Rather than jumping in fully on Pathfinder, I thought my gaming group would enjoy a less story-driven campaign pieced together from the various GameMastery modules that have or soon will come out. With only D0 and D1 in my hands, though, I was wondering if anybody could give me some pointers on how the rest of it might piece together.
Obviously I’ll be starting in Falcon’s Hollow with “Hollow’s Last Hope” and “Crown of the Kobold King”. I do have some questions about anything to follow, though:
* Does Kobold King really get the PCs to level 5 for a straight roll through to Carnival of Tears? If not, what would you recommend I run in between?
* Which comes more naturally after that? “Entombed with the Pharaohs” or “Conquest of Bloodsworn Vale”? I’ve heard great things about both and would like to run both if I could, but if I had to pick, which would y’all select?
* What’s the story hook for “Seven Swords of Sin”? Meaning, what does the adventure say is the PCs motivation for travelling all the way from wherever they are to Varisia where this adventure takes place.
Thanks for your time and answers.
I'm doing something similar and I've been kinda playing it by ear. I started with D0 and D1 then I'm going to follow up with an adventure from Dungeon (I think it's called Wingclipper's Revenge). I'm then gonna do Carnival of Taers followed by Conquest of Bloodsworn Vale. After that I'm sorta unsure. I may do Entombed with the Pharaohs after that since Seven Swords of Sin doesn't fit for my group.
* Does Kobold King really get the PCs to level 5 for a straight roll through to Carnival of Tears? If not, what would you recommend I run in between?
My players finished it yesterday. With a group of three, they made almost enough experience to advance to level 6. A group of 4 would easily be 5th level if they face even 3/4s of the opponents in the adventure.
|
* What’s the story hook for “Seven Swords of Sin”? Meaning, what does the adventure say is the PCs motivation for travelling all the way from wherever they are to Varisia where this adventure takes place.
A leader of the church of Abadar calls the PCs to travel to Kaer Maga to retrieve the swords, which were stolen from many vaults, including the one in the Abadar church. Since Abadar chuches are quite common, you should not have a hard time including this in any campaing. I've read it and even Kaer Maga could easily be changed with any other city with only minor adjustments.
Two warnings though: I have not played it, but others have said it is quite a deadly dungeon, so you might want your PCs to be 1 or 2 levels higher than the base level mentioned. And second, it shares some background story information with RotRL (AP#1), so if you plan on running/playing RotRL, it might be a good idea to keep D2 for later.
And second, it shares some background story information with RotRL (AP#1), so if you plan on running/playing RotRL, it might be a good idea to keep D2 for later.
This overlap actually appeals to me a lot and is one of the things I'm hoping for.
Golarion is giving me the rare opportunity to explore a new world with my players and I look forward to any chance I get to showcase some of the world over the course of a campaign. Falcon's Hollow serves as a great starting point because it's so setting neutral. All I have to tell my players is "you start as residents of this foresting village" and no further background need be given.
Over the course of the first adventure they learn some things about the dwarven empire, and each adventure after can only add to the reveal of Golarion.
Seven Swords of Sin in Kaer Maga will give my players their first view of Varisia and maybe set the stage for a later playing of Rise of the Runelords if we find a need for a second campaign.
We are doing a similar thing, simply because my players already exist in the world of Eberron and wanted to run these adventures.
So we started with D0 to D1 and threw Falcon's Hollow into the forest of Q'barra. We will finish D1 just about when Carnival of Tears comes out and move to that. After, I plan to move them into Entombed with the Pharaohs.
I gave them a (forgetting the name I want to use to mean this) semi low, but locally ranking person in the Church of the Silver Flame that has taken them under her wing after D0 and into D1, and she will assist them with the plot, or at least offers to do things for the church and herself to get them involved.
Chief Creative Officer, Publisher
|
It's great to see how you guys are using the GameMastery modules. Thanks for keeping us up to date on your campaigns!
Two weeks ago we had a GREAT brainstorm for the Guide to Darkmoon Vale that staff editor Mike McArtor is writing. That sourcebook will really help GMs who are basing campaigns in the Falcon's Hollow region, and we've got a few surprises up our sleeves next year that I'm sure will appeal to the folks in this thread.
Thanks especially for the note on the campaign converting the modules for use in Eberron. It's always interesting to see under the hood of conversion efforts like that.
Game on!
|
|
Two weeks ago we had a GREAT brainstorm for the Guide to Darkmoon Vale that staff editor Mike McArtor is writing. That sourcebook will really help GMs who are basing campaigns in the Falcon's Hollow region, and we've got a few surprises up our sleeves next year that I'm sure will appeal to the folks in this thread.
Darkmoon Vale Map Pack and Item Cards Deck?
We are doing a similar thing, simply because my players already exist in the world of Eberron and wanted to run these adventures.
Funny you should mention that. My players are pretty keen on Eberron too. So while I was looking forward to being able to build a campaign world with them via the GameMastery modules, I'm having a hard time getting them excited about it. They'd rather intigrate their characters into an established setting. I guess the characters feel more solid to them with a good framework around them.
So I also started looking at puting the GM modules in Eberron. The majjor difference, though, is that I was looking at the Aundaire border with the Eldeen Reaches for Falcon's Hollow. The Reaches feel more fey-y than Q'barra and I was looking at using 'Conquest of Bloodsworn Vale' there as well.
Unfortunately, I'm having a little trouble making the adventures feel any more Eberron-y than just allowing my players to play different races. Have you added or altered anything in D0 or D1 to make them feel like they belong in Eberron?
I did something similar. Started my players in D0 & D1. They got enough XP to make 3rd level. Then I ran em through a couple homemade adventures. Then they went to the mountains and I ran em through Home Under the Range (an awesome adventure BTW) from Dungeon Mag.
Now after some more homemade stuff, my players are playing through Expedition to Castle Ravenloft. They're having more fun with that than should be legal.
They should be about 10th level by the time that's over. And since that's when the game's mechanics start breaking down, that's where we'll stop. I can't wait till next campaign. We're starting ROTRL and I'm glad they already have some ideas about what Golarion's all about going in.
I expect fun. And there'll be hell to pay if I don't get it. That's my word.
Have you added or altered anything in D0 or D1 to make them feel like they belong in Eberron?
Well, for me, my players have already been though a long adventure in Eberron on previous characters, so the world "feeling" already generally exists.
We picked this as a far off in the reaches, type adventure. None of my players characters are from the major cities, the lightning rail does not come near their town. A few of the towns elders have been to a major area, but most have not. The lands are wild and untamed. Once, an airship was spotted in the distance, but this group is as low tech as you can get.
I have a dwarven ranger, also a foreman from the lumber association. A human sorceress and her mysterious "adopted" brother, a boy found lost in the woods at a young age and raised by the sorceress. The boy happens to be a changeling druid/rogue that never has shown anyone its true from but the girl. Finally the town outcast, a shifter fighter that took up residence in the out lands near the town and began working the mills to survive. All four are about the same age, so the four of them became close. The Dwarf knows the true nature of the shifter boy, even though he's never shifted for others, the human knows the true nature of the changeling, and the shifter suspects the boy is "different" because he does not smell like the others.
And, that's where we started for D0. But no, at this point, I have not had to add any true Eberron influence in yet.