So I am DM for the next set of games, and I plan on running STAP in the FR. In order to get ahead of the game, I wanted to do some reading. Any pre-hints on what areas in the Realms that I should bone up on?
I had a feeling that it would be on the sword coast. Just how far N or S I am not sure, but I am betting it is closer to Chult than Waterdeep.
Anyway - any tips / hints would be a great help, as I gotta start boning up on the areas right now. I also wanted to start prepping the players.
(NOTE: I am in no way pre-complaining about conversion notes, nor am I asking tht SATP be moved to the realms. Just looking for whare to start my DM homework....)
If it were me, I would definitely set it in the Shining Sea/Calimshan/Chult region. Savage Tide seems to be all about exotic locales and the Sword Coast is, in my opinion, not it unless you're from Icewind Dale or somewhere in the hinterlands. In that particular region, there is plenty of fodder for side treks and subplots. Since you're planning on setting it in the Forgotten Realms, you may want to consider getting "Serpent Kingdoms" if you're planning on setting it in the Shining Sea area.
So I am DM for the next set of games, and I plan on running STAP in the FR. In order to get ahead of the game, I wanted to do some reading. Any pre-hints on what areas in the Realms that I should bone up on?
In the official conversion notes, Cauldron and Sasserine are located on the Chultan Peninsula. Since Sasserine will be the port of call for the beginning of the AP, and some NPCs are affiliated with Cauldron, that's where I'd go with it.
IMC, I placed SCAP in the Reach, which means that I'll be pushing STAP over the Amn and tie it into the Maztica cycle. I think. Unless I do something completely different. ;)
Any thoughts on the east coast of the main continent over near the Kara-Tur stuff? I still have that bright purple boxed set and it details some of the action going on there.
I thought briefly about the Moonsea and the Sea of Fallen Stars, having run several nautical themed adventures there, but it doesn't really lend itself to epic sea voyages, let alone having a giant dinosaur filled island hidden within......
Still, Pirates of the Fallen Star will without a doubt be coming out of my attic! The goblin' tossing hill giant pirate will sail once more. Especially since he has a feat to do it now (Races of Stone, I think)!
I also considered taking it down to Al-Quadim, but I don't think my players really like that flavor.
I do like the idea of putting it down near the Reach. That is Terra Incognita for all my players, barring that, I will go with the conversion version. (Wasn't that a schoolhouse rock episode?)
So - the Reach or the Shining Sea it is!
I can't beleive how excited I am about this AP! Shoot me now, for I am not typically the gushy fanboy type..... (More of a cross between Fox Mulder and Eeyore who suffers from insomnia)
The Vilhon Reach could be interesting, but I don't know if the climate meshes too well...eh, it's your game!
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At one time I was gonna run a Freeport/Skull & Bones/Pirate game, set in the FR of 300 years in the future, with the Caribbean of our world and pretty much our world's North and South America just there. With some modifications--New York was Newaterdeep and stuff like that. I think Sasserine would fit good...around Venezuela or Colombia, on the coast there.
I think you would need to take into consideration that conversion notes for one AP don't necessarily make sense for other APs brought into the realms. A good example of this was St. Cuthbert from SCAP was a great match to Helm, but St. Cuthbert from AoWAP was better mapped to Ilmater. Both work just fine with that conversion done, but you couldn't just say "St. Cuthbert was Helm in the first conversion so it is in the second as well!"
That being the case, it is possible that Sasserin from SCAP may not map to the same Sasserin in STAP. That said, I am not sure you could really be sure where it will convert best to until something actually comes out for it or we have an official proclimation of the conversion... barring those it is just random guessing based on comparative geographies... but not knowing what is necessary in the campaign other than what little we know, who can say?
I would feel safe reading up on the Shining South, Serpent Kingdoms and anything you can get on the Chult region.
Sean Mahoney
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All I could glean on Sasserine was the following, much of which was from the original Dungeon adventures that oft referred to Sasserine as the capital of the realm:
Large city 21,000/40,000 gp limit.
Has a hidden temple of Nerull, mentioned alongside the Necrocants.
Has an assassin's guild, mnetioned as Taskerhill wished to hire an assassin from Sasserine to kill the Lord Mayor.
A temple of Saint Cuthbert larger than one in Cauldron, the one Tarcem Delasharn visited when buying wands in secret
A temple of Pelor, one that is above the shrine in Cauldron, that is concerned about what happened to the priests in Cauldron.
The following relates to Coryston Pike from Life's Bazaar:
"Coryston Pike’s adventuring career may have been cut short, but if she survives her experience in the Malachite Fortress,
the PCs will have gained a useful ally. Her father, Dovin Pike,
leads a powerful merchant cartel in the realm’s capital city,
and she has access to contacts and resources not usually
available to a character of her level. Her father has little
respect for adventurers in general, but Coryston knows many
ways to creep into his heart. She also enjoys manipulating her
father’s sycophantic underlings to secure expensive items
(including single-use or charged magic items) at a reduced
price. Provided the heroes don’t need an item immediately,
she can get it for them in 1d4+3 days at a discount (25% for
potions and scrolls, 10% for everything else).
When she is not locked away in some subterranean prison,
Coryston keeps abreast of events around her. PCs can tap her
knowledge of local rumors, as well as her knowledge of people
and places in Cauldron."
So there are large merchant cartels, presumably exported lots of wood from the jungles, along with minerals from the mountains, rare herbs etc. So assuming Paizo stick to what was in Dungeon before then at least it is a little something to help guid where to place in the realms. Isn't the default Chult?
As Savage Tide is almost upon us, any chance we can get some official word on where the best place would be to set it in the Realms? In particular what city to use in place of Sasserine.
Im my SCAP FR campaign, I replaced Sasserine with Tashluta, capital city of the Tashalar kingdom. More info on this city can be found in "Serpent Kingdoms". It's a haven for merchants, traders and sailors. Commodities commonly exchanged there include wine (Tashalar grands crus are world-famous), coffee, zalanthar wood, precious ores and slaves. A great temple of Talona dominates the city which is built just like Cauldron (but more like Santorin in the Greek islands) in the caldera of an extinct volcano. The Rundeen Consortium dominates the political landscape as this organisation emerged here in the first place to shake the dominion of the Shoon viceroys at the end of the 5th century DR. Even if the Harpers landed some hard blows in the 1350s on the Consortium, which no longer hold a monopoly on the Shining Sea trade, they are still a political and economical power to be reckoned with.
Of course it's not "official" but it seemed a logical choice when I started the SCAP and I think I'll stick to it for Savage Tide. However Eric L. Boyd in the Age of Worms Overload placed Cauldron more west in the Chultan peninsula. Perhaps he'll use Mezro directly or Narubel near the Luo Peaks.
Between Chult and Zakhara.. closer to Zakhara but more than anything, westwards.
Placed more or less where "Atlantis" would be.
And considering the Islands size.. hehhe :D
Heck if there doesent exista Atlantis, then its you duty to make one, right?
Between Chult and Zakhara.. closer to Zakhara but more than anything, westwards.
Looking at the map fo Sasserine, there is a lot of frest showing "below" the city so im thinking Mezro or Ishau?
Im actually considering Athlakalta, Amn.
Chult is a bit too primitive, while Calimport has other story problems.
That said, anything in Amn or Tethyr would work beautifully.. but cannot see why say waterdeep couldnt work.. or even Luskan if you really want to. Althought that trip will be really, really long ;)