What started with this innocent post by Doombunny about six weeks ago:
So the Cult of the Cathuggers and the Temple of the Doglovers have finally brought their war to Golarion. I've seen it all before.
Our world will be torn asunder as thousands of 'Hang In There' posters start to adorn the walls of wizard towers everywhere and riding dogs suddenly find themselves wearing knitted sweaters into battle. Cat's Grace will be replaced by Doggie Dexterity in some parts of the land, while the heavens themselves shake as hound archons begin switching to Meow Mix.
Can anyone discover the secret behind these disturbances in time to save our home?
An adventure designed for four 1st-level characters.
Started taking on its own life, possibly to poor Sir Ineptus' discombobulation.
To witness this typed up in a semi-delerium (by me):
"A 3-chapter adventure path in the making.
"In the player's guide, the all-gnome party discovers that their frat siblings have gone missing. The only clue they find is a mysterious collar in the odd shape of a paw print amidst the rubble of what appears otherwise to be a 'start of the season' party gone tragically wrong.
"In Chapter 1 "Hairballs of Horror" our stumpy action heroes find that a sinister Cult of Clawthulhu is behind the almost-cover-up of the frat party massacre at Glassteel Lake. They four-legged feline cultists performed a dread ritual to stir the ire of the gnome-hating undead ranger from his unmarked grave at the bottom of the lake.
"Once they deal with the masked machete-wielding bedroll-grappling lake revenant, our traumatized heroes follow the catnip trail from the site of the ritual to the local catnip dealer. The trail leads from the addicted dealer of catnip to a sacred Cult temple complex in an ancient, enormous bath house ruin known as Hwarf'yeh. Yet a final clue leads them to ...
Chapter 2 "Doggies of Doom" the clue found at Hwarf'yeh directs our stumpy action heroes to tangle with the doggy minions of Al'poh, an obscure canine gawd of kitty slaughter and hedonistic doggy pleasures. Our heroes' last stand against the wrath of Al'poh is in a tree fort in a pitched battle with the local cult leader, a druidic avenger wolfhound that summons a seemingly inexhaustible horde of slavering gnome-devouring fanged critters in all his gory glory.
In Chapter 3 "Chimerae of Carnage" the very skies shake as the true horror of the agenda of the Cult of Clawthulhu is uncovered: merging all the canine and feline creatures of the Material Plane into new, subservient chimerae species. Will our heroes prevent the unspeakable horror as it spirals out of control, subverting hound archons, hellcats, dragonnes ... even a mighty gold dragon? Or will they become so much pet-kibble in the bowels of the Cult's hideout in dread New'weh?"
After which this exchange took place:
"Turin the Mad wrote:
Doombunny wrote:
No turning back. We are writing this mofo.
Writing what Doombunny?
Reign of Fur:
A 3-Part Pawfinder Adventure Trail"
Then we had:
"JoelF847 wrote:
Yasha0006 wrote:
You guys are bringing back memories! Hahaha!
Who can forget the great Minsc with his Int of 5?! I think his Wis was 7 or 8 as well. Talk about a memorable character!
So...when will the first Pawfinder adventure be coming out?
I'm sure Heathansson will be buying copies!
If ponies were included in the rules, I bet Sebastian would buy a copy also.
[me ==>]Ponies are in the rules, here and here. CR 1/2 eh? hmmmm ...."
Theeeen ...
"Turin the Mad wrote:
Back (kind of) on topic : who wants to see a "Pawfinder" again?
[Kassil ==>]For the lulz and the chance to prove to the world that reptile-kind can be just as mighty in this respect as any malodorous mammal, I will sign to this!"
And of course this just started the snowball of forumites made into antagonists to brutalize the gnome player characters:
"Turin the Mad wrote:
JoelF847 wrote:
Yasha0006 wrote:
You guys are bringing back memories! Hahaha!
Who can forget the great Minsc with his Int of 5?! I think his Wis was 7 or 8 as well. Talk about a memorable character!
So...when will the first Pawfinder adventure be coming out?
I'm sure Heathansson will be buying copies!
If ponies were included in the rules, I bet Sebastian would buy a copy also.
I wonder ... an awakened war pony with Expert levels should fit Sebastian nicely as a stat block.
just sayin'... ^_^
[Kassil ==>]I would now have to second that this needs to be written, with forumgoers around here getting cameos as characters. Cats, dogs, rabbits, lizards, ponies, you name it!"
And one of the more recent postings:
"Balor wrote:
Anyone else out there remember the sagas of Miarow Tomokato?
[me ==>]Very much so Balor - why do you think I'm having to refrain from naming one of the places Katzat-Dum? ^_^"
And yes, I have all five (or six?) books featuring the trusty Samurai Cat, a certain tabby known as Miowaro Tomokato. Although his nephew Shiro is the (little, furry) man!
And thusly starts the Official Pawfinder Thread. :)
Eggcellent.
Great! I have time tomorrow, so I will get you the dire cat Asap.
Awesome sketch TD! Looks like a great start to a shot, Clawchewloo looming in the background (as Cthulhu is want to do), with gnomish adventurers fleeing as their minds shatter at the impossibilty of a cat-dog-cthulhoid horror some stories tall, constantly shedding ... ^_^
A bit of teaser material for potential players:
Player Characters
This entire Adventure Trail is written with the use of the Pathfinder Beta (PFRPG) rules set and is set in the Pathfinder Chronicles Campaign Setting (PCCS).
On with the teaser!
Gnomes are the only race permitted for player characters in this adventure trail. All player characters start at 4th level with 6,000 xp and a 6,000 gp budget for gear. It is recommended that this be proportioned out along the lines of the guidelines given for NPC gear (Table 14-9, page 338 of PFRPG Beta): 2,500 gp for weapons; 1,800 gp for protection; 700 gp for magic; 800 gp for limited use and 200 gp for gear.
“You and your fellow gnomes are heading to the Gathering of Jistka, the biggest party this side of Elysium. Most non-gnomes don’t know why the gnome fraternities and sororities are colloquially dubbed Jistka other than the badges displaying characters from the Jistkan alphabet.
“Gnomes of course know better – your Jistka share the traits of all Jistka. Each has the charm and mystery of belonging to a social fraternity that non-gnomes cannot join. Each has a unique oath of fidelity, a unique handshake, at least one unique ritual, a unique motto, a unique badge declaring membership, high ideals of fellowship and sometimes even high ideals of achievement and morality.
“Since gnomes need new and exciting experiences on a regular basis, one avenue of ensuring this are the Jistka’s annual gatherings. Every year new gnomes are inducted – usually by a time-honored hazing – followed by an enormous party. Every year the party should have something that fits the bill, whether it is a different fireworks display, a new kind of intoxicant, an exotic feast that no one at the Jistka has (hopefully) experienced before, a new play is enacted or anything else that can be dreamed up.
“The annual Jistka gatherings are generally held as part of the Harvest Feast festival on the second Moonday of Lamashan, starting at dusk. Costumes with or without masks are almost always a part of the gatherings, with colorations done in three-fold variants, one of which is typically a metallic shade. A given Jistka’s badge is worn proudly on beaded oversized necklaces, generally fired and glazed crude ceramics, cheap and inexpensive to build in large quantities from river clay. Gnomish illusion craft frequently comes into truly magnificent display during these gatherings as well, a far safer alternative to fireworks.
"The larger Jistka also sponsor a ‘barge parade’ along the river nearest to their community, each barge garishly decorated and virtually alive with illusion craft when possible. In the areas with large gnome communities that have Jistka presence, each puts forth as many decorated barges as it can float in a (hopefully) impressively creative display. The gnome judges of the parade generally take into account the responses of all those viewing the barge-displays. In one particular case about the time of the beginning of the Age of Lost Omens about a century ago, the award went to a barge that was fireballed by an elf offended by the lascivious display. The precise details of the ensuing chaos remain imprecise to this day. Naturally such a raucous incident is the subject of a great many urban legends and badly exaggerated re-tellings.
“Every 8 years a Gathering of Jistka is hosted, usually by the combined efforts of the Jistka of the city of Thum in the River Kingdoms. Thum itself is at a fork of the Sellene River, perhaps forty to forty-five leagues east-northeast from Iadara in the elven kingdom of Kyonin. This Gathering is being hosted at the serenely calm oversized fishing pond of Glassteel Lake, another 5 leagues or so west-river from Thum.
“You are heading there now on ponies you won at the drinking contest last night with the Eye Alpha Eye Jistka. With a bit of luck you’ll be rid of the hangover, sober and in time for the last night of the Gathering arriving shortly before dusk.”
Traits:
In addition to the character traits available at the Game Master’s discretion in other Pathfinder material – specifically as introduced in the Pathfinder Companion supplements Elves of Golarion and Second Darkness – the gnome player characters may elect to select one of the following traits introduced in this adventure trail.
It is recommended to permit 2 traits gratis.
Frat Brat (detailed below) is the only Campaign Trait for this Adventure Trail. This is received in addition to any traits permitted by the GM.
Frat Brat: You are a gnome party machine, dedicated to your membership in the fraternity or sorority “Jistka” that helped you get through the tough times as a zero-level nobody. They kept you in touch with the folks back home, couriered care packages and letters and smuggled in intoxicants and recreational herbal remedies. The annual parties are a must-attend, both for hazing the new probates as well as for the almost-always phenomenal party after the hazing. You gain a +1 trait bonus on Fortitude saving throws against poisons, a +5 bonus on Diplomacy checks with your fraternity or sorority members and a maximum attitude shift of three steps with your fraternity or sorority members. Given how vital a Jistka can be in deterring the dreaded ‘Bleaching’, the annual Jistka and the particularly important Gathering of Jistka usually held in Thom are much looked forward to.
Well known Jistka include: Alpha Effa Kappa, Beta Eye Omega, Delta Nu Delta, Mu Mu Omega, Reh Peh Geh, Omega Mu Gamma, Theta Mu Eye and Theta Peh Kappa.
When gathering information from your Jistka, you must host a suitable social gathering for a minimum of six hours at a cost of 5 sp per hour per person. Gnome Jistka have gotten rather large over the centuries, resulting in a minimum cost of 60 gp for every six hours, including a suitable tithing to Cayden Cailean and sometimes one of the others among the gnomish ‘pantheon’ when the host (ess) can be bothered to remember. However, at such a gathering one can gather quite a bit of information, garnering a stackable +1 circumstance bonus after the first hour for each full hour the party runs.
The GM can assign further circumstance bonuses based on the quality of booze and chow. Suggested food bonuses are +1 for ‘good’ food instead of ‘common’ (+30 gp per six hours) or a +4 bonus for ‘banquet’ food (+300 gp per six hours). Suggested booze bonus is a +2 for ‘fine’ at an extra cost of +300 gp per six hours.
(Gnome Racial Trait)
The Prodigal Gnome Returns: You were adopted and raised by someone other than a gnome. As a result, some of your racial traits are changed from the norm for gnomes. You retain the gnomish ability score modifiers, small size, slow speed, low-light vision and keen senses traits.
You gain adopted racial traits as follows:
- Prodigal Dwarf: You lose gnome obsessive, illusion resistant, gnome magic, weapon familiarity, hatred, defensive training, languages and favored class traits. You gain dwarf stonecunning, greed, hearty, weapon familiarity, hatred, defensive training, languages and favored class traits.
- Prodigal Elf: You lose gnome obsessive, illusion resistant, gnome magic, weapon familiarity, hatred, defensive training, language and favored class traits. You gain elven immunities, elven magic, weapon familiarity, languages and favored class traits.
- Prodigal Half-Elf: You lose gnome obsessive, illusion resistant, gnome magic, weapon familiarity, hatred, defensive training, languages and favored class traits. You gain half-elf elven immunities, adaptability, languages and favored class traits.
- Prodigal Half-Orc: You lose gnome obsessive, illusion resistant, gnome magic, weapon familiarity, hatred, defensive training, languages and favored class traits. You gain half-orc weapon familiarity, orc ferocity, languages and favored class traits.
- Prodigal Halfling: You lose gnome obsessive, illusion resistant, gnome magic, weapon familiarity, hatred, defensive training, languages and favored class traits. You gain halfling sure-footed, halfling luck, fearless, weapon familiarity, languages and favored class traits.
- Prodigal Human: You lose gnome obsessive, illusion resistant, gnome magic, weapon familiarity, hatred, defensive training, languages and favored class traits. You gain human bonus feat, skilled, weapon training, languages and favored class traits.
Forumites Slated to Make An Appearance
So far, here's the roster of messageboard regulars that are slated to be featured in Pawfinder. If you do not want to be included, lemme know please. :)
(In no particular order)
Sharoth
Kaeyoss
Uriel
Flynn
Kassil
Zendrik
Krome
Heathannson
Sebastian
Xaan
GRU
Guru (not the same as GRU)
^_^
Question. Will you be allowing people to play as awakened animals themselves, maybe a variation of the template in the Book of Templates?
Question. Will you be allowing people to play as awakened animals themselves, maybe a variation of the template in the Book of Templates?
Nawp - why else go to the trouble of coming up with the racial trait for gnomes?
EDIT: Such characters would make for a completely different adventure trail than the one presently being worked on. Not a bad idea though, not at all...
Forumites Slated to Make An Appearance
So far, here's the roster of messageboard regulars that are slated to be featured in Pawfinder. If you do not want to be included, lemme know please. :)
(In no particular order)
Sharoth
Kaeyoss
Uriel
Flynn
Kassil
Zendrik
Krome
Heathannson
Sebastian
Xaan
GRU
Guru (not the same as GRU)^_^
Hrm ... think I left off a few ...
Yasha, I do have you slated to appear as well. :)
Performs a dreadful act of thread necromancy, endangering what remains of mind, body and soul.
This is now my primary project... maps, stat blocks, the works, 'cept art, which - justifiably - costs money I don't have yet.
I have the green light to go ahead and finish this from my Editor-in-Chief.
Oh, and thanks to Sue Cook, Wolfgang Baur and Joshua Frost for (in)directly inspiring the resurrection of this 'pet' project.