Hello, all!
I'm currently DMing book three (Broken Moon) of the Carrion Crown AP. I just thought I would share the return of one of my favorite baddies: Father Charlatan.
Party experience in Haunting at Harrowstone:
The PCs face a haunted prison in the first book. They, essentially, have to go in and bust the ghosts. Father Charlatan was one of them. He was a con-artist that would go from town to town swindling people out of their possessions by taking on the guise of one of their most trusted religious leaders. They find his body in one of the cells wrapped in chains bearing the holy symbols of many religions along with a note of his intentions should he break out. This is when Fivel, our group swashbuckler, becomes haunted.
The next fight that they were in, when Fivel was dealt ONE damage, I informed him that his character had died and moved the player to a different room. I went back and forth between the player and the group. Fivel was faced with an acolyte of their religion and was being convinced that his true power would be found through accepting death. The party saw that character hit the ground and immediately become wrapped in ghostly chains that attempted to suffocate him. Fivel just barely made enough Will saves to not be convinced to die.
The party survived. Later they take his collection of holy symbols that they find in the evidence room of the prison.
Fast forward to a couple of weeks ago. The party approaches the Stairs of the Moon. A temple to Desna. I ask the party "what gods do all of you follow and do you have a holy symbol of some kind?". Fivel replies "Yeah. I've got, like, all of the holy symbols. I have that necklace with all of the holy symbols on it from the prison". The rest of the party asks him "why do you still have that?! Are you crazy?!"...they all quickly forget
I don't.
Later that session, they activate Desna's temple and talk with the goddess. Fivel gets an additional message where Desna informs him that she sees great potential in him and that she wants him to be her chosen blade. She grants him a permanent +1 DEX.
Father Charlatan is back and he's stronger than before.
The party gets to Feldgrau. As they start clearing out some of the buildings, they come across a chapel of Abadar. I ask every one of them to make a Will save. They fail. Each one of them blacks out and falls to the floor. I hand them each an index card with a vision on it.
Fivel's card says that Desna appears and wishes to make him "Highwayman of the North Star" and grant him all associated benefits. He agrees to this. Desna informs him that all clergy of Desna shall now him by name and help him with whatever he may need...this is not true
Our hunter was the only actual follower of Desna. His vision was Desna, basically, calling him useless and no longer needed for the party now that they have Fivel.
The other party members visions:
Our party sorcerer had a vision that his family (deceased) wanted him to allow the Whispering Way to succeed and that it was to only way for them to be together again. (He refused to believe it)
Our gnome brawler was approached by Gorum and Irori. They gave him the choice of great physical power or the intelligence to finally fit in with his gnomish brethren. (He refused them both)
Our shaman was was propositioned by Urgathoa to join forces. Their combined, offset powers could bring down the Whispering Way. (he refused her)
Our investigator was offered to have her past revealed by Calistra...This was mostly because this player lost their characters background story and couldn't remember it. (She accepted)
Characters that accepted their new gods had to change their character sheet to reflect this and were given permanent bonuses to their stats. Those that refused, took some stat damage.
They woke up from their visions to the quickly fading sounds of chains rattling.
I can't wait to move this along. Soon, Father Charlatan is going to start blackmailing those characters that accepted bonuses and he's going to start convincing those that refused their visions that their mission/party is not needed.
Between the ideas of my PCs, my ad-libbing, and me wanting my PCs crazy ideas to happen, hundreds have died.
This thread has SPOILERS!
Also, there is a TLDR at the end.
In the middle of the night before the last day of the trial, the PCs returned from examining Karb Isle a bit after midnight. They were looking for Vorkstag and Grine's and discovered that there was a large group surrounding the punishing man. This was a mix of people waiting through the night to be able to sit in the gallery for the last day of the trial, vendors selling to this late night crowd, and ...people that are on the verge of rioting.
The PCs went back to their camp...except one that decided to head back to the court square and incite a riot. The vendors and line-waiters fled. The rioters armed themselves. SWAT showed up (special guards in full plate with serrated halberds and bandoleers with alchemists fire).
In the end, a few guards died. Dozens of rioters were arrested. A hundred rioters died (some to the alchemists fire). Some of the rioters broke through a window and got in.
Later that morning, the PCs went to Vorkstag and Grine's in a very ungraceful fashion.
TLDR!: I'm looking for some creative advice for these two situations:
1) What did the people that actually got into the courthouse actually get to do?
2) What is the government response to these events?
3) How do you think Vorkstag and Grine would prepare their factory for a small scale siege?
I'm currently about to run the second book of Carrion Crown ( Trial of the Beast).
Basic rundown of Trial of the Beast: the PCs will be involved in a courtroom drama where they must defend Frankenstein's monster (essentially). They are on a short time table to collect evidence from many crime scenes and prove his innocence.
I suddenly find myself running a group of 7 (maybe more) players for this. That's significantly more than the 4 players that I had before.
I cannot fault them if/when they want to split up their group to multitask.
My problem: do you have any advice for how I can keep all players entertained and engaged if they split up?
So, I'm running the first book of Carrion Crown (Haunting at Harrowstone). My group badly needs magic weapons before heading out to the prison. I decided to make it so that their ally in the city has put in an order with the local blacksmith for being so helpful to her.
I decided that everyone would be given some +1 stuff that the smith would have to make out of the (mostly) rusted/broken farming implements that are in her small town shop.
...I, also, tossed in a line. "If you can bring me any metal in good condition, I'll see what I can fashion for you". This was mostly said to make the PCs go check out the prison or look around town at some of the things that they may have. I forgot about one thing. In order to make the owners of the local general store seem pretty naive to the outside world, they were selling a Mithral Waffle Iron for significantly less money than it's worth.
I've been out for a while due to gallbladder surgery and haven't had time to really do any prep for tomorrow nights game.
So, here's my question for you:
What kind of masterwork armor or weapon can you think of that A) Is made of mithral, and B) Retains some of the functionality (or similar functionality) of a waffle iron?
Magic arms/armor would also be cool, provided they are for level 1-5 characters.
So, I have someone who's going to run Council of Thieves for me and a few friends. I'm excited. I haven't played in almost a year.
I was hoping that you guys could just do me a favor and make sure that I'm doing this right; it seems very powerful.
I'm making a goblin musket master. Do I really get +20 Stealth after putting one rank in it?
My DEX is 22 (+6 bonus)
I'm small (+4 bonus)
I took the trait "Highlander" (+2 bonus, makes Stealth a class skill, additional +2 Stealth in mountains and hills)
Goblins get a +4 to Stealth
I put a rank into it (+1 for rank, +3 for class skill.
6+4+2+4+4=20
That is insane.
Of course, I had to make my character a stupid, awkward, jerk to pull it off, but....he's a goblin.
Hey guys and gals,
I'm in the middle of running my first campaign (Carrion Crown).
I'm staying very busy trying to stay on top of NPCs, locations, plunges and a lot of other things at the same time. I know that this is all normal GM stuff, but i was neglecting something that is crucial to the game: the PCs.
They've been helping me out a lot by keeping track of their characters, items, equipment, spells, and abilities. I didn't realize that they are all weak. The party is a rogue, cleric, inquisitor, and ranger. The rogue has the highest AC (19) and the best gear by best, I mean that he has a +1 rapier, a ring of protection, and his armor is masterwork.
They are all level 6 :-/
I didn't realize that they didn't have anything good.
Do you guys have any guidelines for when I should give them better items?
Do you have any recommendations for good gear to make them stronger?
Also, are there any items out there that were fun for your campaigns (ones that don't necessarily modify stats or effect combat)?
Other than useful items, I think that I'm going to give them a Migrus locker
So, the group that I am running is about to finish the first book (they have finished with Harrowstone and were headed back to town when we last left off).
I've been playing Kendra as largely aloof to what her father was up to. The group that I'm running pretty much looked at the Manual, saw that it was locked, then never tried again to do anything with it. At this point in the adventure, how much did your group know about the Order? Is it important? Did I mess up and have a lot of ground to cover now?
I was a little sad that my party didn't make it to see the Father this last session. He seems to me like he's going to be the most interesting of the five.
I did copy the original journal and I modified it a bit.
Here is my version of Father Charlatan's journal:
Near the body you see a parchment. It has been rolled tightly, flattened, and stained from the years it has spent on the floor. Written in tiny letters, you find a day to day journal written by this cells final inmate. Due to the handwriting, age, and condition, most of the entries are illegible.
Day one:
Finally, I have been able to access a parchment and quill. I have lost all sense of time in this insufferable place. I am quite certain I have been here nearly a year since my imprisonment. There is no way to know. These slack-jawed guards refuse to answer any questions that I put forth.
They mockingly call my cell "the luxury suite". But, perhaps it is compared to the depths below. The screams of the mad can be heard even up here. One of the voices in particular constantly barks orders for the guards to return his spell book. There are heavy rumors that he is the reason that none of the guards are to be addressed by name in the lower levels.
Day ten:
These chains rub me raw. A barbaric treatment, at best. I know these gods and religions better than any "holy man". I laugh at the irony of these religious symbols they use to weigh me down. Some of these gods would punish their followers severely for applying such a punishment on someone in their name.
Day eleven:
The ones in the basement grow bold. There are whispers all over the prison. Those in the lower levels do not speak of escape. They seek to overthrow and take control. I do not know what I would do in such a plot. I doubt I would find it very difficult to influence a group that was powerful enough to not only take this fortress but maintain its resurrection. Control by the oppressors to control by the oppressed and, eventually, my control over them ... such a pleasant dream
Day thirteen:
Such a commotion! This may be it! The start of the insurrection.
There was an explosion in the dungeon just a few moments ago. The only thing that makes me nervous is that these dullards might slaughter me before I can pour my honeyed words in their ear. The guards are running all about, trying to gather arms and supplies. This is it!
The smell of smoke is starting to fill the air.
Thank you! I was reading through the AP and came across the entry for Father Charlatan. I read that someone can pick up his journal. Once the player picked up the journal and read it, I was just going to say "uhhhhhhhh ummmmmmm" for a while until the PCs told me to stop. :-)
I'm about to run Carrion Crown tomorrow (my first time running). I'm reading through the first book and I got to the part "The Burial".
It mentions that Grimburrow reads a sermon and Kendra says a few words. I want to encourage my PCs (RPG virgins until a couple of weeks ago) to "say a few words".
Does anyone out there have some dialogue that I could read for the sermon and Kendra?
It would be very appreciated.
i learned how to RPG playing a fighter, slowly i moved onto the martial hybrid classes and eventually into full casters
run some easy adventures that they can succeed in without the full array of team members that one would expect them to have
help them make their characters and explain why they have the feats and choices that they have
encourage them to read on their own and to learn the basic mechanics of the game before you get nit picky (if thats your style)
keep the mood light and expect people to screw up a lot, dont throw a tarresque at them
Haha. The first AP that I ever played was Jade Regent. I figured a fighter was going to be a good thing for a new player to be. It probably was. Ulghan was a half-orc fighter. I wrote up a back story and everything.
Ulghan died on the third session after I role played that he lost his patience while the group was deciding tactics and I charged headlong at what turned out to be a formidable enemy. I charged, swung my mace, and missed. The enemy rolled a crit.....max damage. I was decapitated.
Spoiler:
That skeleton sitting on the treasure chest was pretty much begging to get maced
I'm going to have them start with the beginner box. It has resources that will help them along and help me along. I will help them make characters if they choose to not use the pregens.
If they want to continue, I'll help anyone that used a pregen turn that into a more fleshed out and custom character.
From there, I like the idea of using the supplies in the beginner box to write my own adventure.
As Elamdri suggested, we're going to ignore all books except the core rule book.....for now.
We Be Goblins was my introduction to the game (followed by Jade Regent). The guys I'm playing with seem like they will be hesitant to role play in a silly manner.
I think that starting with the beginner box is a good idea (I also would like to start there to get the tokens and grid map).
I'll see how they like that and then continue.
You guys have good reasons for the APs you chose.
Hey, guys. This might be long winded. The main question of this post is at the bottom.
I've been playing Pathfinder for a couple of years. It's my first RPG. I was taken in by a GM that made handouts, improvised APs for the players characters, played appropriate background music....the list goes on.
That group is no more. I miss playing Pathfinder.
Last night, I ran four of my friends through the sample adventure for the Dragon Age RPG. None of them had ever played an RPG. It was my first time running something. I think it was a success. Well, a relatively important NPC was murdered by one of the PCs, someone nearly fell into a chasm to their death, and I nearly slayed a ten year old boy. but, everyone involved said that they wanted to do more things like it.
I want to start running a Pathfinder AP with my completely inexperienced friends as PCs. Keeping in mind that I'm just as inexperienced at GMing, which AP would you recommend and why?
Thanks for your time!
Thanks!
My group plays in a way that when you level up, you gain the average of your hit die plus CON.
So, since clerics HD is d8, and my CON modifier is +2, I gain 6 HP.
I know it's an extraordinarily basic question but I just can't seem to remember. When I level up, how do I figure out how much my max HP goes up?
I'm playing two campaigns. Level 7 Cleric in one and a level 4 Ranger in another. But, I only play once a week or once every other week so I rarely level up and keep forgetting.
Thanks for your answers. :)
