This kinda' screws up my existing practise of buying the first book in an AP, and only buying the next one if I liked the first. I don't mind going all-in on great content, but Paizo's output is... inconsistent. If a single product means less fluff, dross, narrative inconsistency, tonal dissonance and pointless sub-systems taking up pages of adventure space then "huzzah". I am sceptical this change will achieve that outcome, but would love to be surprised.
My main issue is not the length of the AP, but the lack of cohesion between volumes and the padding that I assume results from a tight, monthly turnaround for new content. I just finished reading The Crooked Moon for 5e and that thing is a labour of love, and a compelling read from cover to cover. The most recent Pathfinder AP (Shades of Blood #1) squanders a half dozen pages on skill checks to move some crates, and after wading through that I lost interest and still have yet to finish the book. IMO Pathfinder writers have become too reliant on boring and inconsequential padding to meet a fixed word count within a strict timeframe.
Multiple aspects of this book were very samey. Book 2 ended with PCs quashing a huge ancestor storm. Book 3 opens with PCs quashing a huge ancestor storm. Then you infiltrate and liberate a town, only to immediately infiltrate and liberate another town.
One of the things I was most looking forward to about this AP was "borrow[ing] boats able to cross a quicksand sea", but the adventure glosses over this almost entirely. If I were to run this AP, I would remove the first town and replace it with some encounters while crossing the Drowning Sands.
Or even PC build themes. We've done 3 of these so far—the "dwarf" and "orc" and "elf" themed campaigns. Would people be interested in us exploring that in other areas, but instead of focusing on ancestry themes, doing it with religions, or organizations, or even classes?
Gnome/Artificer AP where you fight a funkton of different clockwork enemies plz!
Corruption of the Clockwork King, or words to that effect.
If it involves airship or submarine travel, even better.
-
How about a 3 part mega-dungeon AP set in one sprawling castle ala Ravenloft. Call it Crowattic, or something. I know we are getting vampires in Shades of Blood, but a huge gothic castle AP (including grounds and nearby village) would be so cool.
Book 1: PCs are in prison, for crimes they may or may not have committed. One common/shared enemy to tie group together. Maybe a corrupt politician/businessman. Book 1 involves PCs navigating prison politics, planning and executing a breakout.
Book 2: PCs are on the lam. They are being hunted by the authorities and must evade recapture while travelling across country to seek revenge against their shared enemy.
Book 3: PCs reach city where their enemy is located. They must isolate the enemy from their allies in order to strike at them and clear their names (assuming they were innocent).
Just finished reading the adventure. I am impressed. This actual feels like the start to an epic quest, and I am excited to see how the rest of the AP pans out. Minimal padding and pointless crap. A manageable number of well-defined NPC companions.
Congratz to authors Brian Duckwitz and John Compton on writing what looks to be a pretty great adventure.
One question::
Ardax leaves the party at the end of chapter one, but in the closing paragraphs of chapter three he is back again with no explanation. Was this an editing oversight, or did I miss something stating he rejoined the caravan?
The primary reason I would visit the Paizo forums is to read the Story Hour/Campaign logs of other groups playing through the Pathfinder Adventure Paths. With the rise of podcasting and Youtube-ing, this kind of post has taken a nosedive.
I used to post a lot of my own session logs too, but as I grow older and have less time, I have not been doing this as much. Also, I found myself gravitating to 5e and other systems, for a variety of reasons.
It frustrated and confused me that Paizo did not do more to cross-promote Pathfinder for Savage Worlds. One or two blog posts and that was it. No sub-forum, no nothing. Since you went to the effort of collaborating with Pinnacle on that line, I would have hoped for more.
Pinnacle killed their own forums a while back, so there is nowhere else to post about PF4SW, at least for those of us who don't use Reddit/Discord.
I loved how Shattered Star and Return of the Runelords followed on from, and built on the events of Rise of the Runelords.
I did not love whatever Curtain Call was trying to do with the whole, janky-ass Nemesis system. IMO, the AP would have been stronger if you had picked one defeated villain (the artwork semed to suggest you favored Belcorra Haruvex, although I would have preferred Barzillai Thrune) and really leant into that, shifting CC from Indirect Sequel to Direct Sequel.
I appreciate why you did it the way you did it, I just don't think it was very good.
...but in the end we also have to make each one stand alone, because there are some folks who only run one or two books or use them for other purposes ... Making each volume capable of being self-contained for those reasons results in some sacrifices....
The notion that each entry in an Adventure Path is treated as a stand-alone, self-contained module is very strange to me, and perhaps explains why I have been gradually falling out of love with the AP line. Has this always been the modus operandi, or is it a recent development in line with changes to the business model?
Sacrificing campaign cohesion to appease some lunatic who only buys 1 book in a 3/6 part AP is straight-up bizarre. :s
Yeah, folks complaining about the reveal being "underwhelming" are doing it a bit of a disservice, I feel ... All of which is why we'll never be revealing the details of how and why Aroden died.
Now I am convinced he did something dumb like accidental self-defenestration or switching seats while driving, and you're not gonna' tell us cos we'll take the piss.
Thankyou for posting your review and sharing your thoughts on this AP. I sincerely hope the Paizo writing team take on board these observations and adjust their output accordingly.
I have spent the better part of an hour poring through all three volumes trying to work out who sabotaged the gala, before thinking to check here. How the GM is supposed to resolve this without making massive changes to the campaign as written is beyond me. Either Ruzadoya is the mastermind and does not get turned into a graveknight since she knows what's coming, or Zibik is much more hostile and pro-active than presented in the adventure. Either option would require massive re-writes to make sense.
I'm flabbergasted this was overlooked.
EDIT: Ok, how about this. Ruzadoya is responsible (possibly working with a third party), but her sister Vandalya is not aware of her intent. When the seedbag erupts, Vandalya is killed. Ruzadoya is overcome with rage and guilt, and proceeds with her plan to take over the Wildwood Lodge as written, blaming everyone but herself for her sister's fate.
EDIT 2: Maybe Vandalya is the one to come back as a graveknight, working with Ruzadoya without realizing who is responsible for her death. If the PCs can proove her sister's guilt, she fights along the PCs to defeat Ruzadoya.
Suggestion for the Paizo team: get in touch with Scott McClintock and co over at Quill & Cauldron to see if they are open to doing a ' Doomed Golarion' in the style of the Doomed Forgotten Realms line they have released on the Dungeon Masters Guild.
Rise of Vecna
https://www.dmsguild.com/m/product/385544
Fall of Vecna
https://www.dmsguild.com/m/product/421754
Reign of Rot
https://www.dmsguild.com/m/product/450868
Wrath of Zuggtmoy
https://www.dmsguild.com/m/product/468752
This team puts out some epic content, and I would love to see their take on a Doomed Golarion where every major AP was failed, resulting in an increasingly hopeless setting.
Plus, they will probably let us fight The Whispering Tyrant (properly, not counting the much maligned heroic sacrifice in Tyrants Grasp), which would be awesome.
Do you not still have the PDFs to GM from? Back when I maintained an AP subscription, the 6 physical books went onto Ebay as soon as the set was complete, but I can still run every AP from RotRL to 7DfS (even the rubbish ones - looking at you Blood Lords).
Spoilers for Glass Cannon Podcast, season 2 (Gatewalkers);
:
One PC (the catfolk Lucky) was killed by Bolan very early in the campaign. Troy ain't pulling no punches. They are fast approaching the Kanepo fight, so we'll see how that shakes out in the next few weeks.
A few times now, the players (mostly Joe) have asked: "Is this encounter really written for lvl 2 characters?!"
If you want to make Calmont a sympathetic character, you'll need to make changes to the AP. He might be at the Call for Heroes (at Voz's orders, to report on anyone taking an interest in Hellknight Hill or the mercenaries she has hiding out in the woods), but not set fire to the town hall. He definitely should not appear threatening goblins in the dungeon.
He could appear in Voz's shop, if/when the PCs break in, or alongside Voz when the PCs encounter her toward the end of the AP.
If you want to keep the fire, you could have Voz give Calmont scroll to summon fire mephits after the PCs have made a nuisance of themselves and order him to burn down the inn, or whatever building the PCs are staying in, which he will do out of fear.
Maybe we can all stop discussing Way of the Wicked and let money-thieving, Kickstarter-defrauding, safari-loving Gary McBride fade into the obscure ignominy that his actions have warranted.
I bought Warlock! after I saw Warpstar! advertised on EN World. I'm planning to run a streamlined version of The Enemy Within campaign in January 2024.
I would say Compendium 1 & 2 are nigh essential, and I'm hoping the career expansion (Earn Your Crust) is reduced over at Drivethru for Cyber Monday.
If you do decide to run something on the PbP forum, I would be interested in playing.
If you wipe it off the servers to save space, then Paizo is changing it's practice/policy and customers will not be able to download previous purchased PDFs.
So they issue codes to download the same PDFs from Drivethru, as many Kickstarters do with digital content. Problem solved.
Oh, so one sweet part is that you get to design your own picture of dwarven craftsmenship while helping to build out part of Torag's Shield, and my character was in charge of that part, so now (at least in our game) there is the story of how clan Runebinder bravely crafted weapons for the great warriors to defeat their foes.
If memory serves, don't the players get to keep and continue using 'ghost' versions of the cards they had equipped at the time? I may be misremembering that, as it's been awhile since I read this module.
The 'heroes gather artifacts only for villain to swoop in at the last moment' trope is pretty common across many genres, so I would say go with it. If your players are pissed, direct that frustration towards getting even with the villain.
I have a story hook planned, where the characters at lvl 4 enter a lair of a cult, and after clearing it they meet the BBEG and it's servant, a Thanadaemon. BBEG says to take care of them and leaves to find new cult members to do his bidding.
Thanadaemon instead summons his boat and takes players to Abaddon, where they have to travel to a safe haven from which they could return to the Universe. Perhaps through Outer Rifts and Hell's layers.
There is a free mega-dungeon called Escape from Carceri available on Drivethru RPG right now, that sounds perfect for what you are describing.
How about a three part heist themed AP, akin to Keys for the Golden Vault, but with an over-arcing storyline? Outlaws of Alkenstar skirted the edges of this territory, but never fully committed. You probably wouldn't be able to write it as a conventional AP, requiring more of an urban sandbox to really shine.
I dropped the catacombs of wrath entirely, as their only real purpose to is to level up the PCs before Thistletop, and foreshadow the larger dungeon crawl at the start of book 5, which I also cut. The campaign did not suffer as a result.
The Sandpoint article mentions an abandoned house on Chopper's Isle, previously occupied by the bird-carving serial killer whose name I forget. The party visited the house, found his secret murder workshop and fought the killer's ghost. They also picked up some Pazuzu themed cursed treasure.
I really like many of the changes that you made to this campaign, but I only see your notes going up into chapter 2 (with mention of chapter 3 and 4). Did you ever finish this campaign?
Since their last update was 2017, I'm guessing not. :D
If memory serves, you find evidence of necromantic activity under Hellknight Hill, then follow a secret tunnel to the basement of an inn in Breachill. The tavern owner can then tell you that Voz has been using the tunnel, and I guess the hope is that players will assume she is the bad person they are after.
EDIT: last poster beat me to it, by 24 hours, lol.
Maybe so, but the book doesn't direct readers/customers to the Archive of Nethys. Whether or not you can get your hands on the particular ruleset for (cue jingle) Paizo's BS Subsystem of the Week isn't my main gripe, it's that being bombarded with multiple subsystems per module is exhausting and subjectively bad.
Subsystems: Paizo loves their subsystems. Only that many of them don't work (Caravan system from Jade Regent) or are terribly unbalanced (original kingdom rules from Kingmaker 1E). Encountering one which actually is not terrible (like the rebellion rules in Hell's Rebels, which are just a bit boring, but functional) is always a big plus.
I will - and recently have - marked AP volumes down in review because of what I perceive as an unnecessary and egregious use of subsystems. I'll grudgingly concede that managing a caravan or organizing a rebellion justify the use of a subsystem to keep track of everything across the course of the entire campaign, but recently we have seen subsystems to handle the most trivial bs imaginable.
An NPC has information that could help your investigation? Better start gathering Influence points!
You're being chased by an angry bloke with a big stick? Let's hope you can accumulate enough Evasion points to escape!
Do you want to buy that cool magic item from the skeezy merchant? He's not gonna' sell unless you've collected enough Negotiation points to satisfy his weird and inconvenient compulsion to haggle.
... and so on. Usually followed by a blatant advertisement to buy whatever splat book that particularly subsystem appears within.
Sure, I can - and will - cut this stuff out of any AP I actually run, but having to read this [content] on an initial assessment of any module is dull as F.
That sounds awesome! Only two issues that spring to mind; access to an airship will make boarding Graveraker trivial, and potentially enable the party to bypass the majority of the Grey Queen's Tower.
It wouldn't be a Pathfinder AP without their signature Convoluted & Unnecessary Subsystems! But yeah, this chapter (and the start of book 2 for that matter) have a weird lackadaisical energy.
If I had to run this module, I would have the PCs investigate the shop and learn the bad guys are already searching the marketplace for Merchant with Next Card/s, then have the battle occur in the middle of the market. PCs get more cards, portal to Harrow Court opens, and you're into chapter 2.
I have attempted to streamline the plot of Mantle of Gold for conversion to Savage Worlds;
:
PCs in dwarven city of Highhelm.
PCs meet furtive/hooded dwarf Elbert Glassgrinder (WC), who wants to mount expedition to recover Skysunder (long lost clan dagger of First King Taargick) from the Darklands.
(Elbert is really Krohan Veldollow, who was previously exiled for stealing - and losing - the dagger. He hopes returning the relic will end his long banishment).
Elbert believes the lost dagger is located in the abandoned gnome enclave of Guldrege, which was abandoned after being destroyed by a giant crimson worm.
A dwarven patrol recently went missing near the ruins of Guldrege, the gate guards ask the PCs to keep an eye out.
Krohan provides a giant beetle to serve as a pack animal.
The way to Guldrege is blocked by a fungal forest, the party can press on (A), or seek another path (B);
A: fungi release poisonous/mind-altering spores. Most of the missing patrol have been turned into fungal zombies (2x per PC, plus 2). Fungal zombies explode when they die.
B: Survival rolls to navigate winding tunnels and remain on course (Dramatic Task). Success results in an uneventful journey to Guldrege. Failure results in the party getting lost, consuming their rations and arriving in Guldrege Fatigued.
The ruins of Guldrege surround a gaping hole in the floor.
A tribe of troglodytes (4x per PC, spread out among the ruins) have claimed the ruins as an outpost, who sacrifice prisoners by tossing them into the pit. The dagger is in the possession of troglodyte priest Hhrulkaz (WC), and has become tainted by its use in sacrificial rites.
Captain of the missing patrol Elga Longbraids is chained to a rock, pending sacrifice.
A basilisk nests nearby and occasionally prowls the outskirts of Guldrege for an easy meal.
Before anything else, the cursed relic must be cleansed. Elbert knows a young priest called Heldin who can perform the necessary rites. During the ceremony, vengeful spirits (1x per PC + 1) emerge from the blade and try to disrupt the ritual. Elbert is possessed, as are any PCs who fail to resist.
After cleansing the relic, the party should present themselves before High King Borogrim the Hale. Elbert reveals his true identity and asks for his long exile to be ended. The PCs (and Elga Longbraids) may speak up to sway the King's decision.
High King Borogrim leads party into highly secure vault full of dwarven artifacts. They present the dagger to statue of First King Taargick, which animates and instructs them to find his lost tomb.
The party need a guide to help them find Zogototaru the Avernal Worm, who will lead them to King Taargick's lost tomb. The only guide mad enough to brave the crimson worm's tunnels is a deep gnome called Jirelga. Unfortunately, she is currently in the clutches of the Black Noon Thieves Guild after she attempted to rip them off. The guild is lead by tattooed brute Tuom Molgrade (WC), and consists of many Black Noon Thieves (3x per PC, spread across the area). The guild have set up shop in an abandoned foundry.
I am curious how Jirelga is supposed to know the whereabouts of the Avernal Worm though. Is it a case of "Hey, this thing ate you once, where is it now??" I'm guessing it'll be some kinda 'the trauma of being eaten alive formed a strong mental bond with the beast' nonsense, but I suppose we'll find out next week when the PDF drops.
I've not particularly enjoyed the first two thirds of this AP, although it is not without intermittent and isolated merits. Having read Worst of All Possible Worlds this morning, I started thinking about how I would restructure the AP for play at my table.
:
PCs receive Harrow cards and are drawn to Absalom.
PCs gather enough cards to open gateway to tbe Harrow Court.
PCs gather some more cards via portals across Golarion.
Harrow Court attacked by Raven Nicoletta and the Prince of Wolves.
PCs are defeated and forced to retreat. Raven Nico!etta caims their cards and the Prince of Wolves claims the Harrow Court.
PCs summoned to the Tree of Answers for audience with the Norns. PCs are given the power to confront Raven Nicoletta and the Prince of Wolves, and the opportunity to sway the Norns from their course.
Return to the Harrowed Court (now a desolate wasteground) to confront the Prince of Wolves and rescue the epitomized harrowkin.
PCs transported from Harrow Court to the Nexus of Fate (demiplane) for final confrontation with Raven Nicoletta.
If the PCs did not sway the Norns from their course, they appear to reclaim the Deck of Destiny as Raven Nicoletta falls, and the PCs must defeat tbem too.
I would also dramatically reduce the number of cards in the Deck of Destiny, and by extension, the amount of time the PCs spend on their long ass scavenger hunt, IMO the weakest facet of this AP.
Also, the next game I run will defo have a sausage vendor called Wurst of All Possible Worlds.
Additional information about the ruins of Kho are presented [in the Destiny War], but if you're looking to expand on what's provided, Pathfinder Lost Omens The Mwangi Expanse contains an overview of the Ruins of Kho on pages 168 - 173.
Are there detailed maps, NPCS, specific monsters, described places, artifacts, magic items on Kho ?
"Additional information about the ruins of Kho are presented [in the Destiny War], but if you're looking to expand on what's provided, Pathfinder Lost Omens The Mwangi Expanse contains an overview of the Ruins of Kho on pages 168 - 173."
Before you abandon your campaign, I feel compelled to recommend Savage Worlds, or Pathfinder for Savage Worlds. Medium crunch, low prep, laughably easy to convert content for. It may or may not be right for you, or your group, but it's definitely worth a look.
Numeria. A strange, strange place filled with eccentric individuals trying to scrape out a living from beneath the heel of the Technic League.
Or at least, that's what you've always heard. You haven't been here all that long, and Torch doesn't have much of a League presence.
Or so you've been told.
Fortunately, the people of Torch are remarkably welcoming to strangers. Travelers often happened by the town, eager to use the namesake forge or pick up some wares made of various skymetals to bring south for trade. The fact that one of the great Sellen's tributaries runs nearly all the way to the foot of Torch's walls certainly made it a good place for merchants and prospective adventurers alike.
It was that latter occupation that drove you here, though you've only been in town a day. You've set up camp in the Evercandle Inn, on the eastern side of Torch. You could even look out your window and see the Torch... if it was lit.
Because as fate would have it, you've arrived at a 'perfect' time. The town's namesake torch, the mighty purple flame that burns at all hours through the clouds and into the sky... has gone out. Just about a week ago, too. The town's been up in arms, and you've just heard that one of the town's councilors has gone missing. No one seems sure what to do, and everyone's afraid that the town will collapse into ruin if the Torch isn't reignited. (No one knows how to do this, of course.) Worse, without a steady revenue from smithing skymetals, the Technic League really will crack down on the town - banning merchants and wanderers from the town as they claim all the strange technology of Numeria as their own.
The good news, though, is that you met a pair of like-minded souls last night in the common room. They seem like pretty good folks - and both the death of the Torch and further empowerment of the Technic League are bad news for all of you. You agreed to meet back in the common room and come up with a plan of action (however basic it might be) after a good night's rest. Maybe the other councilors might know where to start.
You wake to a cloudy and somewhat chilly Numerian day. You wonder if the weather ever really gets any better in this northern wasteland. You've always wanted to claim the title of adventurer... time to go out and get it.
Greetings! Here's the discussion thread for our Iron Gods campaign. Larger out-of-character posts, tactical discussion, questions/comments/criticisms and all that jazz can go here.
Gameplay thread coming as soon as you guys decide how you all met up so I can give you a proper starting point!
This is the closed recruitment thread for an Iron Gods PBP I'm running for a group of friends from the other side of the planet. Sorry to any others who might want to play, but I'm full up on games!
Please check in with your characters here and I'll get the Gameplay and Discussion threads up as soon as I can.
A calm breeze blows across the crystal clear skies, the taste of salt in the air a refreshing coolness to a warm summer's day. The weather is as beautiful and clear as one could hope for on a day of such grand celebration.
And grand it is - the sounds of festivities, already well underway at just before noon, dance out of Lilywhite and across the shores of Motaku Isle. The harbor is filled nearly to the brim with ships of all make and style, jamming the town's piers to the gills. The largest of the ocean-faring vessels anchor farther out in the deep water harbor, making any means of navigating the between them nearly impossible. It doesn't stop several skiffs of drunken sailors from trying, though, as they ride low in the water to and from their ships.
Across the piers and bridges of Lilywhite - the bizarre network of bridges and platforms that string the numerous islands of the town together - feathers, flowers, and garlands of every color are arranged in vaguely festive patterns. Any attempt to find rhyme or reason to them ends in disappointment. Revelers, masked and unmasked, clothed and mostly-clothed, dance and sing and drink their ways across the walkways in celebration. At least one of the revelers - willingly or unwilling, it is impossible to tell - makes the long dive from one of the suspended walkways into the harbor below. The crowd around him goes wild with excitement.
It is undoubtedly the Rum Punch Festival. And, if the commotion coming from the central isle was to be believed, the party was already starting.
Picking up from the recruitment thread, it is most likely that anyone meeting up or joining the festivities would meet at the central Founder's Square, where the life of the party truly is. You guys can re-do a quick introduction or meeting if so desired, or otherwise just meet and greet your fellow revelers ^_^ The adventure itself shall begin soon enough...
Here's the discussion thread for our adventure, so feel free to talk about whatever whenever. I'm not opposed to [ooc] things in the gameplay thread, but longer talk and strategy and all that jazz can just go here instead.
There's probably some house rules or something I'm forgetting to mention, but those will come up when they come up.
Matt Roth
RPG Superstar 2015 Top 32
,
Star Voter Season 8 aka Helio
Rimewinder Aura moderate evocation; CL 10th
Slot none; Price 18,302 gp; Weight 1 lb.
Description
Crafted from spiraling icicles tapered to a needle point, this +1 frost dagger has wispy swirls of frigid air surrounding it. When held, fragments of ice creep down the wielder's arm and grant him command over the relentless fury of winter. After a successful melee attack with the blade, the target must succeed at a DC 15 Fortitude save or be afflicted with a creeping chill, immediately affecting it as severe cold. This effect lasts for 10 minutes. Each successive strike during this period resets the duration and immediately forces a new saving throw with an increased DC of 1. The DC increases for each hit, even if the target succeeds on its saving throw.
In areas of precipitation, the rimewinder's wielder may channel its power into the storm as a full-round action that provokes attacks of opportunity. Rain turns to sleet, sleet turns to snow, and snow turns to heavy snow. These effects persist for 10 minutes and affect a 60 ft. radius centered on the wielder. Creatures within this storm, regardless of its severity, suffer a –2 penalty to their saves against the rimewinder's chilling attacks. Subsequent uses do not increase the severity of the storm, but reset the duration. The wielder of the rimewinder can see through any weather effects created by the weapon without penalty.
Construction Requirements Craft Magic Arms and Armor, control weather, ice storm, unshakable chill; Cost 9,151 gp
Ever wanted to taste the life of a pirate without that whole 'scurvy swab' experience when signing on as a fresh and prospective pirate? Then fret no longer, for Plunder and Peril has arrived to ease your piratical itch without driving you mad with the rigors of everyday sailing life. Nothing but guts, gold, and glory await thee on this adventure!
Then read on for Plunder and Peril!
It is the eve of the Rum Punch festival in the town of Lilywhite. A ceremony celebrating the Lucky Drunk in all of his typical festiveness, it attracts not only pirates from across the Shackles, but travelers from across the Inner Sea seeking a taste of the pirate lifestyle (or at least a good pirate party). Whether you are one of these travelers, or a native of Motaku Isle, or perhaps an out-of-work pirate who's found himself at Rum Punch, one thing is for certain: no festival of Cayden Cailean ever passes without great adventure and amusement... and who knows what kinds of treasures may turn up in a town full of drunks hoping to get lucky?
Character creation:
- 20 point buy, 4th level.
- Core Races preferred, but any race can be accepted. Just make sure you have a backstory to justify that half-tiefling half-tengu half-cat half-brick character!
- Any class except summoner is allowed (sorry guys, I hate summoners). I'm on the fence about allowing the Occult Playtest classes, so if you think you can convince me, go for it.
- 2 Traits. I'm willing to reflavor a campaign trait if there is one that fits your character concept, just ask. You can take an additional drawback+trait if desired.
- Given the context of the adventure, evil alignments will be considered – just don't play a total and complete jerk. Jerks are not accepted :)
- Appropriate starting wealth for 4th level PCs (6000 gp)
- Max HP at first, Average+1 on subsequent levels.
- Backstories are appreciated, but don't feel compelled to write a novel (unless you really want to). You can keep your background as brief as you like it, just be sure to have some reason to be in Lilywhite and have a general taste for adventure!
Other Stuff:
- Players should be able to post at least once a day on most days, and at least once on weekends. We all know life comes up and things happen, but if you disappear for multiple days at a time with no notice, that's a big no-no.
- Anything Paizo is good to go. 3rd Party content will be considered on a case by case basis.
- I prefer running cinematic combat, but if a grid is really needed I'll provide it. I find that using grids and maps slows down the game far more than necessary, so I'll try to avoid using them for combat as much as possible.
- Generally looking for flavor and RP over strategic genius. Minmaximus the Mighty may be a god in his own right, but he'll also pretty much be ignored if there's no flavor or background backing him up.
I'm looking to get 5-6 players together. I'll keep recruitment open for a week, closing on 12/15. Feel free to throw any questions my way!
It's starting to get cold on the streets of Berlin, and that's not even counting just how terrible the heating is in your building. It's gonna be a cold one this year. At least it hasn't started snowing.
It's another crappy night in the Verschissenstadt. The place lives up to its name. Peering out the window, you watch as someone gets mugged. Hard to tell if it was a ganger or a burnout. Whoever it was, they were probably dead now. Bleeding out on the street, the thief running off with a probably-empty credstick in hand.
Even if it weren't for the Flux-State, no cops would ever come to this part of town. The worst part of it was the dearth of jobs. Most runners in Berlin chose slightly more accommodating kiez. Not you guys. The building you've holed up in is cheap, out of the way, and has a hard-ass old ork running the show. As far as you can tell, Old Grell downstairs was a tough mother back in his prime. Probably one of the toughest in the kiez. Also probably the only reason the drug dealers stayed off his corner of the block. Whatever the reason, this little slice of hell was yours. Yours and your crew.
Aiyan, Billy, and Friedrich.
How you three ever met each other was a mystery. But somehow, after a small incident involving a group of Knight-Errant enforcers and a P-O'd flaming spirit. But that was then. This was now. And now had lots of bills that needed paying. You're just about to go waste away some time on the Matrix looking for a job when a message pops up on your - and your crew's - mail.
A job.
Greetings,
I must confess a lack of knowledge on how such affairs as these are conducted. I have secured this connection, so I will make this quick. I have a job. It needs doing tonight. The life of my daughter is at stake. I can offer you each 500 nuyen for a simple job, a milk run, as they say. A bonus can be negotiated upon completion.
Do not reply, this connection will be dismantled after sending this. Meet me at Cafe Schwarzoy. Immediately.
-Herr Schidt.
Well. It's a job offer, at least. Better than you'd expected from the Verschissenstadt.
Here's the discussion thread for the game. Out of character chat, gameplans, questions, comments, criticisms, and all that jazz can go here.
Since we're all kind of working out what we're doing, I imagine there will be a lot of finagling with the rules once we actually start doing things.
The one thing that kind of sucks is that the dice here are set for PF, which means they add instead of using SR's hit system. So when you roll for dice - [.dice]10d6[./dice] - you will need to preview the post first, then manually count the number of 5s and 6s you got.
"So, sonny, let me start all the way back at the beginning. The tale starts not in the lands we now live in, but to the north, in Brevoy. A little city named Restov - aye, that very same one.
Now these folks thought that the lands to the south were ripe for expansion. But none had ever tried to tame the wilderness. Until, one day in early spring, a group of six strange folks all put their names to this charter..."
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It is late Calistril, and the winter's chill still nips at your back as you and the horses - well, mules at least - amongst you plod along the road. While the trails were somewhat more populated back near Restov, few passerby have graced you in a while. And you're still only a few hours out of Restov. The group has been remarkably, and perhaps uncharacteristically, quiet. Might be because of the cold, or because of the weight of the heavy charter that you all now bear. Signed with each of your names, it was a contract giving you all the authority of the Swordlords to venture out and map a hostile region.
With only a rather pitiful map of the southern Rostlands to guide you to your next destination, a small encampment so cleverly titled 'Oleg's Trading Post,' you've set out along the road. It is at least a day's journey, even if you were to rush. Probably no reason to rush, then. You look to your companions, knowing little more than their names.
An odd group, to say the least. Particularly the scaly fellow, who'd earned more than his fair share of stares along the streets of Restov. Then there was the simple-looking working man, holding himself high with the fortitude of a knight despite the hands of a workingman. The young woman - the only woman amongst them - had remarkable curiosity in her eyes but plain clothes. There was the tall elf, dressed in the drab green hues of the forest, along with what may well have been his distant cousin, the half-elf, bearing the symbol of Iomadae on his person. And to round out the group was the strange human looking fellow, tall and imposing, with his eyes seemingly glowing beneath the heavy winter cloak.
Perhaps it was time to break the contemplative silence that had fallen over the lot. After all, what better way to keep warm than talk amongst friends?
Essentially, this is your chance to introduce yourself to the group. Once everyone's got a vague-ish idea of who everyone is, we can jump on ahead to the good stuff.
Try to keep the majority of ooc chat in this thread, if only so the gameplay thread doesn't bog down with walls of blue text.
Also, if you're going to be away for a few days or a crisis comes up (as they always do), try and let us know! If you provide a basis of how your character would act in an average combat/noncombat scenario, I can always run their actions for you if you're not available.
There'll probably be other stuff I forgot, but that's good enough for now. Probably.
"They say that once, the Stolen Lands were nothing more than wilderness - a region contested by many and yet held by none. But look at her now! A great kingdom, founded by the mightiest of heroes! Forged from the land herself, and carved into something that will stand the test of time.
How, you ask? Well, take a seat. Let me tell you a tale... and she's a doozy."
But just who were the heroes that wrote the legend? That, friends, is for you to determine!
Because of apparently overwhelming interest in Kingmaker games, I've elected to take the helm of a game of my own. Frequent posting is appreciated, with at least once a day on weekdays and once a weekend preferable, though the pace will pick up or slow down as life demands. Any players who go inactive for long periods will be either run as an NPC or removed from the game and replaced.
Character creation:
- 20 point buy.
- Core Races preferred, but any race is accepted. Just make sure you have a backstory to justify that half-tiefling half-tengu half-cat half-brick character!
- Any class except summoner is allowed (sorry, guys, I hate summoners). While I'd prefer not to have gunslingers, they are welcome.
- 2 Traits, one of which must be a KM campaign trait. I'm willing to reflavor a campaign trait if one doesn't fit your concept perfectly. 1 Drawback is allowed.
- Non-evil alignments please. If you really and truly believe you can play an evil character without being a jerk, I'll consider it.
- Average starting wealth.
- Max HP at first, Average+1 on subsequent levels.
- 3rd Party Content can be considered on a case by case basis. No psions, though.
- Backstories are appreciated, but don't feel compelled to write a novel. Unless you really want to.
I prefer running cinematic combat, but if a grid is really needed I'll provide it. Generally looking for flavor and RP over strategic genius, though. Minmaximus the Mighty will be pretty much ignored.
I'm looking to get 6 players together - and judging by the overwhelming interest for KM games of late, I don't imagine this will be a problem. Recruitment will be open for about a week, closing on Monday 9/29. If I get completely inundated with submissions I might close it earlier, but I'll let everyone know if this is the case. I'm pretty sure I forgot something in the above, so I'll be around to answer questions and stuff if they come up.
Apologies to others, this is a check-in thread for a table group switching to pbp for the time being.
I'll have the gameplay and discussion threads up as soon as possible, and forward everyone a link once their characters are converted to the forums and ready to go.
It is midsummer in Taldor, and the heat bears down on the small town of Belhaim relentlessly, even though it has yet to hit midday. It is a sleepy day in the town, with the usual bustle about the commons, talk in the streets, sweat wiped from the foreheads of the hard working farmers, and shopkeeps tending their wares. A caravan rolls in, coming north up the Verduran Highway and stopping just before The Wise Piper.
Pixis, Panros, and Kanade:
It's been an uneventful trip from Cassomir. Which is unfortunate, since the caravan's leader, Silas Grigs, had promised a bonus for fending off any banditry. Still, he'd offered a fair wage for the rather mundane work - and it wasn't as though you had anywhere better to be.
Silas hops down off the caravan and give the three of you a big grin.
"Ah, mates, a bit sorry - I'll need a few days to peddle these wares off before I can pay ya! Risks of the trade, you know how it is, I'm sure."
He gives half of a bow, then starts to untie the ropes binding down his wares.
"Don't suppose you lot would care to help me set up shop? I'll put it on the tab, so to speak?"
A few of the townsfolk take note of the caravan - apparently interested in whatever exotic goods Silas may have lugged into town. A few have already started to eyeball the items in the back of the cart.
Brok:
"Look, Brok, if I've told you once, I've told you twenty times. No advances. You pay up, you get the goods. Got it?"
Brok was standing in the back of Enrie Monette's storage shed. It was a small farm on the south side of Belhaim, and it specialized in growing tobacco. In fact, it grew some damn fine tobacco.
Brok was also privy to the little detail that Monette also had a small flayleaf business on the side. A detail he cared about very much. He didn't come to Belhaim often, but he'd gotten to know Monette fairly well.
Enrie shrugged. "No more favors. No more IOUs. Either get your fix somewhere else, or get some damn money. Maybe if you stopped sleeping in trees and got a real job you wouldn't have this problem. I'd take you on, but, well... have a look at yourself, man."
Monk:
You open your eyes with a sudden gasp of breath. The light, faint as it is, pains them as they adjust to the sudden wakefulness.
You right yourself, trying to take stock of the situation. Where were you? What happened? The room was dusty, old. Dry-rotten wood lay across the floor. A pair of stone slabs lay to your right - much like the one you are now sitting on. Cobwebs crisscrossed the ceiling, poking holes in the narrows wisps of light breaching through cracks in the woodwork.
Your memory is... foggy. You can remember the monks. You were one. Are one. Your masters, especially Kanjougas - the abbot of the Monastary. A vague prophecy... although you can not recall now what it was. The name Enari. A person? The town, too. Belhaim, was it? And two others, you're fairly certain. There were two others.
Two other what?
The shadowy basement - somehow you knew it was - was warm with the summer's heat. Yet, you are alone.
As promised, here is the discussion thread. You can start to figure out how you came to be in the small Taldor town of Belhaim, how you guys might know each other, ask questions, or what have you.
As the sun rises over the village of Kassen, the first frosts of winter glisten in the dawn's light. It is the fourth of Neth, the same day that the village's namesake went on his final journey all those years ago. Today is the festival of the Everflame, the annual journey to Kassen's resting place.
The sleepy silence of night still blankets the town as it slowly comes to life in the sunlight. At noon, the trials will begin in earnest as the chosen few reenact Ekat Kassen's final journey, and return with a piece of the Everflame to warm the village through the winter's cold. Typically, the journey would be undertaken by the mayor and other village elders. But this year, as is done every five years, the role of Kassen and his compatriots will be filled by new blood. These individuals will prove, through the trials in the Crypt of the Everflame, that they too can join the ranks of Kassen as the village's protectors and leaders.
The sleepy hamlet seems even sleepier this morning, as the normally bustling village remains remarkably still as the sun slowly ascends from the horizon. In keeping with thetradition of the ceremony, the townsfolk will truly begin their day at noon, after seeing off their heroes.
As the heroes chosen for the ceremony, Mayor Uptal has asked each of you to meet at the town square just before noon. This gives you a bit of time between now and then to speak to one another or otherwise prepare. When you have all assembled at the town square, the journey will begin.
As promised, here's the discussion thread for the Crypt of the Everflame adventure - and, assuming everything goes as planned, for the two modules to follow.
As I said in the recruitment thread, I figure I'll start the adventure on Tuesday night. I don't want to just start it up now, before people even get a chance to realize they're accepted and it's starting. This way people can get to know one another - out of character, at least - before the whole thing actually starts. Since everyone is from Kassen, they probably have at least a passing knowledge of each other, anyway.
So yeah - this is for most OOC discussion, questions, comments, criticisms, etc. (Seriously, please let me know if I'm screwing up, PBPs are new to me)
