I have collected the Shackled Path Adventure Path and am currently running my party through the first of the adventures which they are truly enjoying.
I have noticed throughout the series mention to Web Enhancements/extra material that people can access on various organisations, individuals, locations etc. So my first question is a simple one -
Where do I find these extra pieces of information?
I am particularly interested in information on the Striders.
In addition we have chosen to reduce the XP awarded by 50%. We did this for a multitude of reasons the foremost being the sheer pace in which the characters increase in power. It was our feeling from the last campain we played that players never had a chance to roleplay or become comfortable with their chacters abilities before they were given a whole magnitude of new abilities/powers.
Running through the AP do you feel this will make any impact?
Will I have to run/organise an additional adventure in between each AP adventure?
This is my first time I have read through these forums and I really like the banter.:)
Thanks for you help.
Delvesdeep:b:
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Ok, first of all. The Downloads you'll find here:
http://paizo.com/dungeon/resources/downloads
Info on the Striders you will also find in the adventures themselves as Campaign Sidebars.
Next: 50% less XPs???
I wouldn't do that, and you shouldn't do it as well. As you might noticed, you're players are about to gain 1 or 2 levels with every single installment of AP1.
Even that was too fast for me, and I had to incorporate more than one other adventure in order to get my players to the needed level.
When the hardcover will come out next month, it will have one additional adventure between LIFE'S BAZAAR and FLOOD SEASON.
Cutting the XPs is not a good idea when running AP1 - at least that's what I think!
You know your group. Have a look at the single adventures, think how long (how many sessions) you'll need to get them through it, than check the level needed for every single adventure. This might give you a clue how fast your pcs have to rise in levels to stay par with the set level in very AP1-Module.
I like it as well (my players too) if rising in levels is somewhat slower than normally. But for the AP1 this will not work if you don't want to run a couple of other adventures in between (there are some threads here where people tell what adventures they used to get their players to a sufficient level!).
However - you will have A LOT OF FUN with this campaign!
I agree with Dryder. Some of the later installments have a lot of encounters with EL's equal to or greater than the party, many times back to back. In general I have found that if my part begins adventure 1 level > than the lowest level recommended they will have a fun as the encounters are challanging a PC survival is on the line a fair amount of the time. However, if they go in any lower then deaths and TPK's are very real possibilities, and often my party felt overmatched.
Party make up has alot to do with this of course, and I reccommend to everyone that their party have at least one true arcane spell caster of the recommended level.
Walt
Thankyou both for your advice and for the address to the Web Enhancements. I have just downloaded them all just now!:)
As to the XP I understand your concerns especially hearing that many people need to run additional adventures between the path 'steps' to have their party at the required/recommended level. I did read one post yesterday mentioning that after running Life's Bazaar his party was infact higher than 4th and once completeing the Flood Season Adventure his party was around 8th! he may have been the exception rather than the rule but this was interesting non the less.
My group have each come up with detailed and interesting background stories that I would like to elaborate on. I thought by reducing the XP this would allow for more time between the Path 'Steps' for adventures specific to these background stories.
For example one of my party is a cleric of Heironeuos(sorry about the spelling :( ) who wanted to play is more like a Knight Templar than a standard mace swinging priest. So I was quiet pleased when I remembered the adventure - 'Provincial Prior Cause' in Dungeon #96 that is written for a 1st level party. So I had the party thrown together initially and fleeing their home country to escape the gaurd who was intent on capturing all members of the Knighthood and clergy of the 'Chivlars' (think Templars of Heironeous) which included the young squire from the party.
The party fled to the frontier lands where the Chivlars had sent a high ranked member of their order to establish one of two bases. This was the backdrop of their escape but not the reason for their choice to travel to the frontier lands and Cauldron. Adventure was their aim.
But...to make a short story long the party is now halfway through Life's Bazaar and I intend to run the 'Provincial Prior Cause' (adapted somewhat) after this is completed.
Similiarly I intend to do another such adventure after Flood Season for one of the other party and so on.
Anyway I better go but thanks once again for all your advice and help.
Delvesdeep:b:
Next: 50% less XPs???
I wouldn't do that, and you shouldn't do it as well. As you might noticed, you're players are about to gain 1 or 2 levels with every single installment of AP1.
I would disagree. I am all for stretching more adventure out of the characters. I DO feel level advancement is very (too) fast. So I can understand wanting to do this. The trick is to think of what affects doing so will have.
The first thing you would need to realize is that you would need "filler" adventures to make sure the PCs are up to par for the adventure they are starting. It sounds like you already have this in mind (and is actually the goal), so moving on to the next point.
The next thing would be that some of the AP adventures assume that PCs will be going up in levels before certain encounters. Case in point would be the show down with Kazmojen as the end of Life's Bazaar. I have seen many threads of PCs who have pretty much just been lucky in choosing the straight path to the end fight and just been slaughtered as they didn't go up in levels before hand. So you are going to have to go through each adventure and rebalance the later encounters to match the intended PC lvl (since they won't be going up to the same level by the end of the adventure). Note that this is why Paizo recommends letting PCs level up during the adventure.
The next issue that comes to mind is balance of treasure. If the PCs are going to go up in levels at 1/2 speed, but keep getting treasure as is written in the adventure, your PCs will quickly outpace the level of power expected for a character of their level (and there for change the expected challenge they would receive). So you would then need to go through and adapt the treasure given out in an adventure to match what they should get for the lessened amount of experience.
Another option (easier for the DM, but takes trust and cooperation from the players) is to have more PCs who give money away. Out of game this would be done to maintain the balance of power. Inside the game it would really show the PCs as good guys.
At the end of Life's Bazaar they might only have 1/2 the experience of other parties and so have 2x the expected treasure for their level (or whatever)... but the could donate it to their church, or the orphanage or their secrete organization of choice, or just send it home to support the wife and kids. Tough to get this level of generousity from players though... it goes against the nature of the game almost.
So while I could agree that slowing the progression of levels would be a lot of fun, it is not an easy move to make as it is altering the base assumptions with which the game is set (and the adventures are designed with those assumptions in mind).
A last option I am considering is letting PCs go on adventures that are a lower challenge rating than would be expected. This would have to be a mix, but on those "easy" adventures the players would really get the feeling their characters were very powerful... as long as everything isn't a cakewalk (mix in lower level and level appropriate adventures) they will still feel challenged.
The players get less experience if they fight battles with creatures whose CR is less than expected for their experience level and the treasure would also be less.
In this way you aren't messing with the base assumptions but are stretching play out longer with the same PCs (more adventure, less experience).
Haven't put this into practice though, so if you do, let me know how it goes.
Sean Mahoney
Thankyou Dryder & Sean for you interest and advice.
Dryder I'll be more than happy to share how my game is progressing though I'm not sure how exciting it will be.
Sean, I had a couple of ideas planned to address the issues you pinpointed (Extra Treasure/MagicResources & Interuptions in flow of adventure due to training) which I hope will fix them somewhat.
[u]Extra Treasure
What I will do -[/u]
One - Training cost
The majority of the extra money that is acquired during the 'filler'/'roleplay' adventures set between the AP will go towards paying for training.
Two - Treasure Subsitution
I intend to paw through the AP adventures are 'move' magical items/treasure from these adventures into the 'Filler/Roleplay' adventures. This way the characters are still being rewarded will the same amount of treasure but have it spread over more adventures.
[b[Three - Nothing[/b]
I do intend on leaving some of the treasure written in or that I include in the adventures. Looking over the threads written in this forum I keep reading how many character deaths have occured while running the Adventure Path. This leans me towards slightly overpowering my party rather than underpowering them. Having a few extra magical items/extra resources & allies may go some way to achieving this.
[u]Interruption due to Training
What I will do -[/u]
It is my belief that training provides additional avenues for roleplay, resources, allies and direction. It is also (particularly early on) a great model for players to measure their own character up against in terms of personality, motivations, ethics and goals.
I also see it as simple logic. While not everything needs to be realistic in D&D I like to believe that D&D has its own logic and believability. Learning a new feat/skill/spell without being taught it defies this in my humble opinion.
The problem with this though, as was correctly pointed out earlier, is that the AP was not designed with 'Training Breaks' in mind and nor was most 3rd/3.5 Edition adventures. Some of the AP adventures are set on a strict timeline making training even more difficult.
What I intend to do here is to 'tweak' adventures where I can (where it is not going to damage the feel, flow or goal of the adventure) or leave it to the party to make the final decision. Stay or go. Can make for some great roleplaying though despite the issues.
I have already done this in the 'Lif's Bazaar' adventure allowing the party to move up into the city to train all the while the poor little children where being held below. I provided an escape clause for both the parties conscious and sense of reality by having Jenya use the Star of Justice to ask St Cuthbert if time was of the essence. I had Jenya come back with a cryptic message giving the party time to train and one week more until the children will be sold.
Anyway this is just some of my thoughts. If you see any potential issues I have missed let me know.
Delvesdeep
P.S. Dryder, we are playing tonight so I will let you know what happened ASAP.:)
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Thanx, I am eager to read it! However, I am not able to read it before monday, because I am on a short trip to Rome.
I'll check the board thereafter!
And Sean:
Don't get me wrong - I don't like fast level advancement. It's just that the authors of almost every installement of the first AP said in the text, that the pcs probably will gain two levels by the end of a single AP-adventure.
Delvesdeep asked, and I told him without any other adventures inserted, cutting the XPs in half is not a good idea.
In my campaign, my players are happy, if they level up about every 4th, or 5th session (we play twice a month). This way they get to know their character much better, than the other way with fast level advancement. This whole XP-thing is an issue itself and is worth of an own thread. Fast-Level-Advancement is the only problem I have with D&D3.5!!!
But as a DM you pretty much have it in hand, haven't you?!
Dryder,
I've tried twice now to write up some of my parties adventure to date but to no avail. Everytime I try and then post what I have written nothing seems to come up. It's getting very frustrating!
So anyway I try again.
Is their any particular aspects that you wish to hear about ?
-Character Background
-First Meeting
-Trip to Cauldron
-Exploration of Cauldron
-Beginning the Adventure
Let me know if you are interested in hearing about any of these or none at all.:)
Delvesdeep
Dryder,
I've tried twice now to write up some of my parties adventure to date but to no avail. Everytime I try and then post what I have written nothing seems to come up. It's getting very frustrating!
I have found long posts can drop if you take a long time typing them. My suggestion is to never choose to submit the post with out first selecting the entire post and choosing to copy it.
If then it fails to post properly you can simply open a new posting and paste in your long post. This has normally worked for me.
Sean Mahoney
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Is their any particular aspects that you wish to hear about ?-Character Background
-First Meeting
-Trip to Cauldron
-Exploration of Cauldron
-Beginning the AdventureLet me know if you are interested in hearing about any of these or none at all.:)
Delvesdeep
Well, I just wanted to know, if you plan to insert other modules and if yes, which ones. I am very interested how you'll fare with 50% less XPs. Don't make yourself too much work with writing the story (we already know it, don't we ;), but please let me know if everything works out like you imagined... Of course, if you want to write stuff about YOUR CAULDRON, go ahead!