I'm on the board for a small tabletop association, and we've recently decided to try our hands at running a few Pathfinder Society events. Of course, for us to play we need to have the scenarios, and I was wondering which scenarios you would recommend? I've read some reviews, but most of them are somewhat unfulfilling, if not downright bad.
For now the most important scenarios are the ones that can be played through by level 1 characters, but higher tier scenario recommendations are welcome as well.
3 Sarenith, 4715 AR — Chtonian Lodge Beneath Lepidstadt University
Aside from a few abstract paintings on the far wall, the small hexagonal office is only scantily decorated with simple and convenient furniture, most of it gathering not a small bit of dust. Scrolls clutter the desk, and fat tomes fill the shelves to the bursting point. The room is lit by two strange, tiny, horned onyx gargoyles on the walls opposite each other, each holding a small glowing prism.
Inside the office, waiting for the office's owner to arrive, three people – Ryder Craw, Kevos Iola and Ferratal – stand appraising each other. You have each been told to report here, in the office of venture-captain Dr. Daniel R. Peterson, to receive your wayfinders and to sort out traveling arrangements.
A little while later, the door opens. A tall and meticulously groomed man walks in together with a just as groomed goblin in Tien fashions. The man looks around briefly, giving each of you a nod before he bids the goblin farewell with a fond smile: "Well, this is it, Tsukitaro, I can't do any more. Thank you once again and good luck. The Doctor should be here in a moment." The man closes the door as he leaves, and you are now four people in the room.
Welcome to the Chtonian Chronicles. This Discussion tab should be used as a tool to discuss the game ooc. It is my hope that the use of the out-of-character commentary is kept to a minimum, and posted here separately from the Gameplay tab whenever feasible. If/when we discuss other off-topic topics, this is also the place :)
Before we begin the game, I hope to solidify the Chtonian Chroniclers subdivision a bit more, by expanding on the prologue with your backgrounds.
prologue: ...You are members of, or hired by, the Chtonian Chroniclers, a special Pathfinder Society subdivision dealing with lore related to the Dark Tapestry, and have been assigned to Carrion Hill. Your task is to learn more about the strange monster, and take measures to prevent potential disaster, in case the monster is, in fact, connected to the Dark Tapestry.
My Thoughts:Kevos Iola is the "Old Dog". The Chtonian Chroniclers have used him as an advisor of sorts, and he might even have som field experience. The rest of you are new guys.
Ryder Craw might be hired help, or he might be a member of the chroniclers? It could be either. I need a few more details on Ferratal and his dreams/motivations, as joining the Chtonian Chroniclers takes a special kind of man. Mostly an ignorant or naive one. As for Tsukitaro, the goblin has been sort of "thrown into the mix". Sent from the buzzing and lively city of Absalom to dark and gloomy Ustalav. While his intentions are good, he is most likely met with a high level of discrimination and mistrust from the rest of the group.
I'm thinking the group might have a hard time getting along. At least until they discover that unless they work together, they won't survive.
Foreword: Hello, I'm DM Runge. Or at least that's what I call myself, for I am not much of a PbP-DM yet. Therefore, in the spirit of getting my feet wet on this scene, I'd like to run a few modules, starting with "Carrion Hill" by Richard Pett. This is the recruitment thread for that module, and below I present the rules and expectations for the game.
In the long run I hope to get to run and finish a few of Paizo's published Modules, one of my own small adventures, and perhaps even one of Paizo's published Adventure Paths – but that's still far into the future.
I'm looking for 4 characters for this module.
Prologue: A city where no city should be, a bastion of strangeness at the heart of nowhere, the city of Carrion Hill has long loomed over the surrounding swamps in eastern Ustalav, yet its rulers have shifted many times. Often enough that only a few sinister scholars and curious minds know the true nature of the hill's original inhabitants—vile and depraved cultists of the old gods. Yet this morning, a dreadful recrudescence rises from the depths of buried nightmare in the vaults below Carrion Hill. A monster stalks the twisted alleys of the city, spreading panic before it and leaving destruction in its wake. Can the Carrion Hill Horror be stopped?
You are members of, or hired by, the Chtonian Chroniclers, a special Pathfinder Society subdivision dealing with lore related to the Dark Tapestry, and have been assigned to Carrion Hill. Your task is to learn more about the strange monster, and take measures to prevent potential disaster, in case the monster is, in fact, connected to the Dark Tapestry.
Chtonian Chronicles:
The name of my small series of psuedo-realated games, sharing the same themes. As a new PbP-DM, I thought it prudent to pick a theme, start out small, and expand from there. In keeping with that line of thought, I've opted for games related to lovecraftian horror, the occult, and the Ustalav area of Golarion.
Therefore, I've invented a subdivision of the Pathfinder Society – The Chtonian Chroniclers – to act as a common hook and red thread throughout the series. As I run more games, I collect and arrange more and more official lore on Ustalav, the Dark Tapestry, and the Occult in general. This compillation is the Chtonian Chronicles.
Characters:
Characters begin play at 5th level and with 10.500 gp. Your most expensive item may have a value no higher than 5.250 gp.
Rules Material
Characters for this game can use the following material for character creation:
The Core Rulebook, The Advanced Player's Guide, The Advanced Class Guide, Ultimate Combat, Ultimate Magic and The Inner Sea World Guide.
In addition to the above, any one official book of your choice (The Occult Adventures Playtest is a valid choice).
Post the name of your book of choice along with your character.
Ability Scores
You can generate your character's ability scores using one of the following methods:
My custom array (16, 15, 14, 12, 11, 10)
Purchase method (20 points)
After assigning ability scores, apply your racial benefits to derive your starting ability score at 1st level. You cannot roll your ability scores.
Traits
You may choose 2 traits from your rules material. In addition, if you have access to them, you may choose a drawback as well – provided it has a meaningful impact on your character.
Details
Describe your character using the following as a loose guideline:
Name
Alignment
Appearance
Background
Personality
Complex characters are welcome, but take care not to expect disproportionate character development. After all, you're signing up for a 36 pages module.
Play:
There are a few expectations and details in regards to actual play, as lined out below.
Houserules
These rules are in effect and supersede the standard Pathfinder RPG rules.
Deadly Aim, Piranha Strike, and Power Attack have been removed. A feat that lists any of these as a prerequisite, loses that prerequisite.
A feat that lists Combat Expertise or Point-Blank Shot as a prerequisite, loses that prerequisite.
Options normally restricted to specific races, such as archetypes and feats, may be chosen by other races. Logical limitations still apply – no grippli cave snipers etc.
Characters with base attack bonus +1 or higher can choose to take a –1 penalty on all attack rolls and combat maneuver checks to gain a +2 bonus on all damage rolls. When your base attack bonus reaches +4, and every 4 points thereafter, the penalty increases by –1 and the bonus to damage increases by +2. You must choose to use this feat before making an attack roll, and its effects last until your next turn. The bonus damage does not apply to touch attacks or effects that do not deal hit point damage.
Commonplace guns. While still expensive and tricky to wield, early firearms are readily available. Instead of requiring the Exotic Weapon Proficiency feat, all firearms are martial weapons. Early firearms and their ammunition cost 25% of the amounts listed in Ultimate Combat, but advanced firearms and their ammunition are still rare and cost the full price to purchase or craft.
Posting
I could not hope to phrase it better than this, and thus I quote directly from the guide that inspired me to try PbP-DMing:
I'm going to hold you to the same standard as I hold myself: I expect you to post as often as is needed, adjusting to the pace of the group, as set by me. I plan to post at least once per day. When you do post, I expect you to push the action/story/RP or leave/pick up RP hooks. If our pacing changes to the point of negatively impacting your ability to keep up, I hope and expect that you will talk to me earlier rather than later. I promise to do the same if our positions are reversed.
—Painlord, Painlord's Guide to PbP GMing: Make Your World a Better Place
Mapping
There will be an overview map of the city Carrion Hill hosted on Roll20, but individual scenes will not be mapped. Instead the scenes will be described in riveting detail, hopefully leaving the players with a sense of immersion that maps often fail to deliver, or even offer. To this end, I expect the players to be fairly descriptive of their actions as well.
Recruitment closes: Saturday, 30 May, 21:00 CEST Party is announced: Sunday, 31 May, 21:00 CEST
If you have any questions, please post them here or send me a PM, and I will do my best to respond in a timely manner. I look forward to playing with you.
