kingdom of Talingarde – the faith of the devil-god Asmodeus, the lord of the Nine Hells. Before the House of Darius rose, Asmodeus was part of the pantheon of Talingarde. Asmodeus was not loved, but he was feared and respected alongside the other gods. Markadian IV called the Zealot outlawed the faith and unleashed the Inquisition against it. In the Asmodean Purges of the twenty years ago, every temple and high priest of Asmodeus was burned. The Temple of Asmodeus never recovered. 10. Talingarde is defended by the Knights of the Alerion. The Knights are a storied and legendary order of warriors who uphold the right, protect the weak and work to see justice done. They are a religious order and everyone has sworn oaths to Mitra. Uniquely, they are not all nobles. Even those of common blood may become a knight if they are deemed worthy. Not every Knight is a paladin, but their order has produced more paladins than any other. 11. Talingarde has six regions. The Island of Talingarde has six parts – The Cambrian Ports, The Heartland, the Borderlands, the Caer Bryr, the Savage North and the Lands of the Yutak. The Cambrian Ports are the three large cities of Talingarde that sit upon the Bay of Cambria. The Heartland is the farms and rural parts of Talingarde. The Borderlands are the northern reaches of the kingdom protected by the Watch Wall. The Caer Bryr
12. Talingarde is protected by the Watch Wall. Twelve fortresses mark the northern border of the kingdom of Talingarde. These fortresses control every point of access from the Savage North and defend the land from incursion by the bugbears and other monsters that live there. Markadian V called the Brave earned that name defending the Watch Wall. 13. Talingarde is at peace. But will it last? The races of Talingarde: Humans make up the majority on Talingarde with a significant portion of half-elves in positions of power as well. There's also a sizable dwarf population in the mountains.
Any other race is too small or spread out to really have much of a presence in any one area that has any effect on your allowed character creation.
I'm a relatively inexperienced GM and I've been wanting to make my own adventure for a long time and not just run an adventure path, so I decided to take a critical eye to the adventure paths that I have and I realized something, I don't actually have the experience to be critical on adventure paths. So I've decided to ask the community for help on this. I'm not asking for full essays or breakdowns, Although those would be appreciated, I'm just asking for what people found good, what people found bad and why. And I do want people to be critical about this and make valid points, not just personal opinions. If your answers are, "I like this because it's cool." Or, "I don't like this because I don't like it." That's fine but keep it to yourself. |