The smell of stale alcohol and roasting boar meat hangs thick on the hot night air. The Antler and Thistle is a relatively small tavern on the outer edge of the town of Brindol. It offers seating for up to fifty patrons, and boasts a roaring fireplace in the centre of its main room. The walls are covered in memorabilia, all related to the War of the Red Hand. Beams overhead support the floor above, accessible via a staircase outside, where there are several rooms available to rent.
The tavern itself is packed on this barmy summer’s night. The usual clientele of farmers are joined by a number of traders, already pouring into the town in anticipation of the Diamond League Day celebrations next week. Several long tables are occupied by happy, excited groups of people, some are dancing, while others cheer them on with clapping and yelling. Nearby to the bar, a couple of enterprising young students from the College of Ioun are making some coin selling their services to the other patrons; chilling their drinks with prestidigitation cantrips. The other, smaller tables are also occupied by people, mostly eating their dinner, occasionally calling the waitress over for a mug of ale or cider. In the back corner a few of the more questionable characters in the tavern are in the midst of a fairly intense dice game.
The nine of you sit and stand around one of the longer tables near the back. You find yourselves united by your interest in the roll of parchment which was nailed to the notice board in the market square this morning. Torn from the notice board, this parchment now sits on the table between you.
“A Call to Arms!”:
”War is upon us! The rumours of the Orc Horde are true. The ancient dwarven city of Overlook calls out to all able bodies to combat this threat. Our scouts have seen the massive numbers that have gathered and if they are allowed to move past the Stonehome mountains, there will be no check on their aggression.”
“Ever has Bordrin’s Watch stood in defense of the Elsir Vale. The hordes have been fought back by those who have not forgotten the Age of Chains. Never again shall we suffer such bondage.”
“This is a call to amass in Overlook to bolster the defenses of Bordrin’s watch. Again, it is imperative that the enemy does not breach the mountain pass. With the help of many, they will meet the great walls of The Watch like water to a levy.”
The parchment is signed with the seals of the Elder council of Overlook, the heads of five of the most renowned dwarven clans.
~~~
Knowledge (History) DC 10:
The city of Overlook stands on the eastern slopes of the Stonehome Mountains, a hoary range of crumbling peaks as old as the world. The city’s founding lies sometime far back in the mists of time, at a point after the dwarves in this region threw off the shackles of slavery and chased the giants and orcs west across the mountains at the end of the Age of Chains.
Knowledge (History) DC 15:
Overlook, and the fastness of Bordrin’s Watch, were raised to safeguard the liberated dwarf peoples and to be the first line of defense should their ancient enemies forget their defeat and seek to enslave the dwarves once more.
Knowledge (History) DC 20:
Since its founding, Overlook has never come under attack, though Bordrin’s Watch has time and again, at least once every century. Overlook supplies the mountain pass with soldiers, supplies, and needed resources, ensuring the Watch is never without the goods they need to live up to their ancient responsibility.
~~~
Knowledge (Local) DC 10:
While doughty dwarf warriors hold Bordrin’s Watch, the city is far more cosmopolitan and includes peoples of nearly every race and culture known in this corner of the world. Dwarves are still the dominant group, but humans and halflings make up a close second, followed by dragonborn, tieflings, a smattering of elves, and an assortment of other, less familiar, races.
~~~
Knowledge (Nobility) DC 20:
The Council of Elders governs Overlook. Each is elected to office and serves a 10-year term. Currently they are Great Elder Morgoff Stonefist, Elder Galden Sledgemore, Elder Yalissa Mountainhome, Elder Syn Ironheart and Elder Cadrick Gemviper. The dwarves see ruling as a burden and none relish the job, preferring to hand power off to someone else.
Please check-in here and take the chance to get to know each other. Also please familiarise yourselves with the Campaign Info tab, make sure your stat blocks are all polished off and finish purchasing all of your starting equipment.
If you have any final questions for me before we get started go ahead and ask. I'll have limited internet access over the next couple of days but should be able to get back to you over the weekend.
The first in-game post will be up on Monday 11 December.
Combat maps for this campaign will be handled on Roll20. I have just upgraded my membership so that you should be able to access them via desktop, mobile or tablet. The link to join is here.
Some Info on Game Mechanics:
With such a large party, the following mechanics will hopefully keep things moving quickly and help avoid confusion.
1: When in combat, I'll be posting the saves and AC for enemies. When you attack/use an ability that calls for a save, you'll be able to determine if you hit, and you will roll for the creature's save. This will help you describe your actions and their results, and move combat along faster, so please do so.
2: Initiative will be handled by averaging the dice rolls of all combatants on one side together. When it's the party's turn, people will act in order of posting. People inactive for 24 hours will be botted by me.
3: If you know you're going to be inactive for an extended period of time, please post in the discussion thread so I'll know and can be ready to bot you.
4: If the party needs to make a minor decision, rather than waiting for everyone to weigh in, I will consider the decision made as soon as a majority of players favour one outcome. Decisions that have a major impact on the story will still require everyone's input.
5: If you see a spoiler in a post that's not addressed to you, or that you didn't make the DC for, please don't look, even if you feel like you can separate your knowledge from your character's knowledge.
The five-towered fortress of Skyreach, reaching toward the heavens above the city of Absalom, is the heart of the Pathfinder Society. Here the Decemvirate rules and make its rare pronouncements beneath the enchanted skylights of the Great Hall in the central tower, and both resident and visiting Pathfinders sequester themselves in cozy lounges to study, socialize, and plot future missions.
In a dimly lit sitting room, in a guest house far from the Great Hall, Paracountess Zarta Dralneen has requested the most mysterious of meetings. She requested that you come at night, alone, and to make sure that no one followed you from the Skyreach gate to the abandoned guest house. You walked through the harsh, cold rain until you got to the door. Inside, you found a few other agents, all fresh out of the academy, just like you. All seemingly awaiting the arrival of the Paracountess...
The Scales of War The world has never been a safe place. Bastions of civilization populate a dark, menacing world — islands of order and reason exist in a land otherwise overrun by dark cults, vile monsters, creatures from the dark edges of the imagination, and worse. As deadly as the world is on a normal day, something has begun to stir on the fringes of the civilized Elsir Vale. Formerly the site of an attack by an army known as the Red Hand, the Vale has known several years of peace since brave adventurers stormed into the teeth of the approaching Hand and sent them scurrying back into the darkness.
I’ll be looking for 5-6 characters who will begin at 1st level and advance to level 20 over the course of the 18 modules of this epic adventure path.
Recruitment will be open for two weeks, with an expected close date of 12:00 am (GMT) December 6. I will make my selection over the following week and look to start the adventure by December 11. The selected players should be able to commit to posting at least once per day during the week, and once on weekends. An application will not be considered complete until everything in the Character Creation and Character Background spoilers is completed.
Character Creation:
Abilities: 25 point buy, with no stat below 8 before racial modifiers.
Hit Points:Max hp at first level. Half rounded up at subsequent levels.
Sources Available: Any paizo published material. Unchained versions only for the Barbarian, Rogue, and Summoner. Monk can be either Unchained or Core. I will consider 3rd party material on a case-by-case basis.
Races: Core races, Tieflings and Dragonborn are all fine. Please feel free to ask if you would like to submit any other non-core races.
Alignment: Good alignments are preferable, any non-evil are acceptable. Your character should be a good team player, regardless of alignment.
Hero Points: We will be using hero points. You will begin play with 1 Hero Point out of the maximum of 3.
Wealth: Maximum starting wealth for your class.
Skills: We will be using the rules for background skills available here.
Traits: 2 traits, or 3 with 1 drawback.
Gods and Domains:
Avandra Alignment: Chaotic Good
Domains: Chaos, Good, Liberation, Luck, Travel
Favoured weapon: Shortsword
Avandra delights in freedom, trade, travel, adventure, and the frontier. Her temples are few in civilized lands, but her wayside shrines appear throughout the world. Halflings, merchants, and all types of adventurers are drawn to her worship, and many people raise a glass in her honour, viewing her as the god of luck.
Bahamut Alignment: Lawful Good
Domains: Glory, Good, Law, Protection, Scalykind (Dragon)
Favoured weapon: Bite or Longsword
Bahamut, also called the Platinum Dragon, is the good-aligned god of justice, protection and nobility. He is the patron of the metallic dragons. He is stern but kind and helpful to the downtrodden. His clerics and followers are taught to oppose evil and help those in need.
Corellon Alignment: Neutral Good
Domains: Charm, Good, Magic, Plant (Growth), Rune
Favoured weapon: Quarterstaff
Corellon is the deity of spring, the arts, magic, beauty and the fey. He seeded the world with arcane magic and planted the most ancient forests. Artists and musicians worship him, as do those who view their spellcasting as an art, and his shrines can be found throughout the Feywild. He despises Lolth and her priestesses for leading the drow astray.
Erathis Alignment: Lawful Neutral
Domains: Artifice, Community, Law, Nobility, Protection
Favoured weapon: Light or Heavy Crossbow
Erathis is the god of civilization, inventions and law. Rulers, judges, pioneers and devoted citizens worship her, and her temples are present in most major cities of the world. She is the patron of the minotaurs after having defeated the primordial Baphomet. She lives with Pelor in Hestavar, where they are known as "the King and Queen of Light" and rule the city.
Ioun Alignment: Neutral
Domains: Healing (Medicine), Knowledge, Luck (Fate), Rune (Language), War (Tactics)
Favoured weapon: Quarterstaff
Ioun is the god of knowledge, skill, and prophecy. Sages, seers, and tacticians revere her, as do all who live by their knowledge and mental power. Corellon is the patron of arcane magic, but Ioun is the patron of its study. Libraries and wizard academies are built in her name.
Kord Alignment: Chaotic Neutral
Domains: Chaos, Glory, Strength, War, Weather
Favoured weapon: Greatsword
Kord is the storm god and the lord of battle. He revels in strength, battlefield prowess, and thunder. Fighters and athletes revere him. He is a mercurial god, unbridled and wild, who summons storms over land and sea; those who hope for better weather appease him with prayers and spirited toasts.
Melora Alignment: Neutral
Domains: Air, Animal, Plant, Water (Oceans), Weather
Favoured weapon: Trident
The goddess of nature, wilderness and the sea, Melora is often worshipped by elves as well as hunters and rangers. She is the antithesis of Erathis, the deity of civilization, and is also known to dislike Asmodeus. She has no astral domain and prefers to simply wander the cosmos. Sailors often make offerings to her before they embark on their voyages.
Moradin Alignment: Lawful Good
Domains: Artifice, Earth, Good, Law, Protection
Favoured weapon: Warhammer
Moradin is the lawful good deity of creation and patron of artisans, especially miners and smiths. He carved the mountains from the primordial earth and is the guardian and protector of the hearth and the family. Dwarves from all walks of life follow him.
Pelor Alignment: Neutral Good
Domains: Fire, Glory, Good, Healing, Sun
Favoured weapon: Light or Heavy Mace
Pelor is the god of the sun, agriculture and time as well as the seasonal god of summer. He is known as a healing god and is the most popular god among humans. His clerics are well respected and honoured in most good-aligned realms.
Raven Queen Alignment: Neutral
Domains: Death, Healing, Knowledge, Repose, Water (Ice)
Favoured weapon: Spiked Chain
The name of the god of death is long forgotten, but she is called the Raven Queen. She is the spinner of fate and the patron of winter. She marks the end of each mortal life, and mourners call upon her during funeral rites, in the hope that she will guard the departed against the curse of undeath.
Sehanine Alignment: Chaotic Neutral
Domains: Chaos, Darkness (Moon), Magic, Plant (Decay), Trickery
Favoured weapon: Shortbow or Longbow
God of the moon and autumn, Sehanine is the patron of trickery and illusions. She has close ties to Corellon and Melora and is a favourite deity among elves and halflings. Scouts and thieves ask for her blessing on their work.
Read the guide above for inspiration. Your character should live in the town Brindol, or have arrived there recently.
I am asking for a 10-minute background from all applicants, following the format outlined below.
Step 1: Write at least 5 background and concept elements that you feel are important to the image of your character. These can be a concept overview, a list of important life events, a physical description, a personality profile etc.
Step 2: List at least two goals for the character. At least one of these goals should be one that the character has, while another could be one that you, as a player, want to see developed over the course of the game.
Step 3: List at least two secrets about your character. One is a secret the character knows, one is a secret that involves them but that they are not actually aware of yet. This will help me in creating plots that centre around your character. I will also be creating a third secret which you as a player will not be aware of, so expect some surprises!
Step 4: Describe at least three people that are tied to the character. Two of them are friendly to the character, one is hostile. Feel free to use characters mentioned in the Player’s Guide.
Step 5: Describe three memories, mannerisms, or quirks that your character has. They don't have to be elaborate, but they should provide some context and flavour.
Feel free to ask any questions, I look forward to reading your submissions!
For almost as long as I've been running RPG's, I've had a fascination with the Scales of War campaign. Unfortunately, by the time my friends and I got around to playing through the first module, we were already sick of our brief foray into 4th edition rules and ready to move on to Pathfinder. But how my heart aches for the stories left untold! So I've been wondering, how much interest would there be if I were to run a PF conversion of this epic adventure path?
The Scales of War The Elsir Vale has known a decade of peace following the rise of the Red Hand. The valley, as well as the town of Brindol, has flourished after adventurers defeated the threat posed by the hobgoblin armies. But now, from out of the hills to the north, a new threat has emerged. Natives of Brindol have been abducted, and the town’s war museum—dedicated to those fallen in the war against the Red Hand—has been raided and desecrated.
Meanwhile, beyond the Vale, the rumbling rumors of more trouble have begun to surface. Warbands forming in the mountains… Monsters crawling forth from the dark bowels of the world… And people everywhere have begun waking up at night in a cold sweat, uncertain where their feelings of dismay and panic come from…
An outline of my plan
There's no way around it, this will be a big commitment for everyone involved. I’ll be looking for 5-6 characters who will begin at 1st level and advance to level 20 over the course of the AP’s 18 modules. Mythic tiers will be awarded to characters during the final third of the AP to achieve 4th edition’s epic feel. I'm hoping to keep as much of the Points of Light setting as possible, but would be open to changing up some elements if that suits players’ attitudes better.
About me
Although I haven't run any games on these boards before, I have been GM’ing games in face-to-face games for approximately 7 years. Over that time I’ve run a variety of campaigns, from by-the-book dungeon delves and adventure paths to completely open world hex-crawls. I've had just a little over 4 years of play-by-post experience and figure I’m about ready to give GM’ing here a go too.
