Valedictus's page

** spoiler omitted **

Forgot to mention that coins and other loot based resources are immediately added, no need to have a dude picking them up.

The map is restored and ready to go! As well, I realized I hadn't shown how resources work. Since we are using a simpler method of exploration and management, this is how everything works.

Each Hex has a chance of containing Resources. Your HQ can only profit from a single instance of a resource. For example, a second Darkstone node won't give you more than just having one. However, you may trade away these resources for ones you can use. This means meeting other players or involving yourself in NPC diplomacy.

Whenever your HQ attempts to build certain buildings or attempts a task, you may assign suitable resources to it.

Resources are split into different types and as soon as I get the list of actions available up, I'll add which resources can be used for which purpose.

Finally, to be able to use a Resource, you must assign a WORKER or COHORT to that region. I highly recommend you assign WORKERS. This choice takes no time and as soon as you confirm a worker assignment, you may add that Resource to your HQ.

Sorry for the huge delay, the map has been remade from scratch since I couldn't remember by heart how everything looked. Your zones are all still unchanged so don't worry.

I've had a lot of stuff this week as well but I'll post this afternoon after I take care of the laundry and cleaning.

Sorry for the lack of replies on my part.

I'd be pretty annoyed. Do you play a casual once in a while or a weekly game? Is he just goofing off on WoW or is he actually part of a committed raiding guild who has weekly requirements?

Well, my main map got deleted from my computer, or I can't find it. While I make a new one everyone hold on to your horses.

Whisper-Rings let you speak with anyone attuned to them, so yes. I'm about to update, sorry for the delay, had a rush weekend.

Day 1 Actions

Each of your characters travel in the direction you've indicated. You must now choose whether to explore or not. I've given each Hex a designation key following the same code: Letter of your first name, Hex, #. So mine would be VH 1, 2, 3, etc.

Traveling into an area indicates any LANDMARK locations and reveals the hex land type. This will come in handy earlier. A LANDMARK must be explored separately (so you would need an additional day of exploration to explore a landmark.) LANDMARKS are indicated after the terrain type.

Going to give Bleek a few hours then I'll post your updates.

Perfect, this makes things much simpler on my end. And so Calaster and Rhiannon, you are free to post to each other now that you both realize you are attuned to the Whisper-Rings.

Perfect example! Feel free to mark anything in spoilers if need be. I will always make sure to put your hidden information in one as well.

Alright, it's time to get everyone started! Your numbers have assigned your initial location.

As each one of you crosses the Arch threshold you feel a strong gust of wind and find yourself opening your eyes to an entirely different scene. Though your men are all unnerved, it was to be expected as per the legend.

When I describe directions, since we are using hex maps, I will use North, North-East, South-East, South, South-West and North-West. You are free to designate any of your hexes as your starting hex and work from there. It is up to you to keep track of your hexes since I only have the complete location map.

Each of you notices a large stone ring carved with runes. If legend serves right, these are the Whisper-Rings, allowing you to speak telepathically to anyone else also attuned to the rings. It is up to you whether you wish to attune yourselves or not.

When using the Whisper-Rings, please simply make a spoiler post with the title of Whisper-Ring. Anyone who chooses to be attuned can read the contents. This is an open decision but must be posted before you can read the contents. This decision can be made at any time.

For now, the Whisper-Rings can do no more but there are ways of enhancing their powers.

===

There are currently no missions available for cohorts so you may choose to send them on exploration missions.

I have decided to simplify travel and exploration for the sake of this campaign. Traveling to another hex takes the day and exploring takes another. For example, say you send your Cohort to explore South. Day 1 is spent travelling, while Day 2 would be spent exploring. You would receive your information on Day 3 when your Cohort returned.

You yourself can explore of course and it's probably a lot easier for you to do so.

===

Your workers can be spent constructing various buildings for your garrison once you choose the location. For now, they simply work on making living spaces, shelters, etc.

There is no need for abstract things like checking food supplies and etc.

===

When exploring, simply make it very clear where you wish to go. For example. Each player's Hex 1 is their initial Hex. Whenever you enter a hex, it is assigned the next number.

I travel North from Hex 1.

===

We will go Day by Day on these events. Any other questions? Feel free to ask them in discussion

Do not fret, player communication will still be a thing.

Then we'll stick to the forum posting. Please never ever ever peek under spoilers that don't have your name. It will make it that much more fun for everyone.

As I mentioned, I would like to ask if everyone can be trusted to not read spoilers not designated for them. If not, I will have to PM players and the gameplay board gets a little more boring and serves no purpose.

Another option is having players not be together like normal but not against each other. Instead, they would fight against the forces of the Whispering Hollow together when they find each other.

What say you?

"And I'm Cyrioul Fasar, of the Church of Arenthea. May you find what you seek... shortly after Arenthea leads us to it." He toasts the health of all gathered, downs his whiskey, and leads his missionaries to the arch for crossing over.

1d100

Blank map now linked - along with a spreadsheet to track our stronghold and cohort - under nameplate.

You're free to share this information though I reckon if ever you get into a spot of dissent with another PC you'll want to hide those.

The barman overhears the discussions.

"If it's the Hollow you're seeking, I'll remind you all that you have until tonight to head in. Of course, the last fellas who went in never came out but what am I to do about it."

===

So here we are, everyone and their cohorts ready to enter and begin their exploration of the Whispering Hollow. The entrance is through a large stone arch about three miles from the Tavern.

I suggest everyone use their own hex map to track their exploration.

LINK TO A BLANK HEX MAP

Now, once you've crossed over we'll be following a day by day exploration system.

Each day, you will choose where your character explores. You may also opt to have your cohorts explore as well though their primary job is completing missions.

Each day, there is a chance that you receive a new missions. You can also discover them as you explore.

I roll all checks involving cohorts while you roll all checks involving your characters.

Now we come to the hard part. Since some actions may take more time than others, we are going to have to go by a trust system when it comes to player combats. Since I can't delay days because of a single week long combat, when a combat occurs I will detail which monster you face as well as their tactics. You must then make a spoilered reply showing the combat outcome.

I will also link a google doc page containing all the rules so everyone can easily find them.

===

Now, each player who is ready to enter Whispering Hollow must roll a d100 and we can get started.

Thanks for explaining Thorin. If you have any other questions, post away.

Just waiting on our last member to upload his team then we can start. Feel free to have your characters interact in the meantime, get to know each other, get a feel for their motives if they want to be open about it. Anyhow, who knows when next you'll meet?

Yep, this is for ooc discussions

Perfect example!

Also, feel free to come up with a name for your deity

Gameplay's up and ready too

Actually I prefer having an odd number specifically to prevent 3v3 or 2v2. I apologize.

Prologue - The Passage Opens

The first day of summer had finally arrived. You and your cohorts had managed to discover that the Whispering Hollow's passage only was accessible on this particular day and you'd decided to spend the week at the Hanging Bough Tavern. There, you noticed a few other groups and it didn't take long for you all to realize you were here for the same reason.

As the day arrives, you get together with your cohorts to plan your mission... bur first...

It's time to design your cohorts. Each of you has three unique allies. They are not full characters and instead function using bonuses to complete objectives.

For each cohort I need the following:

Name, Race, Class, Ability Score distribution using the 15 point buy method and finally skill point distribution.

Lastly, you each have 20 1st level experts (no stats needed). These fellows are your workmen and stay at your garrison and can be assigned to different work stations. More explanations will be given later.

I'd also ask everyone to finish up their aliases and post in the discussion thread.

The Hanging Bough Tavern lies on the southern outskirts of the Whispering Hollow and is run by Rhodan Vorl. Technically it sits beyond the Whispering Hollow and the road into the valley lies just beyond the door. All are welcome here, and none are refused. It is neutral ground and travelers often visit here.

Well, seeing as there's been only five applications I'm loathe to refuse someone so I'll accept Rhiannon, Bleek and Thorin as well. A five person campaign will also mean a lack of a 2 v 2 split in any case and hopefully push the story along further.

I'll get the basic introduction set up in the Campaign Info tab and I'll start the first gameplay post tonight.

Congrats to everyone, and here's to a fun campaign!

Alright, I'm going to make my selections tonight/tomorrow morning. Was caught up in a large workload.

You all have until tomorrow night to finalize and then I'll take my pick.

Calaster and Cyrioul, I've already accepted the both of you.

That leaves two places.

Again, I also need to know the reason why each character wishes to explore the Whispering Hollow... is it greed? Something else?

I will also be taking only four characters.

Everything's fine. Good choice for a character.

Whispering Hollow is a remote and secluded region of this world. Within its mistshrouded interior lies the treasures of Laevatyn, the Dragonsire. Now, brave adventurers have finally dared delve into the remote and unexplored wilderness and strike at the heart of this forbidden land.

Will it be you who claims the dragon's hoard? Or will you fall to your enemies and the beasts who roam the land?

---

The Wars of Whispering Hollow is an adventure where each character plays the role of not a king, but of simply a leader of a single forward base.

Instead of building a full blown kingdom, each player maintains a garrison within Whispering Hollow.

The PCs each maintain their own garrison, complete with commoners and craftsmen as well as elite troops that can be dispatched to complete objectives and quests.

---

Each PC seeks the dragon's hoard for their own reason. This will be left up to each PC to determine in their character background.

This campaign is homebrew so no need to provide Golarion themed backgrounds. Simply a character description and background as to your reason.

This campaign begins at 1st level but uses the fast track experience.

Combat will NOT be done using battle maps.

Each player should have a hex map and be ready to copy down information/fill in the map as they explore.

Players will engage in combat quite often and diplomacy will take shape with locals first and later on with opposing players.

---

PCs will begin at 1st level, 25 point buy, 2 traits, 1 drawback maximum, average starting gold.

You may choose any core race and class. If you want a unique race, ask first.

The campaign prologue will introduce the garrison rules as well as the reason you all are aware of each other before heading into the Whispering Hollow.

Thanks again for all the advice. It's touching to see so many known names helping out.

Thanks again for all the advice!

I'll definitely consider product sizes and free samples as well.

Thank you so much Matt,

I didn't expect an answer so soon and you've essentially solved a lot of my problems.

Thanks for pointing me to the Pathfinder Compatibility License, I completely forgot it existed.

I'll be downloading the ePublisher guide right away and giving it a read.

Feel free to answer none, one or more of these questions.

Question #1
Does Wizards of the Coast have any OGL material? There is plenty of great 3.5 material that would be splendid to use, but as I understand, none of it is usable. Is that right?

Question #1b
Golarion is off limits as it is Product Identity. Proper names of places, people, etc. included. I'm pretty sure this is correct as well.

Question #2
If I've read and understood the Open Gaming License correctly and Paizo's terms of use, in my 3PP I am allowed to reference the books that appear in the list below:

I may not reference other products but if I understand correctly, as long as the material itself is OGL, I can use it, reproduce the rules for said material and credit it in my OGL at the back of the 3PP.

Question #3
What would be the average pricing for a 3PP adventure, PDF Format only.

So far, my initial concept of the product brings it to the equivalent number of pages of a Pathfinder Module, maybe even a little more. I'd say anywhere from 35-50 pages, give or take.

This would include:

• The adventure itself (level 1-3)
  
• Backdrop information on the region.
  
• New material (monsters, equipment, etc.)
  

There will definitely be maps, though most likely black and white. Artwork remains to be determined.

Question #4
Let's imagine my product is finished. Editing, artwork, maps, etc.

What's the next step to getting my product sold? Is there a chance to have it hosted on sites such as Paizo.com/DriveThruRPG?

What's the general terms of sale?

I've not been able to find this information before and I was interested in how 3PP are sold.

Question #5
This is in fact a special question to one Eric Morton. Your material is downright inspiring, archetypes and monsters included. Having used them frequently in my gaming, are they open to use in 3PP products. If so, what would be the correct credits to such material.

I thank everyone who has the kindness to answer any of my questions.

As college begins I find myself with the itch to write some Pathfinder material. With two gently paced PbPs at the moment I find myself with some spare time on my hands.

While I have a bunch of ideas bumping around, I'm actually interested in knowing what kind of adventure you'd be interested in seeing?

Is there a particular setting, idea or concept that you'd like to see?

There's plenty of material that hasn't been touched much in the books and if you have any propositions or quick ideas, feel free to write them out below.

Definitely dotting for interest, will have a character up as soon as possible.

What are your thoughts on the gunslinger? I know it takes slight modifications to manage one so I'd rather ask ahead of time.If not, I have plenty of other character ideas.

I have also heard that the caravan rules, especially the combat parts are weak. Are you planning on using them/modifying them in some way?

I don't like ninjas more than rogues. The only difference I see between the is fluff. When i want to play Durzo Blint, I pull out a ninja. When I want to play Gonff the Mousethief, I pick up a rogue. Mechanics has nothing to do with it.

Redwall reference means you are my new favorite person on this forum.

My players dropped off the map after only a few sessions so my current PvP /Ultimate Campaign adventure had to be put on hold indefinitely.

So in the meantime, and before I think in putting in a request over on the recruitment page, I was wondering if anyone would be interested in populating a world with me.

Simply put, I need only the basics... but feel free to give as much as you want.

For example:

Wynterbark Hills
Region Type: Hills
Climate: Cold
Important Features: None
Description: A region of hills dotted with small copses of towering pine trees. Due to its northern climate, snow lasts almost all year long here.
Quest Possibility: Cold infused treants populate these hills and become aggressive if this region is either heavily crossed by armies or is settled without their blessings.

Feel free to come up with anything from pure medieval and high fantasy to extraplanar regions and etc.

Anything helps!

@Detect Magic: Of course. We're using Chapter 4 in its entirety.

We wrote up a lot of faction ideas and not all of them are implemented yet, but we're trying to have a strong racial tie. We also made some new races with the Race Builder so expect some of those.

Szarde also comes from the material plane. In his mind, Valtheria is a perfect world to ravage.

As for the portal opening, I don't think my players use paizo.com so I can tell you. Essentially, Valtheria works in very accelerated time. In fact, in the 50 years since the portal opened, 500 years passed in Valtheria. The world itself is slowly decaying from within. An order of like minded individuals called the Voices Unheard decided to siphon off time from other worlds and cycle through them every decade to restore Valtheria. The "material plane" is one of those siphoned realms.

Not evil per say, they have no other alternative and rather than bleed a single world dry, they have connected to a dozen or so of them to prolong themselves.

The "monstrous attacks" were initiated to keep the realms busy while the binding rituals were completed.

Riftwar

The following Campaign Journal is as much a presentation of the campaign my players are going through as a means of keeping a record of their ongoing quest. I figured some people might like reading it. Feel free to ask questions and comment.

This campaign started off as an excuse to playtest the revamped Kingdom and Mass Combat rules in the Ultimate Campaign and my players brought up the idea of PvP. As there were no rules for PvP in the book itself, we homebrewed a few things and set to work.

RIFTWAR BACKGROUND
(Rough idea of what we came up with)

50 years ago, a planar portal opened up on the material plane, bringing with it legions of monsters and horrors. They were eventually driven back through the gate but it had come at a great cost. An expedition, consisting of both military and civilian personnel were sent through the gate as it closed naturally. This expedition was tasked with founding a beachhead beyond the gate. There, they would seek to discover why the portal had opened, and prevent any more monsters from pouring into the world.

As the gate closed, communications were lost however.

And now, after 50 years of silence, the portal has reopened once again. No monsters have poured forth however... and no members of the expedition either.

Now, each PC is a leader of a new expedition, each one entering this new realm for their own reasons. Some seek to make contact with the Lost Expedition, some seek to claim the land as their own, and others have even more mysterious motives.

HOMEBREW PVP RULES

- Each player submits their Realm actions to the GM at the start of each turn.

- Any actions that require a clear decision on who did what first, have opposed rolls to see who goes first. Certain bonuses can be applied to this roll.

- Characters level up at specific moments instead of by gaining experience points. While the focus as a whole is on the kingdoms and armies, the players still roleplay themselves and go on adventures.

STARTING RESOURCES

Each PC began with the following:

- 50 BP
- One randomly selected Hex in Valtheria.
- A 1st level character, 25 point buy.

THE PLAYERS AND THEIR REALMS

Valdar of Silverholde (LN male human fighter 1): Valdar's quest involves finding the members of the lost expedition as well as defeating the source of the monstrous attacks 50 years ago.

Szarde Ruinhorn (CE male tiefling rogue 1): Szarde is on a simple mission. Destroy everything. By flame and shadow, he seeks only to devastate this world and all who oppose him.

Filwick Northwind (NG male halfling alchemist 1): To Filwick, Valtheria is a world fresh for exploring and experimenting. His only desire is to study and revel in what only a fresh world can bring.

Serrina Helvinter (N female human ranger 1): Serrina is the only other expedition member who truly seeks to find out what happened to the expedition 50 years ago. As well, she has always felt a strong pull to the land of the region and hopes to preserve it eternally.