If this is in the wrong place please feel free to move it :)
Ok I have started to run 'The stolen lands', everything is going great so far. I do however have a few questions I could do with pointing in the right direction with. I have tried looking through the other posts but they are massive and trying to find answers is very hard.
I have spoilered the questions so I dont spoil it for other games.
Players please stay out as this may harm your game for you.
2- If I add npc's like a smith and such will this step on later npc's toes?
3- Are there any npc's you would suggest looking out for as ones not to change?
4- The cleric and noble have great back stories do the pc's get a chance to find out the clerics story later or is that left to me to do if I want to?
5- I have seen later there is a witch that they may come across but she is actually a sorceress. I have a witch in my group, so if I was to change this npc to a witch would this make much of a diffrence to things?
I think that might be it for now. As you can see I dont have much experience running adventures like this, I normally run your 'normal' written adventures or my own. So I'm having a problem filling out things my group wants to do or know that isnt covered without buggering up things in later books.
Thank you for reading and any advice you can give, I will stop rambling now.
About your question number 1 and 4: it was said somewhere ehere by Jacob that the developers intended those two to be more involved in Kingmaker but that idea was later scrapped. You can do what you want with them - including increasing their role or killing them. They are potential advisors and may be used to fill leadership positions after the kingdom is esytabilished. Their backstories will be uncovered only if you give PCs the chance to do so.
About 2 and 5 - as far as I know you can alter things quite much in Kingmaker and neither should pose any problems - Kingmaker is more open than other APs.
Thanks Drejk thats what I thought (2-5) but its been bothing me since I started running it (so many sleepless nights LOL) so thought I would just throw myself at your collective mercy :)
As a general idea for you, keep this in mind.
YOU are the DM, so it's YOUR world. You can do whatever the hell you want with it, it's not like someone is going to complain about it.
Players > shouldn't know.
Other DM's > respect your imagination
People on forum > fall under categories above ;)
1- Change them if you like, just make sure you keep track of how much they changed.
If you have book #2, you can find the "important" NPC's on page 5. But don't worry about it too much, I killed off one of them too :P
2- Nope. Just imagine you are building a KINGDOM so there is bound to be room for more than one smith/...
And if you're worried about it, remember the #1 rule: You play the NPC's, so change them to fit YOU ;)
3- See 1 and 2
4- Your call!
5- She is called a witch because she lives alone and hates people snooping around her place. Calling her a "Witch" when she is a sorceress is just the same as you could call someone a knight while he is a fighter/paladin, or call someone a cleric although he is a peasant. Don't get too hung up on names. It could prove to be quite interesting to see the PC witch having a fight with Beldame about "witchyness" ^^
PC: "You are no witch, stop calling yourself that!!"
Beldame: "You don't have to tell me!! Tell everyone else!! Now go away before I put a spell on you!"
/laugh/
Thanks rickmeister I had to laugh at 5 :D Thought it could be a good start for a coven or some such.
I always have a record of the changes I make I'm sort of anal about that. the only reason I ask is I would hate to do so much work and then find out an npc has a major role to play later and I had just buggered it up. My players are great for not knowing, they even only read the rules they need to know so they learn though their characters non have read the MM they say they dont need to know.
Just came to me, would you say its a good rule of thumb to say that each book is self contained as in everything I need to know or is written about an npc or plot is more or less in that book.
So if I cant find the any more on an npc in 1 book then i'm not going to find it in another.
Keep in mind the APG was not even out yet when this AP was written. I see no problem making the change of B...I did.
In general yes but...I know of at least one npc that has a quest associated with them in a later book.
I would highly encourage you to do what you can to give names and personalities to as many NPCs as you can, particularly as you enter the kingdom building phase. That way when the PCs are interacting, they aren't talking with nameless NPC #3, they're talking with Johan Steward, the innkeeper, and when stuff happens to the town or the residents, it happens to people they know and identify with.
The only caution is not to give them a freebie by creating shops/people that they haven't spent the BP to purchase during kingdom building.
In my own campaign, I just spent some time this weekend drawing a detailed map of their young town, indicating all the important buildings and providing a key indicating who owns what and where important people work and live. It should help them visualize a lot.
NPC's may come and may go, but your players is where the story lies.
(A lesson I found out the harder way :p)
Even though there is a quest hooked on an NPC in a later booklet doesn't mean you can't alter it a bit?
You sound smart enough, and your players sound forgiving enough... Go with it, and tell *their* awesome tale, and don't worry too much about the NPC's.
If you are truly worried, get all of the booklets and browse through them.. You'll find most of the names that are important easily enough.
I don't know if this is possible on this forum, but if you find a way to PM me, i'll share a list that i made for myself (coz I'm a sucker with names).
° Lilly Teskertin accidentally started hitting on a married player (d'oh @ me)
° I forgot what happened to Tig Tannersen, and now he is working for one of the PC's in the tavern. :P
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It looks like other folks answered some of the key points, but wanted to add a couple of things.
As far as adding NPCs (your point #2): Yes, yes, and more yes (my opinion). Have added a TON of NPCs to my game, and they blend seamlessly with the ones written in. Sometimes the players will ask me after a session, like “is that what the book assumed we’d do with the kobolds” and such. Well I’m getting a lot of questions like that about the NPCs I’ve added (such as, “where did they say was the best kingdom role for [the ranger]?”). That’s not to brag on my NPCs, that’s to illustrate that this AP is very good at handling the absorption of multiple NPCs. The more the better, I think—adds for a richer experience.
Regarding point #3 (NPCs not to change): There is only one event that occurs early(ish) on that has major echos down the line that I know of, and it is not dependent on the NPC(s) that instigate it. Even so, there’s nothing written in that can’t be accomplished through some other mouth or hand. You’re free to move about the cabin. So to speak. ;)
The event:
Finally, to point #4 (revelation of backstories): Depends on if you want them to know it, and how the play goes down. For my group, the PCs failed the Knowledge [nobility] check for Kesten’s situation, never took much of an interest in him, and never got to know him very well. I mentioned him every single time they came back to Oleg’s, but they never spoke to him. Ever. So, they never learned his story. When it came time to pass out leadership positions, he was completely overlooked, and when Oleg & Svetlana moved down to Elkheart, Kesten took over running the outpost temporarily.
Jhod was headed in the same direction. He gave his mysterious quest to the party, and they were like “okay.” Every time they came back to Oleg’s, he was sitting at the fire sipping at his cup or eating his stew, staring at the fire with a haunted look in his eyes. However, when a player who had been gone when he was introduced came back and saw him, he engaged him in conversation and ended up getting the whole story that very night—before they ever got to the Temple of the Elk.
The point of all this is that the “chance” to tell the backstory is what you and your players make of it. It can be now or later, or sooner or never. It’s all up to you. :D
Cool :D Thnaks everyone so far great pointers and reassurance (sometimes we need it)
My group made the nobility check I gave them (paladin LOL) and are currently not sure how to handle him they think he could be at Oleg's to take over :)
As for the cleric the group asked him to help them with Kessle (I think thats her anyway the female bandit leader) So they have a good relationship with him at the moment. So thought it was prudent to check about him. (they always ask the questions I dont have answers for (typical players))
As for plenty of npc's I thought I might have to after getting book 2 and seeing how many kingdom jobs there are. I dont normally flesh out my npc's much but am looking forward to doing it for this. I have acouple of fun ideas like a Dwarven Smith/Gunslinger LOL.
O' I have given them 1 npc so far 'old Bob' the only guy to help defend Olegs place, he now has a permanent seat on the wall under his leaf unbrella. He's an old timer that still has the fire if only his body was upto it. (the cheering from the group when he finally manage to hit a bandit brought a big old smile to my face :D )
Sorry rambling again :{
If this is in the wrong place please feel free to move it :)
Nope, yer in the right place. :)
I'll echo what most have said: This is your game, have fun with it! I would suggest getting all of the books and reading through them. The overview of the AP at the back of book 1 is useful, but limited. And while there are only a few cross-overs between books where NPCs or events found in one book come up again later, having an understanding of the rest of the AP will allow you to bring your campaign alive. Meeting an NPC who won't show up for a book or two, for instance, or dropping hints and foreshadowing plots that won't come up for years. I've enjoyed it. And the other books have some other sections beyond the main campaign that you can drop into the game (I used the Tree of Stars from book 3 or 4 to offer "vision quests" tailored to each individual, for instance.
So feel free to create your own NPCs, alter what you'd like, and have fun. Oh, and in response to item 5--Someone actually posted in these boards their own conversion for the lady, which I used myself. You should be able to do a search on her encounter name (as opposed to her actual one). I'd post item-by-item responses, but everyone seems to have covered them well.
And enjoy! This is the first AP I've run, and we're having a blast (I have both veteran Pathfinders and those completely new to RPGs entirely.) I can't sing Paizo's praises enough, personally. :)
Rickmeister - Tried to find private post and could only find the 'email this profile' and its being annoying. So if you like send it to this email address
ghostwalker@live.co.uk
Its not my main address so if I start getting ramdon people use it I can just delete it.
Thanks