I have been reading through the Guide to Darkmoon Vale and the three and a half (Haunted Forest) modules for that section of Andoran, and it seems like a really well developed section of the Pathfinder world. I am sure that the Osirion and Riddleport locale APs coming up won't touch on that region, but damn wouldn't it be awesome to have a campaign in an area chalk full of werewolves :D
Only thing I can see that would make the creators of the game hesitant to make an AP for this area is the high chance that one of the good PCs will contract Lycanthropy in a multitude of encounters and cause the group to get heavily side tracked trying to cure them, put them down, or perhaps even letting them manifest it and embrace it (even if it means changing the Average Character Level of the group.) All these are things that I assume are hard to write into a long Adventure Path, so it is no wonder we haven't seen them expand on this area in an AP nor see plans for them to do so.
Though wouldn't it be cool if they made an AP where the PCs are Neutral-Evil inclined inflicted Lycanthropes? Perhaps even offer some character option feats for Lycanthrope Castors to allow easier casting in hybrid and wolf forms similar to Natural Spell (without taking a butt load of metamagic feats) as well as new Shadow Pack only druid/cleric spells. The player guide could instruct the players on how to give themselves a solid backstory about how they have integrated in Falcon's Hollow society, be they Loggers, Game Hunters, Eccentric Shopkeepers who go on monthly trips :P
Perhaps its just the werewolf fanboy in me, but I have run this idea with a lot of the guys I play with weekly (we are going through Rise of the Runelords right now) and they all think a werewolf AP would be a lot of fun. I am toying with some ideas of my own to make a game, since I made a good 4 month long Pathfinder Campaign story from scratch a while back but after going through Runelords my works pale in camparison, and also I'd hate to run my group of Pathfinder fans through a story that contridicts the current developing Pathfinder timeline.
Only thing I can see that would make the creators of the game hesitant to make an AP for this area is the high chance that one of the good PCs will contract Lycanthropy in a multitude of encounters and cause the group to get heavily side tracked trying to cure them, put them down, or perhaps even letting them manifest it and embrace it (even if it means changing the Average Character Level of the group.)
On the contrary, that sounds exactly like the high-concept adventures this crew writes. I suspect a Darkmoon Vale AP would even have an entire book based around curing one of the PCs (or an NPC if no PC gets bit in the previous adventure).
It'd also probably be written by Richard Pett.
Only thing I can see that would make the creators of the game hesitant to make an AP for this area is the high chance that one of the good PCs will contract Lycanthropy in a multitude of encounters and cause the group to get heavily side tracked trying to cure them, put them down, or perhaps even letting them manifest it and embrace it (even if it means changing the Average Character Level of the group.)On the contrary, that sounds exactly like the high-concept adventures this crew writes. I suspect a Darkmoon Vale AP would even have an entire book based around curing one of the PCs (or an NPC if no PC gets bit in the previous adventure).
It'd also probably be written by Richard Pett.
Well when they do make one at least it will be in the new PFRPG ruleset.
However another book entirely for a "If" situation seems a litle over the top. Probably something in the last half of the book for the DM. Though I think it would make it a lot more epic if they make a story around where the PCs start off as inflicted Lycanthropes in Falcon's Hollow trying to blend into society when something epic happens and they are forced to flee and help the Shadow Pack in preventing the Diamond Regiment and everyone else who hates the werewolves from trying to make the werewolves exinct or perhaps attack the lumber consortium to stop them from completely leveling Darkmoon Wood. I would make an AP of my own but my work would pale in comparison to the masters at Paizo.
Chief Creative Officer, Publisher
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Right now we have no plans for a Darkmoon Vale AP. Like Osirion, it's a place we intend to flesh out with adventures and Pathfinder Chronicles products, allowing us a more leisurely pace and not involving a massive unified plot.
Who knows, though? With enough customer demand almost anything is possible.
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Creative Director
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Certainly if there's big enough a demand for a Darkmoon Vale AP, we'll look into it. But my preference is to not do an AP set there, at least not anytime soon. There's too many other great places to set an AP that haven't had nearly enough attention yet. In fact, after Varisia, Darkmoon Vale's probably the most detailed region of Golarion so far, so there's not really a NEED to do an AP there, at least, not from a world-expansion point of view.
Doesn't mean we can't do something with werewolves somewhere else, of course!
Right now we have no plans for a Darkmoon Vale AP. Like Osirion, it's a place we intend to flesh out with adventures and Pathfinder Chronicles products, allowing us a more leisurely pace and not involving a massive unified plot.
Who knows, though? With enough customer demand almost anything is possible.
In my last campaign I had some of it in my own interpretation of Osirion, and when I found out you guys were doing Legacy of Fire I was quite looking forward to running it once it comes out next monthish.
Certainly if there's big enough a demand for a Darkmoon Vale AP, we'll look into it. But my preference is to not do an AP set there, at least not anytime soon. There's too many other great places to set an AP that haven't had nearly enough attention yet. In fact, after Varisia, Darkmoon Vale's probably the most detailed region of Golarion so far, so there's not really a NEED to do an AP there, at least, not from a world-expansion point of view.
Doesn't mean we can't do something with werewolves somewhere else, of course!
Yeah yeah, I suppose it would be good to flesh out some of the other areas, like the Mwangi Expanse and other areas that look interesting but don't have a lot of text published fleshing them out. I was thinking you were doing your APs based on areas you are working on and have fleshed out, since Varisia has a lot of APs for it.
Werewolves can fit into a lot of locations and stories as random baddies for a group of players in the 4-7 level range, but what I liked about the idea of a Darkmoon Vale AP would be it could center around werewolves :P But don't get me wrong, you guys have done an amazing job with your other APs and I am really looking forward to LoF.
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Creative Director
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In my last campaign I had some of it in my own interpretation of Osirion, and when I found out you guys were doing Legacy of Fire I was quite looking forward to running it once it comes out next monthish.
I should point out that Legacy of Fire takes place in Katapesh, not Osirion, and draws most of its inspiration from Arabian Nights stories and Aladin and Sinbad than it does from Egypt...
Yeah yeah, I suppose it would be good to flesh out some of the other areas, like the Mwangi Expanse and other areas that look interesting but don't have a lot of text published fleshing them out. I was thinking you were doing your APs based on areas you are working on and have fleshed out, since Varisia has a lot of APs for it.
We spent 18 months (more or less) in Varisia because we wanted to really explore a single region. We could have continued setting adventure paths there, in fact, there's a LOT of adventure to be had there. Darkmoon Vale was the same type of thing but for modules.
Plus, I like Varisia a lot better than Darkmoon Vale, so I guess there's a bias there... :-)
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My preferences for the next 10 APs
AP 6 - Absalom
AP 7 - Mendev (war AP focused on the crusade)
AP 8 - Yar! Pirates!
AP 9 - Tian Xia
AP 10 - Ustalav and the Whispering Tyrant
AP 11 - Swamps, Fey, Trolls
AP 12 - Casmaron, Rovagug, Kaiju battle
AP 13 - Vikings!
AP 14 - Taldor (Machiavelli type stuff)
AP 15 - Galt
AP 16 - Arcadia
The order could be changed up, though I'd definitely want the Mendev one sooner than later =p
I too would like to see an AP set in Darkmoon Vale, but more than that I would just like to see one somewhere other than Valrisia! Neat area, but there is soo much of the world that needs to have more detail. Something in the central lands, Isger (& northern Cheliax), Druma, and Mothune. Also, the River Kingdoms and surrounding lands would be excellent adventure locations.
Not really related to a Darkvale AP, but more of a general question about the setting:
Why don't the dwarves just bring in their best wizards and spend years casting "Transmute Rock to Mud" on the volcanic glass in their buried city so they can uncover their treasures and history? We know they have no problem toiling for years. Droskar would be pleased, in fact, if they slave away at unearthing the city that was once a center of his worship.
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Creative Director
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Not really related to a Darkvale AP, but more of a general question about the setting:
Why don't the dwarves just bring in their best wizards and spend years casting "Transmute Rock to Mud" on the volcanic glass in their buried city so they can uncover their treasures and history? We know they have no problem toiling for years. Droskar would be pleased, in fact, if they slave away at unearthing the city that was once a center of his worship.
Probably because there's not enough dwarves who can cast that spell to make such a mass mudding work. It's a relatively high level spell, after all, and Golarion's high level dwarven spellcasters have better things to do. Nevermind the fact that Droskar's a bad guy, and if some dwarves started unearthing a city dedicated to his worship, more dwarves would likely show up to fight them to stop them from uncovering something better left buried.
Probably because there's not enough dwarves who can cast that spell to make such a mass mudding work. It's a relatively high level spell, after all, and Golarion's high level dwarven spellcasters have better things to do. Nevermind the fact that Droskar's a bad guy, and if some dwarves started unearthing a city dedicated to his worship, more dwarves would likely show up to fight them to stop them from uncovering something better left buried.Not really related to a Darkvale AP, but more of a general question about the setting:
Why don't the dwarves just bring in their best wizards and spend years casting "Transmute Rock to Mud" on the volcanic glass in their buried city so they can uncover their treasures and history? We know they have no problem toiling for years. Droskar would be pleased, in fact, if they slave away at unearthing the city that was once a center of his worship.
I guess getting that high in level might take a while, even if they level grind on the wereboars in the Darkmoon Wood >_>
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Nevermind the fact that Droskar's a bad guy, and if some dwarves started unearthing a city dedicated to his worship, more dwarves would likely show up to fight them to stop them from uncovering something better left buried.
Watches another AP seed being planted. Now there's a nice idea, I hope it went in your little book James!
Also, once you have an underground city full of mud, how do you get rid of it?
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It could be a interesting AP but really with the sheer number of adventures and the splat book for the region you kinda already have a AP there just more lose and not as well connected. While I wouldn't mind seeing one there still especially dealing with werewolves.
But i am with James on this I would like to see other parts of the world explored by first wish to get explored is coming after Legacy which is Cheliax.
Me personally i would love to see one set in the Mwangi Expanse.
It could be a interesting AP but really with the sheer number of adventures and the splat book for the region you kinda already have a AP there just more lose and not as well connected. While I wouldn't mind seeing one there still especially dealing with werewolves.
But i am with James on this I would like to see other parts of the world explored by first wish to get explored is coming after Legacy which is Cheliax.
Me personally i would love to see one set in the Mwangi Expanse.
I agree, a solid amazonia-themed jungle adventure would be pretty epic.
I drool at the thought of an AP or even a few modules based in the Mwangi Expanse....mmmmmmmmm sounds good to me!
Me personally i would love to see one set in the Mwangi Expanse.I agree, a solid amazonia-themed jungle adventure would be pretty epic.
Well they have River into Darkness or something, module W2. That takes place in Bloodcove, a pirate town in the jungle.
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My preferences for the next 10 APs
AP 6 - Absalom
AP 7 - Mendev (war AP focused on the crusade)
AP 8 - Yar! Pirates!
AP 9 - Tian Xia
AP 10 - Ustalav and the Whispering Tyrant
AP 11 - Swamps, Fey, Trolls
AP 12 - Casmaron, Rovagug, Kaiju battle
AP 13 - Vikings!
AP 14 - Taldor (Machiavelli type stuff)
AP 15 - Galt
AP 16 - ArcadiaThe order could be changed up, though I'd definitely want the Mendev one sooner than later =p
Arrrggg...I have to wait until AP 13 to get Vikings!!!!!!!!!!!!!
James, you have to help me out here!
;)
My preferences for the next 10 APs
AP 6 - Absalom
AP 7 - Mendev (war AP focused on the crusade)
AP 8 - Yar! Pirates!
AP 9 - Tian Xia
AP 10 - Ustalav and the Whispering Tyrant
AP 11 - Swamps, Fey, Trolls
AP 12 - Casmaron, Rovagug, Kaiju battle
AP 13 - Vikings!
AP 14 - Taldor (Machiavelli type stuff)
AP 15 - Galt
AP 16 - ArcadiaThe order could be changed up, though I'd definitely want the Mendev one sooner than later =p
Arrrggg...I have to wait until AP 13 to get Vikings!!!!!!!!!!!!!
James, you have to help me out here!
;)
I do belive that was just his wishlist for APs, not a definitive list of upcoming APs.
I suspect many, as me, have already played an extended Darkmoon Vale campaign based on battling fey and trying to bring down Thuldin Kreed. It's a great area, rife with seeds. I haven't even touched on the lycanthropes and the various druid cults.
What? Pirates, but no Ninjas? Blatant Favouritism!
GNINJA SQUAT DISPATCH!
Beaten to the punch!
I actually started a Darkmoon Vale campaign this Friday the 13th! (I have a flair for the dramatic, I guess, and the natural ones galore didn't disappoint!) We started with an encounter with a werewolf during a thunderstorm outside the north palisade of Falcon's Hollow. The werewolf had slain a group of three dwarven merchants and the driver of a caravan, with goods supposed to go to the low market, now ruined. A month of what I call "Off-Time" for the characters will precede the adventure "Hollow's Last Hope".
This setting and the modules within it have made for a rich environment for both exploration and familiarity for the players, as they dwell in Falcon's Hollow. The Guide to Darkmoon Vale has provided a multitude of quest hooks, and made improv very easy. My players are eager about the well-defined roles of races, religion, and monsters in the area.
Because of the episodic nature of the modules set in Falcon's Hollow, this has allowed me to link them together over long spans of time (long for most campaigns), usually with a gap of several months between adventures. During this "off-time" characters can spend their time retraining, working (with Profession or Craft checks), researching the region (to gain bonuses to future knowledge or other skill checks in the future, or uncovering quests), go hunting for monsters or other quarry, or undertake miscellaneous quests to fill the time and become deeper inured in the region.
I also made a comprehensive list of every named NPC from the modules, making their appearances prior to the modules they are featured in make their roles in the modules more resonant. For example...
My group of players have made characters based on information I have provided them from the Guide to Darkmoon Vale, and their interest in the setting shows.
One player is playing a female half-elven spirit shaman named Damaera, acting as an entertainer and caretaker for poor children--one of her favorite charges is Kimi Eaveswalker; likewise, she has a secret crush on Deldrin Baleson.
Another is (secretly) a changeling bard named Pseudo, who acts as a deputy for Deldrin, and investigator, following up on the most recent assault by the werewolf, its potential impetus, and who would stand to gain from such a tragedy.
Next is Willic, a human barbarian brewmaster at Jak'a'napes, who was unfortunate enough to be bitten by the werewolf; in order to keep his employee brewing his award-winning pale ale, Jak will make every effort to aid in the young man's recovery, or should he become a "pariah", his secret.
Next is Sedgwick, a gnome illusionist of a well-to-do family, who has sought the privacy and secrecy of Falcon's Hollow to research whether there is more to gnome magics than illusion--his player looks to develop him into a shadowcaster; he is the only other gnome in town, and lives with Brickasnurd Hildrensocks, his friend and business comrade.
Finally is Drake, a silverbrow human with an abyssal heritage, who came from a noble house and served as a soldier to a foul man; seeking a new way, he has left on a journey, his fortuitous arrival in Falcon's Hollow coinciding with the werewolf attack.
This kind of campaign has let me play with a lot of new concepts that I've had on the back burner, such as how the characters can use their off-time, as well as having a campaign where the characters don't necessarily do a lot of traveling, but adventure is in their backyard.
Beaten to the punch!
I actually started a Darkmoon Vale campaign this Friday the 13th! (I have a flair for the dramatic, I guess, and the natural ones galore didn't disappoint!) We started with an encounter with a werewolf during a thunderstorm outside the north palisade of Falcon's Hollow. The werewolf had slain a group of three dwarven merchants and the driver of a caravan, with goods supposed to go to the low market, now ruined. A month of what I call "Off-Time" for the characters will precede the adventure "Hollow's Last Hope".
This setting and the modules within it have made for a rich environment for both exploration and familiarity for the players, as they dwell in Falcon's Hollow. The Guide to Darkmoon Vale has provided a multitude of quest hooks, and made improv very easy. My players are eager about the well-defined roles of races, religion, and monsters in the area.
Because of the episodic nature of the modules set in Falcon's Hollow, this has allowed me to link them together over long spans of time (long for most campaigns), usually with a gap of several months between adventures. During this "off-time" characters can spend their time retraining, working (with Profession or Craft checks), researching the region (to gain bonuses to future knowledge or other skill checks in the future, or uncovering quests), go hunting for monsters or other quarry, or undertake miscellaneous quests to fill the time and become deeper inured in the region.
I also made a comprehensive list of every named NPC from the modules, making their appearances prior to the modules they are featured in make their roles in the modules more resonant. For example...** spoiler omitted **
My group of players have made characters based on information...
That sounds pretty cool man. Do werewolves need an excuse to kill a merchant though? :P
The Tian Xia one would of course have Ninjas, and we could easily bump Vikings a bit earlier. Maybe switch it with the Pirates one.What? Pirates, but no Ninjas? Blatant Favouritism!
GNINJA SQUAT DISPATCH!
Do they have a Vikings-similar culture in Pathfinder? I can't recall reading about one ...
Beaten to the punch!
I actually started a Darkmoon Vale campaign this Friday the 13th!
Sounds like a lot of fun, great foreshadowing having Namdril and Tessa appear before she is tricked into that crystal. I assume you're planning on running Carneval of Tears?
There's a couple of older Dungeon Modules that fit perfectly in the region as well.
"Cry Wolf" by our old friend Nick Logue revolves around a small town's fear of wolves (perfect for the werewolf plagued Darkmoon Vale).
"Wingclipper's Revenge" by Christopher Wissel features fey plaguing a community due to an evil ranger bent on revenge.
Both these adventures have been nicely tied in with my Darkmoon Vale campaign.
"Wingclipper's Revenge" by Christopher Wissel features fey plaguing a community due to an evil ranger bent on revenge.
Actually, I was planning on raiding Wingclipper's Revenge for stat blocks (perfect multitude of battle-ready fey), but now that you mention it, I could also raid it for potential "set pieces". That issue also has an adventure relating to oozes, IIRC, so I should definitely give it a further look. (Certainly got my moneys worth out of it from the "Library of Last Resort" adventure, when I ran AoW.)
Speaking of set pieces, I've been looking at some of the locales (Etherveil, Cold Marrow, etc), and have been trying to come up with some encounters and reasons to quest there. We play again next Friday, so I should come up with some more goodies...