Hi Folks,
I'm pretty new to Pathfinder. I just got the core rules last night. And finished reading it this morning.
I'm familiar with D&D 3.0 and to a lesser extent 3.5. I can see where Pathfinder veered away and I heartily approve of the changes made.
I'm still digesting the rules set a bit.
I stumbled into Pathfinder at just the right time it seems, as I'm creating a world and campaign which was in need of a system. I was debating creating my own but that wheel has been reinvented an awful lot. My world fits very nicely into the Pathfinder mechanics.
I'm tackling the aftermath of a zombie apocalypse in a high fantasy world. My campaign will take place 100 years after the initial outbreak, in a world which is just starting to bootstrap itself back into functioning societies.
I've gotten some public input into the history and basic mechanics and just today released my zombies and a new head shot rule for Pathfinder.
This Friday I'm doing an initial test with a few PCs verses a whole mess of zombies.
This is a bit lengthier than I initially planned for a "hi there" post. So hi there! I'm looking forward to cruising the boards and learning the intricacies of the system and how you all use it.
-Ben
Welcome! are these slow zombies? fast ones? a mix? Is it L4D, medieval style?
Thanks for the welcomes!
Anburaid - they're slow zombies. Traditional, shambling, flesh eating, head shot needing undead. :)
Here's Aruneus or everything I've shared with the world about it so far.
The world is a standard, high fantasy world but the population's been reduced from 11,500,000 sentient beings (mostly humans, elves, dwarves and orcs) to about 800,000 sentient beings.
The zombie contagion only affects humans, but infected zombies attempt to catch and eat any warm blooded creature.
The setting is going to be low-magic(ish) as well. There's the potential for high-magic but because of the current political situation, magic users and particularly wizards have been either hunted down or must be licensed by the dominant church.
The Order of the White Cloth (the dominant church) found themselves in power politically amongst the human kingdoms as their clerics could destroy the undead. That's caused lots of havoc with the now ex-ruling class as well.
There's lots of detail on the site so I won't clutter up this thread with it but I'm certainly looking for feedback if you all have any!
Wecome to the boards and enjoy your stay.
Welcome, and it sounds like an interesting world to set a game in. I'll have a look at your world when i get a chance. You may or may not want to check out Classic Horrors Revisited.
It has some nice tidbits and ideas on the walking dead, and is one of my favorite chronicles products so far.
Tell your players about THIS important instructional video.
Plus, Be aware of the nice variant zombies Pathfinder offers you, found in the Bestiary or Here. By "nice", I mean, of course "OH MY GOD THE HORROR THE HORROR! AAAAAAAAR-"
If you want more Zombie variants (as well as skeleton variants - and nice background stuff about horrible creatures like gargoyles, vampires, mummies, derro and others) like alchemical zombies, brain-eating zombies, cursed zombies, gas-burst zombies, host corpses, magi, relentless zombies and zombie lords, Classic Horrors Revisited might be just what you want to read.
All advertising aside (you know where to transfer my percentage to, Paizo ;-)), what will be the tech level in your campaign? Magic level?
Will it all be just artefacts from the Past, like players finding a magic sword or a Druganov? Was the magic there before or did it only appear after some half-zombies (or something like that) developed weird powers?
I don't know whether to thank you Kolokotroni or curse you as I've just added another book to my wishlist.
Although having just gotten the core rules, I'll be needing the bestiary first before I get anything else.
Please do have a look at the world I'm cobbling together. Let me know what you think.
Is there an actual world building discussion on the Piazo messageboards?
-Ben
TrollintheCorner wrote: I don't know whether to thank you Kolokotroni or curse you as I've just added another book to my wishlist.
Although having just gotten the core rules, I'll be needing the bestiary first before I get anything else.
Please do have a look at the world I'm cobbling together. Let me know what you think.
Is there an actual world building discussion on the Piazo messageboards?
-Ben
I dont think there is any established location for worldbuilding, but feel free to post such a discussion in the pfrpg general discussion forum. You will certainly get responses there.
Oh and you are welcome to do both (thank and curse), but dont forget to use the prd while you wait to pick up your copy of the bestiary.
KaeYoss wrote: All advertising aside (you know where to transfer my percentage to, Paizo ;-)), what will be the tech level in your campaign? Magic level?
Will it all be just artefacts from the Past, like players finding a magic sword or a Druganov? Was the magic there before or did it only appear after some half-zombies (or something like that) developed weird powers?
Tech level will be standard high fantasy medieval-like-but-with-renaissance-armor-and-other-anachronisms. Magic level will be low to start off with but not because the magic ain't there, more because of the political situation and the fact that it's really hard to study magic for 20 years when things keep trying to eat you.
Basically I wanted to see what a standard high fantasy RPG world would look like 100 years after a massive zombie apocalypse. So I created the world and then destroyed it (on paper, I've not yet mastered actual universe creation) and now here we are.
I don't want to link spam my blog all over the forums but up in an earlier post on this thread I have a link to all of the stuff I've detailed about the world. I've got a good 30k words worth of stuff done so far and I'm cranking out more every day.
It's a sickness.
TrollintheCorner wrote: KaeYoss wrote: All advertising aside (you know where to transfer my percentage to, Paizo ;-)), what will be the tech level in your campaign? Magic level?
Will it all be just artefacts from the Past, like players finding a magic sword or a Druganov? Was the magic there before or did it only appear after some half-zombies (or something like that) developed weird powers?
Tech level will be standard high fantasy medieval-like-but-with-renaissance-armor-and-other-anachronisms. Magic level will be low to start off with but not because the magic ain't there, more because of the political situation and the fact that it's really hard to study magic for 20 years when things keep trying to eat you.
Basically I wanted to see what a standard high fantasy RPG world would look like 100 years after a massive zombie apocalypse. So I created the world and then destroyed it (on paper, I've not yet mastered actual universe creation) and now here we are.
I don't want to link spam my blog all over the forums but up in an earlier post on this thread I have a link to all of the stuff I've detailed about the world. I've got a good 30k words worth of stuff done so far and I'm cranking out more every day.
It's a sickness. I find it interesting so far. I guess in your world PCs have to do alot of running, or make alot of backup PC's. The romero 1 bite is 100% fatal is problematic in a high fantasy game (in my opinion). But if this is meant to be more in lines with horror gaming it makes sense.
kolokotroni wrote: I find it interesting so far. I guess in your world PCs have to do alot of running, or make alot of backup PC's. The romero 1 bite is 100% fatal is problematic in a high fantasy game (in my opinion). But if this is meant to be more in lines with horror gaming it makes sense. Well, two recent (in Aruneus, not real life) developments deal with that.
1. The pioneering of lighter-than-air craft. Float carefree above the slavering zombie horde on your way to your next destination. Whoops! Watch out for that Roc!
2. An actual, honest to goodness cure. It's horribly expensive and extremely rare and my party is going to be charged with delivering it to several major settlements. Which will threaten the Order of the White Cloth who are ruling because folks depend on them to ward off zombies. It's also cause for the underground nobility to rejoice.
TrollintheCorner wrote: kolokotroni wrote: I find it interesting so far. I guess in your world PCs have to do alot of running, or make alot of backup PC's. The romero 1 bite is 100% fatal is problematic in a high fantasy game (in my opinion). But if this is meant to be more in lines with horror gaming it makes sense. Well, two recent (in Aruneus, not real life) developments deal with that.
1. The pioneering of lighter-than-air craft. Float carefree above the slavering zombie horde on your way to your next destination. Whoops! Watch out for that Roc!
2. An actual, honest to goodness cure. It's horribly expensive and extremely rare and my party is going to be charged with delivering it to several major settlements. Which will threaten the Order of the White Cloth who are ruling because folks depend on them to ward off zombies. It's also cause for the underground nobility to rejoice.
A cure is great, but is the supply sufficient that the party can keep an ample amount for themselves? I mean i dont know much about your table, but i believe most parties will have trouble with a 1 bite kill horde particularly with the absence of a powerful magic user for battlefield control. Flying over the zombies is great, but it wouldnt be a zombie apoc game if you dont have to face down a swarm of the walking dead now and again.
Kolokotroni wrote: A cure is great, but is the supply sufficient that the party can keep an ample amount for themselves? I mean i dont know much about your table, but i believe most parties will have trouble with a 1 bite kill horde particularly with the absence of a powerful magic user for battlefield control. Flying over the zombies is great, but it wouldnt be a zombie apoc game if you dont have to face down a swarm of the walking dead now and again. (Sorry for the long post)
Well, that's gonna be a fun thing for the party to figure out. There's a twist to this as well - the cure is self generating but it takes time.
Also another twist - the Contagion only affects humans. So if you're half elf, dwarf, etc. then the bites sting like hell but won't turn you in to a zombie.
I'm planning for the party to be in plenty of gray-areas throughout this campaign. They're going to have to make some interesting choices and these choices will certainly change their world and how they as a group are viewed in it.
And they won't have access to lighter than air travel always. But - the actual zombie apocalypse was 100 years ago. There are still plenty of zombies out there but no where near the world consuming hordes of 100 years ago.
Here's the item that effects the cure:
Vial of Life
For a century, scholars, magic users and clerics have been desperately searching for a cure to the contagion without success. Now a conclave of outlawed wizards, nobility friendly with the League of the Earth and a rogue Order of the White Cloth priest, one has been found. Taking incredible magical powers based in both knowledge and the divine, along the the presence and blood of a contagion infected zombie, the Vial of Life has been created.
The Vial of life
Aura: strong abjuration; CL 20th
Slot -; Price: 2,000,000+ gp; Weight -
Over the course of a month, this small vial which appears to be constructed out of drab, grey soapstone slowly fills up with a sweet smelling, light green liquid. Once the vial is 3/4 full, production of the liquid stops until the vial is emptied.
If drunk, the light green liquid will cure heal 1d6+6 HP of damage. If drunk by a human who has been bitten by a CI Zombie but who is still living (has not succumbed to the effects) that human will endure several minutes of pure agony, after which they will be cured completely of the Contagion. They will also be healed up to 1d6+6 HP of damage.
If the liquid is poured out of the Vial of Life it will lose its healing and curative properties in 1d4 minutes.
The Vial may be stoppered by a simple cork with no ill effect.
Construction Requirements: Craft Wondrous Item, Wish or Miracle, Cure Light Wounds, Channeled Energy ability, soapstone vial, blood from a still functioning Contagion Infected Zombie.
Dont be sorry about a long post, world building cant be done in short strokes :P. Interesting that the vial of life replenishes, but takes a month, and the cure cant be stored elsewhere. So they better not screw up more then once in a game month, or be mostly non-human. As good as this cure is, i dont know if it can possibly be world saving because of it's volume limitations. 2mil gold each means there will be very, very, VERY few or these. I dont think this will save anything at all. A zombie cure needs to be able to be mass produced to protect large portions of potential new zombies (read: people). A battalion of archers is a better zombie plague cure then this (and cheaper to equip and maintain as well).
I agree. One can't save the world. But there will be more than one. In fact, there will be 5 at the start (still not world saving). One to stay in the initial settlement the party starts at and 4 to go with the party to be distributed, along with instructions on how to make more.
Like anything, when the process is more thoroughly understood and more research can be done, the cost is driven down and the output is driven up.
Or at least, that's the hope. :)
Kolokotroni wrote: Dont be sorry about a long post, world building cant be done in short strokes :P. Interesting that the vial of life replenishes, but takes a month, and the cure cant be stored elsewhere. So they better not screw up more then once in a game month, or be mostly non-human. As good as this cure is, i dont know if it can possibly be world saving because of it's volume limitations. 2mil gold each means there will be very, very, VERY few or these. I dont think this will save anything at all. A zombie cure needs to be able to be mass produced to protect large portions of potential new zombies (read: people). A battalion of archers is a better zombie plague cure then this (and cheaper to equip and maintain as well).
"It's been one year since the unthinkable happened, none of us could have prepared for it none of us could have seen it coming. The dead.. walking.
Since then those of us that survived have kept to the 'Rule'.
'Keep moving. Keep quiet. Keep alive'
It's their world now."
I love zombie DnD
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