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I'm just old enough to have played the original Temple of Elemental Evil (not the year it came out, but within two or three years), and it has always been in my top three or four campaigns I have run in any system ever.
Last year, I ran a group through the beginnings of a total conversion to 3.5, but the group got down to three regular players and suffered a TPK about three-quarters of the way through the second dungeon level. It was still an incredible amount of fun to run. So much since 3.0 seems to have been written with balance and the characters' chance of survival as the main reasons for playing. The old Gygaxian stuff concentrated on telling a story, and --- to paraphrase Ivan Drago -- if the players die, they die. It kept the party on their toes for ever room, every doorway (including a couple of specially made traps to liven things up a little).
So now, I've got a group that may be interested, and I'm starting from scratch to do a full translation to Pathfinder. This isn't my first time playing with PF at all, but I haven't had more than three or four sessions with it, all as a player. I've got a good grip on the rules changes (I think), and on the mentality that Paizo seems to be using. I'm ready to start.
What I don't know is, for me, the most basic of all: Where the heck does this take place in Golarion? In Fareun, Homelett was about halfway between Saradush and Riatavin, Nulb was along the River Ith and the Temple was in the foothills of the Omlarandin Mountains. The location worked great. But I know almost nothing about the PF campaign world, and it's important for me to know about the region where this takes place, even if the players never ask the first question about it. So, anyone have advice for a nice, out of the way location in Golarion to put one of the most evil place on the face of the planet?
My next big mental project -- the room-by-room conversion takes a lot of time, but it's not really a mental creation process -- will be to rewrite a little bit of the mythology (those who...
Have you ever seen the 3e version Return to the Temple of Elemental Evil? That would be fairy easy if not time consuming to convert to Pathfinder.
You could probably find room in Varisia to stick it pretty easily.
And if I remember correctly Lolth really isn't a player in TOEE Zuggtmoy is who the who campaign revolves around.
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BK:
Return to ToEE is good, as far as 3rd Ed., goes, but as I said, I've always been partial to the old Gygax stories. The original ToEE is a party shredder, but it's an incredible sense of accomplishment to get through.
And Lloth is pretty minor, as is Iuz, but they show up enough that I need to make the call of whether I'm going to import them lock, stock and barrel, or if I'm going to modify them or replace them. I can lift the mushroom queen intact with no problem.
As far as Varisia... Rural communities, independent city-states, cyclopean ruins, and uncharted wilderness? Sounds like it could be perfect. Hopefully a few decent-sized cities and a mountain or two (I don't think it actually says the Temple is backed by mountains, but it just seems right) and I'm in business. Thanks.
Yeah, Magnimar could replace Verbabonc or vice versa and Sandpoint could be replaced with Nulb. There are 2 good sized mountain ranges there and rivers galore, both Sandpoint and Magnimar are located on rivers and on the Ocean. Then up north you have Riddleport which i believe has the same kind or scummy persona that Nulb has although it is much larger, but if you are replacing cities that is no problem.
Hmm...
This is an ambitious project to be doing.
Taking a look at the Varisia map, one interesting structure that Paizo hasn't really done anything with is Viperwall. Its about 100 miles from Sandpoint though. I don't really recall the distances involved in ToEE, so I can't say if that would be a good place to start. There are some towns nearer to it...so they might be more appropriate places to start from, if you went with that location.
I'll give the idea some thought.
The chief benefit of Sandpoint and Magnimar is that they are pretty fully detailed in PF 1 and 2. I'm not sure how well they reflect Hommlet, Nulb or Verbobonc as far as their population or how cosmopolitan they are. Magnimar is a fairly major city for Varisia...
Verbobonc pop. 12,700
Magnimar pop. 16,428
You could also use Riddleport in place of Verbobonc.
Riddleport pop. 13,300 (so its a bit closer to the right size) and then you could place Hommlet and Nulb over in and around the Lurkwood. That could work pretty well if you place the ToEE in the location of Wormwood Hall on the Varisia map. Its a very isolated locale that might suit it perfectly.
And her is a possibly useful link.
If you use Riddleport as a starting place you could segue into Queen of Spiders more easily than southward at Magnimar and Sandpoint. You could even incorporate elements from Second Darkness into the campaign if you wanted as well. And we all know there are drow around there.
Here is another resource I just came across...looks like someone did up some of the regional maps and maps of the towns as well.
Magnimar sounds like a good replacement for Verbobonc, with Sandpoint being Hommlet. Nulb - I don´t know, might be placed in the Hills/Mountains north of Sandpoint, along with the Temple. Riddleport might be the source of the Nulb population, but is otherwise too far away to play a big role in that story.
It will probably much trickier with the backstory. The Battle of Emridy Meadows does not sound as if it would have been near Magnimar, as neither Veluna nor Furyondy have a parallel there in the vicinity. Perhaps it dates back to the height of the Chelaxian Empire before the Death of Aroden.
Stefan
I second the blog idea! I would love to torture my players... I mean, run that for my players... ^^
OK, I had family in town all last week, so the ToEE conversion had to take a backseat. But I've got most of my prep documents done, and am into the general updating of the village of Hommlet. After this is the Moathouse, the Moathouse Dungeon, then Nulb, and then starting on the Temple proper.
I'm testing out Dropbox, so let's see if this works. (All docs are Word 2007 format, which should also open in Open Office. I've numbered the files for my own use, but it is also kind of a suggested reading order.
4 Master of the Fallen Fortress. This is a free Pazio Level 1 adventure that I'm putting on the road between Korvosa and Hommlet. It makes an easy hook to get players to Hommlet with some information.
5 Players' Background on Hommlet. If Master of the Fallen Fortress is used, this can be used as in-character text for the rescued Pathfinder.
Hopefully I'll have the village of Hommlet (and any other introductory text it needs) up soon.
As always, let me know what you think.
when I click on the links, they all prompt me to download the same file name.
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when I click on the links, they all prompt me to download the same file name.OK, I had family in town all last week, so the ToEE conversion had to take a backseat. But I've got most of my prep documents done, and am into the general updating of the village of Hommlet. After this is the Moathouse, the Moathouse Dungeon, then Nulb, and then starting on the Temple proper.
I'm testing out Dropbox, so let's see if this works. (All docs are Word 2007 format, which should also open in Open Office. I've numbered the files for my own use, but it is also kind of a suggested reading order.
4 Master of the Fallen Fortress. This is a free Pazio Level 1 adventure that I'm putting on the road between Korvosa and Hommlet. It makes an easy hook to get players to Hommlet with some information.
5 Players' Background on Hommlet. If Master of the Fallen Fortress is used, this can be used as in-character text for the rescued Pathfinder.
Hopefully I'll have the village of Hommlet (and any other introductory text it needs) up soon.
As always, let me know what you think.
Weird I got different files for each link, although the Master of the fallen fortress link didn't work but you can get that Here
Weird I got different files for each link, although the Master of the fallen fortress link didn't work but you can get that Herewhen I click on the links, they all prompt me to download the same file name.OK, I had family in town all last week, so the ToEE conversion had to take a backseat. But I've got most of my prep documents done, and am into the general updating of the village of Hommlet. After this is the Moathouse, the Moathouse Dungeon, then Nulb, and then starting on the Temple proper.
I'm testing out Dropbox, so let's see if this works. (All docs are Word 2007 format, which should also open in Open Office. I've numbered the files for my own use, but it is also kind of a suggested reading order.
4 Master of the Fallen Fortress. This is a free Pazio Level 1 adventure that I'm putting on the road between Korvosa and Hommlet. It makes an easy hook to get players to Hommlet with some information.
5 Players' Background on Hommlet. If Master of the Fallen Fortress is used, this can be used as in-character text for the rescued Pathfinder.
Hopefully I'll have the village of Hommlet (and any other introductory text it needs) up soon.
As always, let me know what you think.
Hmmm Weird. It's working now.
I ran my players through a "Pathfinderized" Return to the Temple of Elemental Evil. It was time consuming but manageable.
I had the temple located in the Five Kings Mountains and the various environs located in northern Andoran, nortern Taldor and southen Galt.
I am now running them through a "Pathfinderized" Ruins of Greyhawk/Return to the Ruins of Greyhawk.
I put these ruins in the Fog Peaks.
They are having a blast with it so far.
Thanx!
Hawk
OK, I had family in town all last week, so the ToEE conversion had to take a backseat. But I've got most of my prep documents done, and am into the general updating of the village of Hommlet. After this is the Moathouse, the Moathouse Dungeon, then Nulb, and then starting on the Temple proper.
I'm testing out Dropbox, so let's see if this works. (All docs are Word 2007 format, which should also open in Open Office. I've numbered the files for my own use, but it is also kind of a suggested reading order.
4 Master of the Fallen Fortress. This is a free Pazio Level 1 adventure that I'm putting on the road between Korvosa and Hommlet. It makes an easy hook to get players to Hommlet with some information.
5 Players' Background on Hommlet. If Master of the Fallen Fortress is used, this can be used as in-character text for the rescued Pathfinder.
Hopefully I'll have the village of Hommlet (and any other introductory text it needs) up soon.
As always, let me know what you think.
Is it possible to find these files somewhere else? I'm thinking of running a Return to the Temple of Elemental Evil campaign in Golarion, and other GMs' suggestions are always welcome!
Thanks for all your hard work on this!