Otherwise there's a legitimate concern that folks will continue to point to the P.O.D.
That is no different than pointing at the current 2nd hand copies you can get on amazon or ebay. The only difference P.O.D. makes is increasing the already sizeable amount of copies in existence. If those folks you mention are that concerned, then they will not stop until older copies are branded with a "defective" stamp or are outright burned in a pyre.
In layman terms, pursuing such endeavor is beating a dead horse.
WotC hasn't modified their POD, I see no reason Paizo should. Censorship of past editions is not the answer, editing them is opening a whole can of worms since everybody has their own ideas of what must be edited and we will end with print copies as functional as Robocop in the 2nd movie (1990) that no one will want to buy.
It would be nice if Paizo published a calendar of what titles will be available and when. WotC sometimes publishes more than one in a month, then no new POD for months, it is quite frustrating for those waiting for certain out of print/overpriced 2nd hand books.
Finally Paizo is doing POD in DTRPG. WotC has been doing so for years now. Maybe this means we might get a reprint of Shackled City, since neither should have any objections now. Maybe the powers that be will also give us print editions of Age of Worms and Savage Tide.
My prediction is that just like in the days of AD&D, we will see many 2nd edition products labeled "1st ed compatible". Not from Paizo, they want (for economical reasons) to bury 1st edition asap, but 3pp companies will want to benefit from both userbases and if Paizo makes 2nd edition totally incompatible with 1st, they risk repeating the mistake WotC did with D&D 4th edition. Pathfinder (unlike windows) does not have a nag screen reminding you to upgrade (writing this post from windows 8.1 >_< )
Wouldn't it be ironic if WotC decides to jump into the pathfinder 1st edition retro-bandwagon?
... and that Wizards of the Coast stopped printing copies of 3.5E's rule books. Neither of these are the case for Pathfinder transitioning to a 2nd Edition.
Mhh, I do not think it is co$t effective for Paizo to do another print run of their old books once PF 2.0 is officially released. The real question is whether they will allow OBS or other similar store to sell POD versions of 1.0 books, maybe cheaper B&W softcovers?
I haven't worked with Dreamscarred Press for awhile, but back when I was still with them my understanding was that this project was dropped.
Thanks for the info. IMO then they should officially announce they have dropped it (unless they plan to snatch the title of longest delayed vaporware from Duke Nukem Forever) and release an art-free free pdf.
Does Paizo has made a pact with Radiance House and the GoLS print will only be available for sale here or for at a later date it will appear at OBS (maybe a softcover edition?) or at amazon?
Any chance that books like this that Pathfinder deems there are not enough buyers for another printing to become available via OneBookShelf (drivethrurpg) Print on Demand services? Maybe there are not thousands, but probably a few hundreds of people want a dead tree copy, you may call it service for the community.
That got me thinking, we are already in 2017, 4e is no longer the latest D&D edition, the pathfinder vs 4e war is part of history. So I was thinking if Paizo could ask permission out of WotC to print a book with conversions of classes, monsters and whatnot that were not part of the 3rd edition OGL and could never be officially converted to Pathfinder. It could be called "The Lost Handbook".
I suppose profits could be distributed evenly or be donated to some worthy cause. In the end players and DMs would benefit from all that cool material that was out of reach for pathfinder campaigns.
Of course, if atm Paizo and WotC are still fierce opponents and not frenemies, maybe a 3pp could negotiate such a deal.
Regardless of their size or distribution network, it makes thematic sense for both companies given the Legendary Planet AP product line.
For Encounter Table: Adventure Path great to use with the Aethera Campaign Setting.
For Legendary Games: Extra rules and a Campaign Setting into which to insert the AP.
Wouldn't then it make sense to search for synergy with d20pfsrd.com? They recently released their very popular and thematically relevant Starjammer book and also own the open gaming store.
Out of curioity, how come Lore of the Gods is listed here on Paizo as a book by Bastion Press (and therefore not part of this offer) but at One Book Shelf they say it is a DragonWing Games book?
IMO the bestiary book cover art is a underwhelming (minimalist if ok if done right, i.e. tome of horrors) and the name is a bit long (reminds me of japanese lite novel titles), would have preferred Spheres of Power: Beastiary.
However, since Frog God was the group that organized the bundle, they're the ones with the direct downloads from their own store. Just the way that Humble Bundle sets things up, they deal with a single company as their point-of-contact.
Mhh, the direct download links you get immediately after paying are from the humble bundle, not frog god games. In the webpage with the download links you get this message "Want access to your purchased bundle in the future? Click here to learn how!" with a link to google forms (outside humble bundle and frog god games website) that asks for your e-mail and asks if you want to opt to also get a backup of the pdfs in the frog god games, it should have been trivial to also add an option in the form to do the same for the kobold press and green ronin pdfs. Unless of course is business as usual and the business models expects customers to buy more than once the very same product(pdf) -_-
I got this humble bundle and I must comment that only the Frog God Game PDFs can be added to your account in their web store. Even though both Kobold Press and Green Ronin have their own web stores where you could add said pdfs to your account, for some reason they do not offer said option, which imo is short-sighted since they could attract customers to their stores with said option. Worst case scenario they do not have faith their web stores will be online five years from now :/
I am in, only a quick question, why is "Feats of Necromancy" not part of the deal/not available at all in OBS (rpgnow/drivethru)? Also, not part of the deal are Amazing Races: Goblins!/Hobgoblins!/Halflings!/Kitsune!/Ratfolk! & Astonishing Races: Grippli.
Your own line of thinking is the same reason Gygax sunk TSR.
When Gary Gygax was booted from TSR, it was a perfectly healthy company which did not go bankrupt for doing the D&D cartoons (which back then were more expensive since there was no CGI and coloring was made by brush). BTW, said cartoon was animated by Toei http://youtu.be/5xOoWEFBOx8 , which years later would do Dragonball Z and Sailor Moon.
Alzrius wrote:
NenkotaMoon wrote:
To add, I believe Overlord is getting a second season.
Citation please? Nothing would make me happier, but I can't seem to find confirmation of this.
AFAIK there will be a chibi OVA http://youtu.be/NSU6Rpb9b0A bundled with the latest light novel. It is worth to mention that it has become common to do cheap flash manufactured episodes at the same time the actual series airs, Re:Zero has made to explain things about the fantasy world and Overlord has been doing it to show the funnier side of the series.
But even the RPG adaption of Robotech (a hugely succesful anime/spin-off) isn't played in Japan.
This is a bit off topic, but Robotech does not exist, it was a Frankestein made of three different anime series (Macross, Southern Cross & Mospeda), sewed together by Carl Macek. To make things worse, Robotech (as a legal entity) is the reason we do not see any of the new Macross anime. No, that is not old news, right as we speak, the latest cour (Macross Delta http://youtu.be/9lYKrckqNa4 ) is being broadcast in japan, but it will not be streamed in America for the previously stated reasons. If you want more info you can pm me or google it. So no go, trying to sell anything with the Robotech label in japan will be met with a cease and desist letter.
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Have you considered that the reason that there hasnt been a japanese translation in nearly forty years is that there isn't a viable market?
I can clearly picture it, how more than a decade ago when doing a sale pitch for a Lord of the Rings movie the very same argument was used, but instead of four decades they would be talking of nearly six and to add insult to injury, they would mention the cheap Ralph Bashiki adaption who was neither popular nor award winning.
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It's a lot easier to sell somethong that somebody wants rather than getting people to want what youre selling.
Under that line of thinking, anything that uses electricity from the light bulb down to your smartphone would have never seen the light of day. Any business has always a level of uncertainty, specially if is something no one else has done before.
On the other hand microsoft has yet to gain a major foothold in japanese sales.
That is akin to saying "Russia has not invaded Ukraine". Back in the day japan had their own pc hardware and operative system (made by NEC) but they were utterly defeated by Microsoft Windows, whatever games/visual novels not made for consoles are written nowadays to run in microsoft windows.
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Also, Japan has its own RPG market that they sell japanese made products on (Golden Sky Stories, Double Cross, LOG Horizon RPG). Theres a reason that DnDs popularity drops sharply outside of the US and western europe.
And the reason is because neither TSR (WotC/Hasbro) nor Paizo has entered said markets, you can't say that it is because they have tried and failed due to the oh so strong local offerings.
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Paizo is not nearly as prolific as nintendo
Today, but back in the 80s they were not as big as today.
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and cant necessarily afford huge risks, as Sundakan said. I may be cynical but I just dont see reason to consider a pathfinder anime as a serious prospect. It's about as likely as Palladium actually getting a movie.
From where I stand all I see is FUD. No surprise there on the palladium ip movie, hollywood had the rights to the parasyte manga for a decade and did not made a movie, so when the rights expired japan made two live action movies AND a two cour anime series. Hollywood is not revolutionary, they are slow to make new things, still remember how many believed the LotR movie would be a flop, but nowadays they only want to do sequels of it.
Likewise, there is already a steady pipeline of manga/light novel to anime, just like there is a pretty steady one for book to movie. Because studios see these properties and choose to adapt them.
That is a very common misconception. As I said before, most anime studios are work for hire, no different from american comic writers/cartoonists, they are paid a fixed amount since they do not own the intellectual property they work on.
You do not have to take my word for it. In example, Attack on Titan animation production was made by newcomer Studio Wit (if they had known it would be a mega hit inside and outside of japan they would not have chosen a newcomer studio). But the royalties are not for Studio Wit, if you look under Production (the proper name is Production Committee) you will see SEVEN company names (Kodansha, the manga publisher among them) http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/anime.php?id=14950 , those are the ones that distribute the royalties.
So no, most anime studios are not in the look for what to produce, when we speak of light novel adaptions it is japanese publishers (like Kondansha, Kadokawa or Shogakukan), with one or two other investors (i.e. outside investors and music companies, which btw want to use anime to push their contracted musicians) the one placing the money because it has already been established that it is (at least in japan) a good investment to make animes out of intellectual properties they own.
p.s. From where I stand the difference between a pathfinder book and a light novel is that most paizo books are hardcovers and have more illustrations (in color) than a light novel.
Johnnycat93 wrote:
it's a real pain to sell western products to japan.
I can assure you that at first it was a real pain for Nintendo to sell their videogames to america for the very same reasons you mention, but it is clear to see that it was they right choice, with the added bonus that there is no big competitor (Atari at the time was huge) for Paizo in the tabletop rpg business (WotC has yet to translat 5e to other languages) in Asia.
Why not push for a western adaption? It'd be a lot easier without so many hurtles.
Let's just think for a moment that going for the asian market is too much for Paizo to handle, that they will wait another decade to see if some Japanese publisher will pick pathfinder for local translation. That does not change the fact that for decades now, most animation is made in Asia (Japan, Korea, China and I heard lately even the Philippines and Vietnam). Yeah, even most of the cartoon network and nickelodeon franchises. For high quality animation you need to hire a japanese anime studio, unless of course you are ok with a another piece of the (lack of) quality of Dragonlance: Dragons of Autumn Twilight.
Also, for a western cartoon there is a higher hurdle, there is the expectation that it can't have graphic violence, blood or the so called adult themes (sex, drugs, politics and foul language). This on an adaption of table game that borrows a lot of elements from Robert E. Howard Conan, seems like a waste.
You're all missing the point of the anime: to introduce Golarion. Which Adventure Path would be used? Rise of the Runelords (Anniversary Edition, please)? Iron Gods? Legacy of Fire? And six Adventure Path books would be ...
I think it is a well known fact that doing adaptions is non trivial. Heck, there is an Oscar for best adapted screenplay. Dragons of Autumn Twilight is an example of a poor novel adaption. IMO adaption from other media, like comic books or visual novels requires also experience and know how. The elephant in the room here is that nobody has ever done an adventure path (or module, as we called them in the good old days™) adaption into live action or animated media, it is uncharted territory and therefore a liability in a new venture. IMO it would be safer to pay someone to make an interesting story using the Core Rulebook characters and rules plus the Golarion setting as the basic requirements.
Sundakan wrote:
Fun as it would seem, I doubt it would work. Animation is EXPENSIVE. And so is advertising. And making deals with people to air it.
For what return?
You make it sound like this idea is somehow novel and new. Yet for decades already, many light novels (which are books, just like the core rulebook) have been adapted into anime. This summer season alone I can count four (light) novel adaptions http://www.livechart.me/summer-2016/tv Don't make the assumption that only the award winning and/or most popular prose is ever made into an anime. The clear example here is Konosuba (God's Blessing on This Wonderful World! which is not about religion in the same vein The World God Only Knows isn't) which was a basically unknown, with low sales; ok, it got a low budget animation with only 11 episodes (one of the which was not broadcast and was included with the next light novel volume to maximize sales) but it was better than the old D&D cartoon by any metric you choose.
If it was such a low return endeavor we would not see each and every season new light novels being made into anime (next season I can count five, so it is far from a declining trend).
The clear advantage here is that unlike novels, the core rulebook does not become an old product on the bookshelves in only a year.
I do agree that on average the most popular animes are shounen, but there have been a handful of seinen series to become popular: One-Punch Man, Ghost in the Shell, Planetes, Chobits, Tokyo Ghoul, Mushishi, Monster, xxxHOLiC, Gantz, Elfen Lied, Berserk and Akira.
Do you want everyone as adventurers in their mid-twenties, or do we get the "chibi" version, with Seoni the nine-year-old sorceress? These are questions the studio needs answered first.
If has been said that an anime target demographic can be seen by the perceived age of the protagonists:
Chibis: Kids https://youtu.be/AJmlzlRDIZM
Teens: 13-19 https://youtu.be/afNYXz-AHBY
Adults: 20+ https://youtu.be/jMoVmSV4yA8 <-- Those drow are 20+ years old! >_<
*Gets flashback to animated Dragonlance movie, curls in a fetal position and weeps in the corner*
That is the difference between a low-cost japanese anime studio and a cheap/novice indian animation studio. Hey, I will admit that I am a bargain hunter, but doing something really cheap could damage the opinion the public at large have of Golarion (which is Paizo's most important ip atm). So having an animation studio that has successfully animated a fantasy series is basic, imo.
Also, no matter whether it is animated or live action, trying to shove twice the material into your allotted screen time is a bad, bad idea, it is always better to leave the audience asking for more than having them thinking "that did not make sense, at all".
... D&D fans have their peculiar tastes and those tastes are incredibly conservative.
You seem to be forgetting that half of the idea here is for Paizo to get into the asian market, so in a sense you are acknowledging that they need to appeal to their aesthetics aka make the artwork of japanese translated core rulebook and bestiary more anime like (and use those designs for the anime).
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You can, of course, g%& d*@n the torpedoes and ignore the traditional D&D gamer target and go for non-gamer audience, hoping it will draw them to your primary product. But this means you're trying to catch the attention of people who never heard of your brand in the first place, so you get no points for the license itself. In that event, you're trying to beat stuff like Seven Deadly Sins, SAO or even golden oldies like Escaflowne or Lodoss at their own game. Which means you need to be pretty freaking good to have a chance at getting a decent ROI here. Companies don't measure successes in Youtube views or MyAnimeList scores, they measure them in cash and new customers. And here you're not just trying to get a profit on the anime, you want to convert the customer. That's ... a whole additional layer of difficult.
Attracting younger customers (that have never played a tabletop RPG) is vital to Paizo, otherwise they risk having their userbase age and drop out of the scene, not trying at all is a ticket to oblivion.
You believe they have to beat big franchises like SAO or Attack on Titan to be successful, but that is nonsense in a world of free streaming (remember a pathfinder anime is but a 24 minute advertising), many series can be successful even if they do not have the biggest budget or a famous writer behind (i.e. Konosuba).
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And American and Japanese companies can work together, but it is usually incredibly difficult due to fundamental cultural differences in conducting business. Stuff like how a deal is struck (American way: as quickly as possible, hopefully on the first meeting, over the lunch. Japanese way: at some point during the 253th karaoke and sake binge, a year and half down the road) or how communication is handled (Americans follow the standard "24h for a response to an email, unless the roof is on fire" while for Japanese the roof is always on fire, and it's not a normal fire, it's demonic nuclear fire, and their emails must be answered within an hour tops).
Yet, every year most american animation is outsourced to asian countries, I do not mean to say it is easy, but it is feasible.
... making an anime towards a largely negative target audience.
Got any hard statistical numbers to back that? Here is an important seed for thought, there exist no such thing as a negative sale, the worst case scenario is people not buying, as simple as that. So even if you got 100 million people that hate a product, if 5 million love it and buy it, then it IS a success *cue to justin beeber*.
About what studio would be willing to do it, most anime studios are mercenaries work for hire, a production committee slaps them with a bill of money on the face http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cqOW8FssDcY and they produce the animation they are asked for. If you are thinking "american and japanese companies can't work together" please remember that for decades most american cartoons have been animated in korea, china and of course, japan. Heck, recently there was this cool collaboration with studio 4c for gumball:
Like what age group aiming for? Shonen, seinen, shoujo? And what genre even?
It is a good question, which leas us to our next question, who would write the plot? IMO a good option would be to pay Gen "The Butcher" Urobochi to do it. But whoever writes it should be seasoned writer, it would be a dire mistake to think "any plot is just fine, here, I wrote one in a napkin".
Returning to the original question, it would depend on what product does paizo wants to promote, if it is the beginner box and/or the card game, you probably want it to be "shounen", but if they want to promote the core rulebook/bestiary and/or the computer game, it should be better for it to be "seinen". As long as female characters do not have DDD cups and there is no gravity defying face on crotch scenes the female public may also get interested (specially if male characters are cool like in many sports anime).
Wei Ji the Learner wrote:
There would have to be so many safeguards on such a project, with an understanding that it would more than likely fail rather than succeed...
IF Paizo can't afford an anime (which seems odd to me since WotC can afford a live-action movie), they could at least kickstart an ova, it has been done successfully before:
Of course Paizo might have the money but starting with a smaller project might be a good idea since they have zero experience (unlike WotC that has already been part of the production of several movies).
a) Budget. Some studios specialize in flashier animations (MAPPA, Ufotable http://youtu.be/R7L1QOjv1d0 ) but those obviously are more expensive and some studios can do cheaper productions (Studio DEEN who recently did Konosuba http://youtu.be/zZ-J4eWy38U ).
Budget would also limit whether it would be just one OVA or short movie (Any remember this one about the classic computer game Wizardry? http://youtu.be/kOTHNoODYmY ) or a full fledged one cour (10-13 episodes, 24 minutes each) season.
2) Connections. Paizo would need some kind of broker to get some budget estimates. Also, some studios might want more freedom (as in, yeah, give us the characters and setting material and we will do the story and everything else) while others might be ok with supervision during the whole ordeal.
The thing is that Miyazaki would cost a lot more than your average director. It's like asking for Steven Spielberg to direct the next D&D movie for WotC. But there are lots of good anime directors out there judging by all the fantasy anime being done lately.
Lately there have been quite a bit anime adaptions of light novels with fantasy rpg elements (Grimgar, Overlod), not to mention animes about card games (Rage of Bahamut: Genesis, Wixoss) or computer games (Hyperdimension Neptunia, Tales of Zestiria).
It is quite obvious that this animated series are 24 minutes advertisements, so it boggles the mind that Paizo has not done their own. It would help to improve sales of many products.
1) It could help introduce Pathfinder in the Japanese (and other asian) market(s). Pathfinder has been translated to other languages, but not the H-U-G-E japanese market, that is akin of microsoft never selling windows in the asian market.
2) It could help advertise the Pathfinder card game.
3) It could help advertise the pathdfinder computer game Obsidian is making. If you are thinking "hey, that one will be released in one or two years"; well, if Paizo starts working in making an anime it will be released in one or two years also.
Remember that nowadays any anime is streamed almost simultaneously, so the advertisement would include as many countries as Paizo allows. If an english dub is also made it might even be shown in traditional channels like Toonami.
Yeah, I know making anime is worth a little fortune, but also doing computer games and IMO they go hand in hand quite well, if successful enough a Pathfinder themed anime might pay at least partially for itself (in disc sales and streaming rights royalties), unlike regular advertisement where you have to get your money back in sales of the advertised product.
Also, as I said before, an animated series is advertisement that could still be shown on YV years down the road (like the D&D Cartoon) so it is like the energizer bunny, it keeps going and going ...
p.s. It would also help get young new players into pathfinder.
The pocket editions are exactly the same in layout as their hardcover companions so if you could separate the HC version in such a way then you'll be able to do the same to the pocket edition (and if not, then not).
Thanks for the reply, but as I am digital only atm (I have plenty of dead tree books of 3.5 and earlier), I lack the first hand experience needed to be able to use the information you provide.
Can this softcover be easily cut and subdivided into three books? Chapter 1-8 (player's handbook), chapters 9-10 (spellbook) and 11-15) DM Guide? If chapters 8-9 and 10-11 are neatly separated in this softcover then the I could ask a local shop to bind them separately into three small hardcovers.
The sun had barely cleared the horizon when Buenaventura woke with a half-hearted sigh. Wooden piers creaked under the weight of early-morning laborers hauling crates of cacao, salted fish, and crates whose contents no one asked too many questions about. Brigs and schooners swayed gently against their moorings, their hulls weathered and patched like the sailors who called them home. From the governor’s palace, whitewashed walls flaking in the heat, a flag fluttered weakly in the humid breeze, a reminder that Spain still claimed authority—though whispers from the jungle suggested that claim was fragile.
The air was thick and warm, carrying the smell of saltwater, rotting seaweed, and wet earth, mixed with smoke from cooking fires, tar from ship repairs, and the occasional tang of damp jungle vines encroaching on the settlement. Somewhere down a muddy alley, a child shrieked, chased by a small pack of dogs, while in the distance, church bells rang a slow, uneven call to Mass. Every surface glistened with moisture from the night’s brief tropical shower, and the heat clung to clothing like a second skin.
Buenaventura thrummed with life and tension. Soldiers, sunburned and wary, patrolled the wooden streets, eyes flicking to shadowy taverns where merchants whispered in low tones. Indigenous traders drifted through the market stalls, silent and watchful, noting who moved where. Rumors of uprisings elsewhere in New Granada floated on the air, as pervasive as the scent of mangroves carried in by the wind.
You stand now at the edge of this chaotic port, the city sprawling before you, each district a choice:
The Docks: Ships, sailors, and contraband. Smugglers’ eyes watch every crate and sailor.
The Plaza: The governor’s palace, the church, and a scattering of shops. Rumors and official orders pass like coins in hand.
The Alleyways and Stilt Houses: The crowded, muddy paths of everyday life, where whispers hide in the shadows.
The Jungle Edges: Overgrown paths leading to maroon settlements and Indigenous villages, rich with secrets, danger, and opportunity.
The city waits. Its humid air presses against your skin. Every sound, smell, and movement could be a clue—or a trap. Where do you go first? Please introduce your character and describe your entrance or role in the city and where you are:
This is a recruitment for a Espionage game based during the Liberation Era in South America:
Here is what I have been working on for SWADE:
⚔️ Savage Worlds: Wars of Liberation
“Liberty is the dream. You are its shadow.”
1. Setting Premise
South America, 1810–1830 — the continent is on fire.
Old empires crumble, new republics rise, and secret wars are fought in taverns, churches, and mountain passes.
Players are Agents of the Cause — spies, soldiers, priests, freed slaves, sailors, and adventurers working for (or against) independence movements led by Bolívar, San Martín, O’Higgins, Artigas, or foreign interests like Britain or France.
Tone: Swashbuckling grit meets spycraft and revolution — “Sharpe” meets “The Liberator,” with a hint of “Assassin’s Creed: Liberation.”
⚙️ 2. Core Rules Adjustments (SWADE-Compatible)
SWADE doesn’t need heavy overhauls; it just needs period flavor and a few new mechanics for Espionage and Ideals.
✴️ New Derived Trait: Faith
Reflects belief in your cause or moral conviction.
Start at d4 unless you have the True Believer Edge (see below).
Can be rolled for rallying speeches, resisting interrogation, or invoking moral authority.
When your Faith is broken (through betrayal, doubt, or failure), you lose a Benny and roll on the Disillusion Table (see below).
✴️ Optional Rule: Reputation
Like Streetwise, but measures fame or infamy.
Use for recognition rolls, crowd influence, or smuggling favors.
3. Archetypes / Sample Roles
Archetype Description Typical Edges
Revolutionary Spy Double agent spreading propaganda and intel. Investigator, Streetwise, Connections
Guerrilla Fighter Skilled with ambushes and terrain. Woodsman, Marksman, Brave
Foreign Adventurer British, Irish, or American soldier of fortune. Command, Linguist, Charismatic
Patriot Officer Idealist turned soldier. Natural Leader, Tactician, Common Bond
Jesuit Scholar Priest, cryptographer, or confessor. Scholar, Faith (Miracles optional), Linguist
Freed Slave or Indigenous Scout Knows the land and its spirits. Woodsman, Danger Sense, Spirit Warrior (custom Edge)
4. Period Equipment
Weapon Range Damage RoF Notes
Flintlock Pistol 5/10/20 2d6+1 1 Reload 1 Action
Musket 12/24/48 2d8 1 Reload 2 Actions
Saber — Str+d6 — Parry +1
Dagger — Str+d4 — Concealable
Black Powder Bomb SBT 3d6 — Dangerous misfire on 1
Armor is rare — mostly leather or officer’s breastplates (Armor +1/+2).
5. New Skills / Specializations
Most standard SWADE skills apply. Add flavor options:
Spycraft (Smarts) — Covers infiltration, forgery, and codes.
Oratory (Spirit) — Public speeches, persuasion, or demagoguery.
Riding & Navigation — Essential for couriers and scouts.
Faith (Spirit) — As moral conviction, not necessarily divine miracles.
️ 6. New Edges & Hindrances
Edges
True Believer (Background)
You burn with conviction. Start with Faith d6. Once per session, you can spend a Benny to automatically succeed at a Spirit-based Persuasion or Faith roll to inspire allies.
Network of Sympathizers (Professional)
You maintain a secret network. Once per session, make a Smarts roll to obtain shelter, false papers, or local intel.
Guerrilla Commander (Leadership)
Allies under your command ignore up to 2 points of Unstable Platform or Difficult Terrain penalties when fighting in familiar terrain.
Polyglot (Background)
You can communicate in any three major languages (Spanish, Quechua, Portuguese, English, French, or Guarani).
Faithful to the Cause (Combat Edge)
If you spend a Benny to Soak damage, you also regain +1 Faith (max d12).
Hindrances
Haunted by War (Major) — Roll Spirit each time you kill a helpless foe or innocent; failure imposes –1 to all Trait rolls for a day.
Divided Loyalty (Minor/Major) — You serve two causes, or a personal tie (family, love, faith) conflicts with your orders.
Enemy of the Crown (Minor/Major) — Spanish or Portuguese intelligence is actively hunting you.
Fanatic (Major) — You will not question your orders or cause, even when immoral.
️ 7. Disillusion Table (when Faith is Broken)
d6 Effect
1 Desertion — you flee the field or go missing for a time.
2 Guilt — take –1 to Spirit rolls until you redeem yourself.
3 Drink or Vice — suffer –2 to Notice for a day.
4 Confession — you reveal a secret under duress.
5 Revenge — target an ally who “failed” the cause.
6 Rebirth — regain Faith, but with a new ideology or faction.
⚔️ 8. Campaign Frameworks
Style Description Notes
Revolutionary Espionage Spies and couriers serving Bolívar or San Martín. Cold-war tone in a warm climate.
The Hidden War Guerrillas fighting across jungles and mountains. Tactical, survival-driven.
Courts & Conspiracies Nobles, clergy, and foreign diplomats in Lima or Buenos Aires. Focus on intrigue and double agents.
The Continental Army Soldiers of liberty marching from the Andes to the coast. Military epic meets personal drama.
9. Adventure Hooks
“The Viceroy’s Code” — Decode a captured royalist cipher before the fleet reaches Callao.
“The Priest’s Confession” — A Jesuit confessor knows the location of a hidden armory — but revealing it breaks his vows.
“The British Envoy” — Escort a foreign diplomat across the Andes without revealing that one of you is a traitor.
“Songs of Liberty” — A folk ballad spreads revolution; the Inquisition seeks its author.
“The Shadow of Bolívar” — Someone assassinates a patriot in the Liberator’s name — was it sanctioned?
️ 10. Optional Subsystems
Espionage Clocks
Use SWADE’s Dramatic Task system for spy ops:
5 tokens = success.
Each roll represents a phase: infiltration, deception, escape.
Failures add “Alert” tokens; at 3 Alerts, guards close in.
Guerrilla Warfare as Mass Battle
Use SWADE’s Mass Battle rules but add terrain and morale modifiers:
+1 if fighting on home ground.
–1 if facing superior artillery.
Each round, characters may perform Heroic Actions (blow a bridge, capture a banner, sabotage powder).
11. Tone & Themes
“The ink of independence is blood and smoke.”
Themes:
Faith versus Pragmatism
Betrayal among revolutionaries
The birth of nations through shadow deeds
Liberty as both a dream and a weapon
Mood:
Romantic Patriotism, Candlelit Intrigue, Powder Smoke and Thunder.
️ 12. Setting Quick Reference
Faction Description
Bolívar’s Northern Army Visionary, ruthless; seeks unity through strength.
San Martín’s Andean Corps Stoic, idealistic, focused on Peru’s liberation.
Royalist Forces Loyal to Spain or Portugal; disciplined, fading empire.
Foreign Agents British, American, or French spies shaping outcomes.
Church & Inquisition Power brokers torn between faith and freedom.
So I am looking for 4-6 revolutionaries(loyalists) to make their characters. What do you guys think?
I have been Gming on Paizo boards for a long time and I was wondering if there were any interest in playing in a Top Secret Spy game as PbP.
I have always loved playing in and running games dealing with spycraft and the like, so I was thinking about some different ideas of historical periods in which to have as the game's setting.
My ideas are:
WW1 either at the beginning or in the middle.
1970s or 1980s Cold War
Liberation Period South America 1810s-1830s
The Hussite Wars or 30 Years War era.
What system you might ask? Either Top Secret or Something else. I have been working on some Home Brew to make historical periods more fun.
This is the largest city in the region. There might be others somewhere in Meriga that are larger, but nobody around here knows of them. It boasts a population of 30,000 sentients. It is an open city, where any genotype can enter the city and be welcome. At least, that is the law. In practice, like in any other town, there is a certain amount of intolerance towards "the other guys", who are defined differently by each group, by some sectors of the population. In general, though, the different genotypes get along well enough. The city is divided into different districts. The market district is one of the busiest in Meriga, with many adventurers & traders travelling many miles to get here to trade their wares or buy artefacts from the many vendors. The residential districts are segregated with one area populated by True Men, and others for Altered Ones, New Animals and Green Folk. The fringes of all these districts are populated by a mixtures of all these genotypes. The unlucky ones, the ones whose mutations are useless or even degenerative fill the slum areas of all these districts, sometimes they are taken for fight pits in less civilized villages and towns, for the amusement of the population that lives there. The slums make no distinction between human, animal or plant, and neither do the pit masters. The city itself has a low stone wall (3m tall), which is just high enough to keep out roving animals and prevent an invading army from just walking in. Cannons are mounted ait intervals along the wall. Governor Slyer has foiled three separate attempts by the Peace Brigade to improve the defenses of the city. he wants the city to remain an open city and not become a fortress. One of the principal influential groups in Ascension is the Restorationists.
Please introduce your character and what you are doing in the city to start
Praise be Zakhara, jewel of the sun, pillar of the rock, prince of all nations, sire of all wisdom, center of the firmament, whose sands are more dazzling than gold, whose springs are sweeter than the honey of bees, whose oceans are deeper than the void of Basim.
Revered be the Loregiver, mother of all knowledge, confounder of genies, deceiver of gods, she whose Fate is that which was given her. Honored be the Grand Caliph, blood of First Caliph, worthy of the gods, giant among men, scourge of the unbeliever, confidant of the genie-races. (And praised be, too, the genies of the four quarters and the genies of the four elements, that they may find pleasure in this tale.) It has reached me, O wise readers, that once there were, somewhere within the great city of Muluk a....
I tried to do this under the name AL-Qadim which is a really cool setting in the Forgotten Realms planet.
I am looking for six heroes up for going mentally toe to toe with Djinn, Jann, Dao and the other creatures of the Land of Fate.
2E AD&D, I am extremely generous going with 5d6 drop the lowest two.
Out of a party of six, I will be cool with two members being Outlanders.( Not from Zakhara)
You have been summoned by Admiral Franklin from whatever fun activities you have been enjoying on Absalom Station at The Fleets office at the station. You know something important is about to step off but you are not sure what because this request is somewhat abnormal. The Fleet has been fairly quiet lately and there has not been much call for such secrecy whatsoever.
Maybe there is an extraterrestial invasion imminent or something else.
Please describe your characters and such. I assume that you are being assembled by the Fleet for this mission and that your characters do not necessarily know each other personally but maybe by reputation.
The Fleet has discovered a new World! It was deemed suitable for Terraforming and colonization. If at first harsh; it is represents the ingenuity of the fleet. In rapid succession, experts designed the colony and sent robots to build the station overlooking the M class planet Kask.
The robots were busy constructing the outpost overhead. Where thousands of colonists would train before they set up the colony on the planet below. Exhaustive testing confirmed that all features of the station were nominal and the first shiploads of staff (mostly admin and trainers) were prepared to move in.
Then, suddenly, all communication and telemetry from the station fell silent.
"Fleet, this is Sigma One Delta. We have a problem."
The message continues and "Planet Kask Station is silent.... We have a Dark Outpost"
What we have here is Dark Science Fiction/Fantasy which is one of my all time personal adventures and I am excited to run this game here on the boards using the new Star Finder rule set.
What I am looking for is a crew of six, maybe seven 20 pt bought, 2nd level characters to make up a team of Space Rekkes.
Wealth per level is appropriate for level 2. Any takers?
On 16 August. William S. Long, the editor of Puzzlements magazine, received a letter from Laszlo Baracsik, a colleague of his from Debrecen, Hungary. It relayed a curious comment concerning an acquaintance from the Soviet Union. Mr. Long, who is also president of the World Puzzlers' Association, consulted a fellow member who worked in Washington D.C., as a cryptographer for the Defense Intelligence Agency. Long's message was passed up channels, and he was eventually summoned to a conference with the control agent for Section Mercury, the Eastern Europe bureau of NATO's International Security Bureau.
The relevant part of the letter, translated from German, read as follows:
" ... and you will, of course, remember our friend from the Soviet Union, Mr. Lerekhov. He has little time to write, since his work has him detained. He has found a few defects in his solution for the Schmidt Puzzles, and would like suggestions from his colleagues elsewhere. He will, of course, be at the convention ... "
The name Andrei Lerekhov is not unknown to the ISB; he is responsible for significant portions of the Soviet military's codes, and is also the inventor of the "Lerekhov Loop," a new type of spatial puzzle every Western toy and hobby producer is eager to get the rights to.
"Schmidt" is the name of an East German puzzle expert who fled to West Berlin two years ago. That, and Mr. Baracsik's use of the terms "detain," "defect," and "suggestions from colleagues elsewhere," could mean that Lerekhov wants to defect and that he is trying to make contact with people in the West who could assist him.
The convention Baracsik referred to is the European Puzzle Editors' Conference, to be held this year in conjunction with the Socialist Puzzle Experts' Association convention in Budapest.
If Lerekhov wishes to defect, he is an important prize the Soviets will not want to let go; he must be removed from the Iron Curtain with a minimum of delay. Your team must accomplish the following objectives:
1.) Verify Lerekhov's identity and intent to defect.
2.) Isolate him from any escort and/or surveillance in such a way that some lead time is gained against an alert or pursuit.
3.) Get Lerekhov safely out of Eastern Europe by the fastest available means.
The most desirable course of action would be simply to try and get Lerekhov out on a commercial flight, disguised as a tourist. But that may not be possible if public transport is under surveillance; in that case, contacts will help you with other arrangements to get Lerekhov to the West.
This is a delicate time: sensitive East-West negotiations are under way in Stockholm, and the Red Army is conducting a series of maneuvers in Czechoslovakia. For these reasons, no connection between the agents on this mission and the United States can exist, nor can the Czechoslovakian border be crossed under any circumstances. The former will create an international incident and the latter result in certain capture.
You will be provided with cover identities and booked into the hotel. Once there, you will each obtain a "Lerekhov Loop," which is available behind the Iron Curtain, and leave it in your rooms. A contact in the hotel will use it to give you messages coded into the configuration of the puzzle. Secure your cover by acting in character with your identities; you may receive help from unexpected sources-special contacts are already at work preparing the ground-but you will be needed to get him out.
The convention will last for three days; the best time for removing Lerekhov will be Sunday afternoon. Your objectives are as follows:
FRI: Locate Lerekhov·s room and search out its surveillance. Identify any guards or agents watching Lerekhov
SAT: You will be contacted and told whether or not Lerekhov intends to defect. If the word is "go," contact outside sources to prepare an escape to the West.
SUN: Before the final event of the day, remove Lerekhov from he hotel and get him on his way. If he intends to defect.
Your coach was a swinging and swaying cage of the most sumptuous description - an imposing cradle on wheels. It was drawn by six handsome horses, and by the side of the driver sat the 'conductor,' the legitimate captain of the craft; for it was his business to take charge and care of the mails, baggage, express
matter, and passengers. You four were the only passengers this trip. You sat on the back seat, inside. About all the rest of the coach was full of mail bags - for you had three days' delayed mail with you. Almost touching your knees, a perpendicular wall of mail matter rose up to the roof. There was a great pile of it strapped on top of the stage, and both the fore and hind boots were full. You had twenty-seven hundred pounds of it aboard, the driver said - 'a little for Brigham, and Carson, and 'Frisco, but the heft of it for the Injuns, which is powerful troublesome 'thout they get plenty truck to read.' But as he just then got up a fearful convulsion of his countenance which was suggestive of a wink being swallowed by an earthquake, you guessed that his remark was intended to be facetious , and to mean that we would unload the most of our mail matter somewhere on the Plains and leave it to the Indians, or whosoever wanted it.
You changed horses every ten miles, all day long, and fairly flew over the hard, level road. We jumped out and stretched our legs every time the coach stopped, and so the night found us still vivacious and unfatigued.
Please introduce your character and where along the line from Dodge City to Dead Mule you climbed aboard.
Hi I am GMEdwin and I really enjoy running games. I have been a GM on these boards for over 4 years.
I generally like to keep games running but have decided running APs are really difficult and take forever. Although I do love my Zeitgeist game and have been running that one for over 3 years.
I am interested in running one of three things: Boothill an old school cowboy game from TSR, Top Secret an old school Spy Game or run the Dark Outpost which is a sci fi module that is a ton of fun.
Torch takes its name from the violet flame that burns atop its central hill. The fires ignited spontaneously in 4602 AR, and for nearly a year they lanced into the sky, forming a purple column of fire that could be seen for miles around. By 4604, the flames had died down to a man-sized bonfire, leaving the top of the hill blasted and blackened. Several industrious locals soon discovered the flame's heat possessed two unusual qualities-it was hot enough to smelt skymetal ores and work with difficult materials like adamantine, and the fires themselves radiated a strangely directional heat. A chunk of wood thrown a dozen feet over the fires would instantly burst into flame, yet a piece of paper set a foot from the bonfire's edge would not even smolder.
This unique combination of traits made the fire a perfect forge. After a few sudden flare-ups resulted in the tragic incineration of several smiths and their partially completed forges, the townsfolk learned how to interpret the flares and flashes that presaged such an eruption. Rather than build permanent structures around the fire, they came to rely upon portable workshops transported up the hill via wagon or carriage, so that when the fire began one of its unpredictable surges, the smiths could retreat to safety to wait for the blast of fire to recede.
One of the more popular hangouts in Torch, the Foundry Tavern was aptly named. Its owner, Khonnir Baine, used to make frequent appearances to demonstrate new inventions here- whether mechanical or magical. The tavern itself was always packed, and Khonnir rented out space in his neighboring foundry for visiting smiths and metalworkers to use.
Now with Khonnir gone missing for the last two days, the tavern was a far cry from its glory days. Indeed, strange events had befallen the town of Torch lately.
Arguably, the most important recent event in Torch was the loss of the town's eponymous feature. A strange violet flame had long burned atop the hill the town was built around, and these fires burned hot enough to allow the smelting of skymetal. This had given Torch a singular source of income. Smiths, metalworkers, and scavengers from miles around came to Torch to use its flame to smelt and work with skymetals. Now and then, the flame had pulsed and blasted a beam of fire into the skies above town, during which time it was not safe to be atop the hill, but until a week ago, the flame had never gone out. Now it had, and no one in town knew why.
Without the flame, the town's primary source of income had been removed, and with a number of significant tithes to the Technic League coming due soon, the town's leaders were growing desperate to re-light the violet fires.
One of Torch's most beloved leaders, the wizard Khonnir Baine, discovered strange activity in a number of hitherto unknown caves below the city's central hill, and even recovered a deactivated automaton now stored in his home behind his tavern, The Foundry. But when Khonnir returned to these strange caves to try to learn more, he vanished. The town has grown increasingly desperate for answers, and now looked for the return of their missing wizard as well, but with so many other local and visiting adventurers having gone missing in the caves, fewer and fewer volunteers were stepping forward.
But on a more personal level, someone’s dad had gone missing.
It was mid-morning when Val Baine finished writing the five notes and hoped beyond hope that they would be heeded. The notes were simple; they asked the person to come to lunch at the Foundry Tavern later that day. She then called over a couple of the kids she fed in her tavern and asked them to deliver the notes. Once the kids left, she got busy preparing lunch.
please tell us about receiving the ‘note’ from Val; possible things to include are:
- what you were doing;
- how you reacted;
- describe you're ‘getting ready’; and
- anything else you want to add. Write how your character might know Val, when you came into town if you are not from the village and so on.
Here is the situation; last week or so I posted a recruitment for either Gamma World or Iron Gods and now I have decided to do both so this is a formal IG thread.
What you'll need to do
- read the players guide. This is a very different feel to normal Golarion.
- create a character using 15 point buy, no more than one stat less than ten before racial mods. 150 gold starting. Two traits, one must be from the campaign itself.
- no third party material.
- if your build includes something not from the PRD on this website, please include a reference from where it comes.
- apart from the alternate races suggested in the players guide, only core races allowed (from the CRB)
This is a party based game. I'm going to choose 4 players with that in mind. General areas to be covered are Melee, arcanists, divine caster, skill player.
When you create your character please let me know which role you see them filling. I know some classes can be a number of roles, but I want you specifying where you really , want to be in he the party.
Gunslingers are good for this one I believe. There are many types of gun weapons coming out of this area. However, start as if you have emerging weapons and I'll work it out from there as we go.
I'm going to run this one as the module lays it out this time. Not much modding from me except to better tie your characters into the game at times.
This is a PbP, so roleplay and character development are going to be important.
I expect a post daily from players. 7 days a week would be great, but probably impossible to keep. So I propose at least 6 posts a week, one per day.
If you miss that I'll NPC an action for you in combat situations. In social situations it's not likely to be as time consuming.
These games take time. However I plan to keep the pace going well.
I can create decent maps and post them, but my time constraints will determine if I can maintain that or not in the campaign. There may be times where we have to go mapless
I will choose the 5 players who I feel best fit the criteria above. Back story is very important at this stage.
Far-Go is dying...the people are afraid...the animals are wasting away...the crops are withering in the fields. No one, not even the
powerful high priest, Arx Skystone, knows what has caused Far-Go's misfortune.
You are part of a group of young adventurers about to embark on the mysterious and perilous Rite of Adulthood. As you travel
through the savage wilderness, all you have to guide you are your wits...your strength...and your dreams!!
My campaign has gone underwater and since I generally map the fights, I was wondering if there is any tools or such to map out the 3d element of the fight.
The Fleet has ordered you to investigate the now unresponsive Planet Kask Outpost Station and has provided you with a scout ship for said purpose.
In the current human fleet configuration, recon ships are not armed with ship to ship weaponry, these are observe and report vessels with massive drive systems to get in and out of trouble quickly as well as even larger stealth drives. Using all the stealth technology mankind has to offer, these ships are used to penetrate the veil doing deep reconnaisance, gathering information without being detected. These have the fastest engines known to the fleet.
Your Alpha Scout Ship called the Upsilon carries a 12 person crew where six man the ship while the others sleep. The ship may be operated with less than six and even a lone person. There is enough room for any arms and equipment you wish to bring with you. It has a command cabin at the front, where five members of the crew are located most of the time, a galley where meals are prepared, behind that is the sleeping section and recreation area and behind that is the engine room where one member of the crew is normally stationed and the absolute aft is the storage area for gear and the airlock.
====== Orders from The Admiral -- Battle Fleet One! ======
Scout Ship Sigma is thirty days overdue in reporting to the fleet on the colonization station above Planet Kask.
The station should be up and running and ready to process colonists.
We have had no report from the station nor from the Sigma, who were to have initiated initiated its functions.
As the lead Fleet Recon Squad, you are to take your team and discern the status of the Station and the crew of the Sigma.
Send report drones with full details.
Proceed with extreme caution!
Admiral Franklin
Feel free to introduce your characters or make contact with Admiral Franklin, or access the computer for extra data.
It has been about ten years since Cordell and the Golden Legion crossed the Trackless Sea and carved out a niche in Payit. This niche is called New Amn and its capital is the dual settlement of ULATOS/HELMSPORT:
These two locations are growing together with each passing day. Helmsport is a great earthen redoubt, rectangular
in shape and housing armories, a blacksmith shop, stables, barns,
granaries, and about 300 men-at-arms living in tents. It
commands the shore of Ulatos Lagoon, which is a splendid
anchorage, a natural harbor for the ships that come with increasing
frequency to these shores.
An expanse of grassy plain, perhaps five miles long, separates
the fortress from the Payit city. This plain is now crossed by several roads, and the savannah itself is being farmed intensively.
Ulatos itself is a city of grandeur. It boasts many tall pyramids, though some of these still show the damage inflicted by Bishop Domincus and his faithful followers upon the
Legion's entry into the city. The pyramid of Qotal is the highest, and bright gardens and splashing streams cascade down all four of its sides Several broad canals give access to the city, and serve as avenues from the central market to the outlying areas. The tallest pyramids surround this plaza, together with the palace of the Revered Counsellor. This is, once again, Caxal,the counsellor who presided at the time of Cordell's arrival. Now,
however, he is little more than a figurehead, and his people know
this.
Gardens, pools, and fountains are common throughout this city, with
its many buildings of stone.
Welcome to a land of vast beauty
and fierce savagery; a land of magnificent opportunities . . . and
dark menaces. It is truly a New World, only now cast open before
the adventurers footsteps.
At least, it is new to those adventurers who hail from the
Sword Coast, and other known
regions of the Forgotten Realms. But
for some, it is the land they have
always known, the place of their
heritage and ancestryand now,
the place of their very uncertain
future.
Maztica is a land of varying
cultures, with unique treasures and
magics. It is strangely vulnerable to
the powers of the Old World, yet it is
resilient as well. It bends without
breaking to the pressures exerted
upon it, and in so doing it combines
the strongest features of its native
cultures with the strongest aspects
of the invaders.
Journey there now, as creatures
and cultures come together to make
a new placea land that all types of
adventurers can call their own.
Alright, enough of the straight marketing, let's get down to the meat and potatoes. I played Maztica back when I was a teen and I thought it was great, albeit a bit before its time. In the 90s, TSR got a little bit too overzealous with the setting ideas but that is why it is interesting, the setting, I mean.
Character Creation:
In end effect, I would like a mixed Faerun/Maztican party of five maybe six adventurers at level 1 in 2nd edition rules. This means that all Faerunese character classes and races are available, however, Mazticans have some special options and restrictions.
What I am saying is, if you want to have a Kara Turian Wu-Jen Sorceror, do it. If you want to play a wayward seafarer, ala Sinbad the sailor from Zakhara, that is also ok.
BUT, Mazticans have restrictions and options, native Mazticans can only be Dwarves, Humans, Halflings and Half Orcs.
They cannot be wizards or mages, however, there is some really interesting native magic to Maztica. You can play an Eagle or Jaguar knight which eventually gives you the ability to turn into either one of those animals. Rogues can be Plumeweavers or...
Spoiler:
Characters from Maztica have
options to become Warriors, Priests,
or Rogues. Wizards and wizardry in
the traditional sense are not known
in Maztica, except as imported from
the Sword Coast. Character Kits
expanding the Warrior and the
Rogue classes are given after
Maztican proficiencies.
WARRIORS are the most common
type of adventuring character. They
can use all Maztican weapons, and
progress at the normal rates of
experience. If warrior kits from the
Complete Fighter.s Handbook are
used, the Barbarian, the Berserker,
the Savage, and the Wilderness
Warrior are all eligible for use with
Maztican fighters. In addition, Eagle
Knight and Jaguar Knight are new
kits, introduced later in this chapter.
PRIESTS of the True World can be
devoted to any of the major
Maztican gods. The spheres of
influence allowed by each, together
with specific benefits, requirements,
and explanations can be found in
the Gods and Battles book. In
general, however, these are the
most common faiths:
Maztica, the Earth Goddess
(Neutral; her followers are druids)
Qotal, the Feathered Dragon
(Lawful Good)
Zaltec, God of War (Chaotic Evil)
Azul, Giver of Rain (Lawful Evil)
Tezca, Sun God (Chaotic Evil)
Plutoq, God of Stone
(Lawful Neutral)
Kiltzi, Goddess of Health and Love
(Chaotic Good)
Watil, Goddess of Plants
(Neutral Good)
Nula, Queen Mother of Animals
(Chaotic Neutral)
Maztican priests can be
embellished by information in the
Complete Priest.s Handbook. The
Savage Priest kit from that book
lends itself to priests from tribes of
the Dog People. Other kits can be
tailored specifically for use in
Maztica.
ROGUES are a slightly awkward
character class for Maztica, since
the concept of personal property is
so much less in evidence in the True
World. However, they exist in so
much as they are adventurous
individuals who have developed
their skills in a broader direction
than mere warfare. The bard is
particularly appropriate, if one
considers him in the context of
storyteller and historian.
The Acrobat and the Scout kits
from the Complete Thief.s
Handbook can be used for Maztican
Rogues.
Maztican Rogues do not have the
pickpocket ability of their .civilized.
cousins. Reading languages for any
Maztican rogue is limited to
Maztican languages.of course,
from those areas where
picture-writing has been developed.
Thief characters do not possess the
open locks skill. Two kits for specific types of
rogues the Hishnashaper and the
Plumaweaver.
According to the rules from the Players Skills and Options book, I suggest Method VIII: The player assigns 24d6 among a character’s six ability scores. Each
ability score must have at least 3d6, but no more 6d6, devoted to it. If the player desires a
character with a high Strength, he could devote 4d6, 5d6, or even 6d6 to that ability.
Next, the appropriate number of dice are rolled for each ability, and the total of the three
highest results become the score. Any and all other dice rolled for that ability are
discarded.
The adventure will start off in the new city of Helmsport-Ulatos that was founded by the great/infamous Cordell and it is a gateway to the rest of the Realms, including Kara-Tur or Zakhara, if you wish. I mean Ninjas or Djinnis in the world of Dog People... amazing.
Out of work, out of luck, out of time, out of choices and out of resources... three distinctively different creatures have somehow someway made their way into this saloon, the dewing-ed blight. The walls constructed from rusted formerly painted aluminum with uneven insignia of the ancients: a running horse etched one part of a wall and strangely on another a weird jumping deer with spikes for antlers on another which appears to have originally been blue or even faded green.
Since it is mid-morning the bar is only barely open, with what looks like a pure strain human cleaning ceramic cups behind the bar and a sleeping bush humanoid sleeping in a chair with a sprawling tentacle or a root rolled out, outside the doors to the bar keeping the doors ajar inserted in the brown clay colored dirt outside.
The words of Tiadora ""Come, my lords, your ship awaits. Try not to burn this one." repeats in your minds until the demon gives you a look that makes you think... We probably should get going
She leads you to the dock of a ramshackle river barge called “Halstyn’s Folly” tied to Lake Tarik’s bank. The captain and the three man crew
of this shallow-bottomed barge are all thoroughly under
Tiadora’s control. They do not seem to notice that you are there and they are certainly no threat.
Tiadora will tolerate no delay. “The master commands you board. You will learn more later.”
I know generally speaking these forums are usually for player advocacy, but when as a GM do you say, "alright this isn't working for me anymore" and you say to the players "things need to change or I am done."
I have been playing with a group on Sundays since October, finished two modules for them and I said, "Hey, can someone else GM for a couple of weeks to give me a break?"
And they said that they would like to continue their character arcs. So I tried to ranger on but after two sessions and I would prepare some encounters and they say "Fighting again" and I just don't want to do it anymore.
I feel if they just gave me the opportunity to play for a couple of weeks I will be ok but they said "Let's not play at all for two weeks and then we can restart." Which I think defeats the purpose really. I feel I need some inspiration.....
After GMing JR to mixed results, I have been playing in Reign of Winter.
The group has stayed the same just I am no longer running the game. One of our players seems to have a problem with making a character that is effective, or better yet makes their character obtuse or more of a liability to the party than an asset.
First, the person made a cleric who was an anticleric chose the option that disallowed using CLW to substitute other spells. And only begrudgingly used her positive energy to help the party.
After two months, the player decided that they didn't like their character and made one of the weakest in power sorcerors I have ever seen all the while complaining that the rest of the party was too bad ass in comparison.
When I was GMing the player, they decided to stop taking levels in druid and took this thing called a brightness seeker which basically left the character falling further and further behind in effectiveness as the campaign went on.
I and the rest of the party would rather the character either rp their quirks but not complain that our characters get the job done or make their character more effective.
A lone hero named Streamer who had eliminated the young Black Dragon Broken Fang and was present during part of the time of the Festival came out of retirement to take on a mission from the town of Sandpoint and brought with him a Garundi fighter named Makron Tek and a Cleric named Pixie Lips, saved the halfling ranger named Walthus Proudstump from the Faceless Stalker and started their attack on the goblins of the marsh.
They were met by a young Alchemist by the name of Morvius Mrack in the goblin village where they were then able to eliminate them all and find a map of the marsh to find the chief's treasure. Exploring further in the swamp led the group to a cave filled with skeletons all armed with swords from Tian Xia. Defeating their leader, the group found a message written in the language of Tian Xia and decided to show it to their friend Ameiko who could potentially be able to read the document.
Ameiko read the scroll being a message from her grandfather to her late father written 30 years prior gave her the idea to pay her buddy Sandru to launch a caravan to Brinewall Castle to see what happened to her gramps. They were then joined by a Blazko and a Baba Giza on their journey to Brinewall. The group found a secret entrance to the castle and was able to EVENTUALLY,(after deposing a lot of corbies, a yamagushi tengu, harpy and f@@#ing around with a catapult) get the Warding Box with the Amatatsu Seal conferring scion-ship upon all those present, with a plethora of disturbing visions to wit.
Book 2
Ameiko after being in a coma for the castle affair, felt her family's history needed to be researched and they decided to go to Kalsgard and onward to Minkai. Book 2 was one of upheaval because lots of party members decided that going back to Sandpoint was best for them. Highlights included, breaking into a Jarl's house extorting information from his wife, breaking onto a viking funeral ship to get back a Katana sword only to be bushwhacked by ninjas.
They then murdered a bunch of guild members for kidnapping their Varki friend and then found the location of their nemesis in a castle outside of town. Along the way, a half-elf druid named Treebark joined the group.
Fighting some ogre mages and an oni they were able to retrieve Ameiko's sword and the guide they required to cross the Crown.
Along the way they befriended a Were-bear.
Intermezzo:
The group stays in Kalsgard for a month, acquiring the proper equipment for the trek across the north pole and sells Ravenscraig fortress for a fine bit of cash.
As the group left the Lands of the Linnorm Kings and entered the Crown they were magically whisked off to another plane by the Baleful coven in which the PCs had to fight a mother scorned for the death of her ogre mage boy, hag and another witch.
Book 3:
After defeating the coven, the group advanced north eventually coming across the last major settlement of the north, Iqualiat, which was being tormented by an evil shaman, who no one knew was actually evil and a white dragon. They dispelled the possessed Naquun, who joined the party and eventually killed the shaman and the white dragon.
Continuing forward the cult's leader who was trying to destroy the world with wild wind storms. The party entered her tower ranger style where the ½ ork cleric fell. They defeated the evil sylph and moved onward into the snow. Where they were being followed by an army of undead creatures. Thanks to the help of a long dead hero they were able to defeat the army.
The cleric as crazy as he was bum rushed a gigantic spider and died for his try. The party then advanced into the Yeti caves and fought off scores of undead and the druid was able to charm the yeti king to allowing them pass.
Book 4:
Finally reaching the Dragon Empires section of Golarion, the party was welcomed to Ordhu-Agenhei in the nation of Hongal and was made guests of honor for the princes festivities. (One of the most fun experiences I had Gming ) The prince's games were entertaining, funny and allowed all of the characters to shine even the NPCs who were always in the back seat. The last feast coincided with a bushwhack by ninjas sent to kill the PCs and Ameiko, where they barely got out alive only with the help of Miyaro a Kitsune Rogue. The prince kicked the group out of the city, not willing to get his brother into a war with Jade Regent's forces.
The group then made their way into the Forest of Spirits where they had some interesting encounters with the varying kami and oni spirits inhabiting the forest. The kami then requested that the PCs go in and get their house back for them. After a grueling four story dungeon crawl, they finally defeated the leader of the Hobgoblin Oni forces and attained another intelligent weapon, who became friends with Suishen. At this point, Mary, Dae-han and Rogue guy showed up.
Book 5:
The group made their way into Minkai and here is where shit gets real thick... The big questions get asked: How are you going to run a country you have never been to? How do you get allies? And so on... Miyaro leads the group to meet with a ronin named Jiro who is surpervising a group of farmers and soldiers who are having difficulties with bandits.
The PCs agree to take on their castle while Jiro and his army take on the bulk of the army. The group then assaulted the castle and were able to take down the leadership with some clever interplay between the Paladin and alchemist. Dae-han the tengu fighter died in this battle...
The group was then tasked with gathering the support of the merchants, the ninja, the samurai and the geisha. The group met simultaneously with the Geisha and Ninja clans and went to rescue a key geisha who was being held by her step-father, who turned out to be a powerful Wujen wizard. Treebark was killed in this encounter and then was resurrected into a parrot. They enlisted the help of a turtle guy and were attacked by a sea dragons and then met and defeated the wizard saving the geisha. The other group tracked down the ninja assassin and defeated him after losing Miyaro in the process. A member of the group got the ninja's coin and turned evil, which turned in a pvp situation where the rogue was forced to leave the party.
The group then ambushed Daimyo on his way to his castle and were able to convince him that the Jade Regent was evil, the Daimyo fought for the party during this epic battle taking down some hefty customers, the Daimyou then commited Seppukku and left the governorship to his younger brother. They then went back to the castle and were attacked by a larger group of enemy soldiers. The PCs narrowly defeated them.
Book 6:
The group snuck into the capital of Kasai and were tasked with getting the people behind their coup, and the blessings of the five imperial families. Ameiko was charmed and commited suicide but was resurrected by Koya and the group went into the well of demons. They eliminated certain evil spirits but made deals with others.
Ameiko and the party empathized with the spirit Shojinawa Ito and allowed him to possess her to get out of well of demons. However, he made a side deal with the alchemist to remain in Ameiko's body while he continually cast conceal alignment on him/herself after he conjured a fake him leaving the body. Jiro's sohei assistant was going to be executed and the PCs had to rescue her. They did. The next thing was the taking down the Jade Regent.
The group came in and were able to use the seal to make the terracota soldier join with them and advances on the castle's entrance. The group then made their way to the treasure room to get the remaining seals from the dragon where they were able to sneak in and steal it from him as he meditated.
The pcs then attacked kabuki theater of the castle and were wiped out by the last Commander with her naginata blade.
The Jade Regent and Ammunaron decided to resurrect Ameiko and inadvertently resurrected Morvius Mrak and he went to meet up with the remaining members of the party to plan the assault. Through his roguish ninja connections the rogue reappeared to help the party take down the Jade Regent and went to see the Raven Prince and was able to hire him for a job in Xa Hoi to kill Pham Duc Quan, the dragon king.
Final Showdown:
The group arrived with the regular citizens of Minkai for the execution of Ameiko outside the city gates. The group attacked and were able to bring down the Jade Regent, the Typhoon Commander and Renshii Meiida, she went into a blood rage and was mowed down by an overwhelming onslaught of bombs by the alchemist. However, Anamurumon was able to escape.
Epilogue: Ameiko(Ito) and Morvius get married and bring forth the knowledge that the Jade Regent and Anamurumon were actually oni and they blame everything on the land of Chu Ye and is preparing a large naval armada to destroy the oni once and for all.
Due to the relatively high Rebellion Point score, turning Minkai's problems outward works to unite the people under Empress(or) Ameiko Mraak and her husband. As a one shot I may run a mini campaign for this conflict later.
Finished March 15, 2014
Review:
Book 1(Luckily, I am running JR on Pbp so I still remember most stuff)
The goblins and Walthus Proudstump. My players loved the grizzled Proudstump, who broke the mold of how a halfling is usually portrayed with gritty which I laid a layer of Lee Marvin from the Big Red One onto character as a veteran who helped the players get the job done.
The Goblin threat was good and kept the tension up.
After the goblins, I could see how the story can go amiss if the players were totally disinterested in following the tracks in the mud or didn't care about the skeletons. (The book does give some hints on how to get the players back out there, though)
The skeleton cave was well done and the players liked it.
Brinewall was good and the players enjoyed running through the castle with it's inherent dangers. How the harpy turns on them is good but depending on how injured she is I would have her fly off afterwards and come back maybe or just go where she wants to.
Book 2:
After getting to Kalsgard, the tension stays high throughout. When I was running the adventure the group was in complete flux so I couldn't run the tension encounters which was a shame but it did have some really cool moments... taking down the rimerunners guild, Asvig and the ninja battle scene on the burning ship... Ravenscraig was probably the best crawl in the game and its scope is probably what all of the crawls should have been.
Book 3:
The traveling and random encounters were the best with the side encounters on the way Iqualiat were fun and memorable. The second best NPC that my players liked was Naquun, because they were able to dispel the possession on him and my voice acting turned him into a perennial favorite(Think of Rick James as an Eskimo, baby!)
The white dragon was fun and Katiyana's tower was cool but I found the idea of a Yeti being attracted to the ghost of a Sylph ridiculous and then getting possessed dopey, so I augmented it... turning it into a rp battle of wits between my druid and the ghost with the yeti where the druid's diplomacy skill outshone that of Katiyana.
Book 4:
Starts off amazing, the feasts were fun and exciting and the RP was off the chisain... The encounters in the Forest were great as well but that damned House was completely and utterly tedious is beyond mention. The enemies were generally one of two kinds and just more and more boring.
In retrospect, I probably should have run the tournament adventure instead which a lot of people said was a good fit...
Book 5:
All in all a great book, if only they had come up with the option of sneaking into the Daimyo's castle, it would have prevented me from railroading the group but they snuck into the camp instead without any backup and then rp the Daimyo against the Jade Regent, helping the group defeat the Oni who was with him and then he committed seppukku. As I said this one was great.
Book 6:
Part 1 was ok... there should have been more options to make the people like the rebellion, one or two more optional encounters.
Part 2 was great... I liked it because of the lethality and the potential negotiations the party can make if the wanted to avoid a fight. My group chose to fight some and make deals with others. I think that is what makes it great the options.
Part 3:
The assault on the castle was good and the party enjoyed even though they were unsuccessful the first time.
If Ameiko was not possessed I probably would have had her destroy the seals and call for elections and she probably would have head back to Sandpoint to run her tavern and the Glass Factory probably selling that and staying the spunky woman she is. I personally figured that Ameiko would be a horrible Empress
A little shy of 18 months of running the Jade Regent has finally come to an end this evening which culminated in a TPK. The sad part was the fact that it happened on the second floor of the palace only one encounter from victory.
I attribute the TPK to three factors:
1.) I had a last minute cancellation of two players who said they were sick.(45 minutes notice)
2.) Our paladin charged an ogre mage with only 8 hp and got cut down as a result.
3.) I was a bit more aggressive with Koza than I should have been... Although they killed two Oger Mages by the second round.
We are about to hit up the final showdown in the AP and my party decided to let Ameiko become Possessed by Shojinawa Ito... Does anyone know how possession works, what or better said how does the possession function.. Does she retain her current stats, add stats, combine the two or some other hodgepodge that I am not too sure of.
The Alchemist who has been wooing her from the beginning has decided that with the acquiesensce of the rest of the party that this would be more fun. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
I have been running the Jade Regent and have finally gotten to the end of book 5. However, I need to put together the four major NPCs up to level 10 or 11 and was wondering if anyone had them already made or at the very least some good ideas that would be more than helpful.
Ameiko will probably be the most difficult, choosing between bard and rake.
Shalelu seems to be all ranger although throwing in a fighter level wouldnt hurt.
Sandru mostly rogue but book one says maybe a little fighter.
This first event is a bit unusual and doesn’t translate to pbp well. So it’s going to require a bit of patience from everyone involved. The Fortitude save I asked for determines the order in which your characters wake up. Grimma was highest with her bonus added after the roll, so she wakes up first. Unfortunately, she wakes up to an immediate fight. The rest of you will wake up in descending order of your saves, one per round.
Round 1: Grimma
Round 2: Finn
Round 3: Viata
Round 4: Miles
The NPCs won’t wake up until the battle is over. An exception to all this is if any of you take damage at any point while still asleep, you will wake up immediately and be able to join the battle. I realize this means those of you with the lowest saves (particularly Miles) could have a bit of a wait before being able to join in. You’ll just have to patient.
Everyone awakes wearing whatever clothes you had on while eating, including any armor. The rest of your equipment, including weapons, is in a pile on the beach.
Until everyone awakes, I will be placing the battle in spoiler tags.
During battles, I’ll clearly mark the round number at the beginning of every round, and I’ll indicate who’s up next. Feel free to post your actions for the round before your turn comes up to help speed things along. If you do, I’ll simply wait until your turn to resolve them. If the situation changes before your turn arrives and you wish to change your stated actions, you may do so.
If you have any questions about how I’m handling this and other battles, feel free to ask.
You have all, for various reasons, found yourselves on board the Jenivere, a large Wyvern-class merchant vessel bound for Eleder in Sargava. It left Magnimar on the 15th day of Pharast, 4713, and has made many stops along the way. It is now the 28th of Sarenith, the 104th day of the journey, and the end is finally drawing near. Another day or two at most, the captain says, and you will arrive at your destination.
The journey has seen a mixture of excitement and long, dull expanses of nothing happening. Some of the more noteworthy events include the relatively recent arrival of passenger Aerys Mavato in Port Peril. She immediately got into a fight with one of the ship’s crewmen who made an ill-advised pass at her. She soundly humiliated him in the resulting scrap and has since remained secluded most of the time, even though this occurred before she came aboard, the scuttlebutt has come to her anyway.
You should remind yourselves of the descriptions of the key NPCs on board the Jenivere found in the Player’s Guide.
In addition to that basic information, here’s a bit more for some of you, as indicated by the spoiler tags:
Miles and Viata
Spoiler:
Gelik Aberwhinge came aboard in Magnimar, where you also boarded. He came running aboard at the last moment, and declared his intentions to pay whatever price the captain wanted for passage “as far as the ship was going”. He was very happy to see two other passengers from Magnimar on board for the long haul and has made a point of speaking to you on several occasions. He is quick-witted and a good speaker, but he has something of a mean streak when it comes to others’ misfortunes. He often makes a snide comment or a scathing remark at other people’s expense.
Finn, Miles and Viata
Spoiler:
The prisoner Jask Derindi boarded in Corentyn.
The fiery redhead, Sasha Nevah boarded Ilizmagorti. She has been boisterous and has mixed with most others on board the Jenivere,
It’s a bright, sunny day today. A brisk wind plays off the waters of Desperation Bay. This evening there is to be a feast commemorating the upcoming end of the long voyage. Until then, this is a good time to enjoy the weather.
