Pathfinder with aliens


Pathfinder First Edition General Discussion


Would you run a game where the PCs were abducted by aliens and had an adventure in the stars? why or why not?


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Borthos Brewhammer wrote:
Would you run a game where the PCs were abducted by aliens and had an adventure in the stars? why or why not?

I am. I am running a Dragonstar game...that the PCs don't know is a Dragonstar game yet. Around 4th or 5th level they make contact.

Why? Because it is fun to surprise the players.


Borthos Brewhammer wrote:
Would you run a game where the PCs were abducted by aliens and had an adventure in the stars? why or why not?

Pathfinder has lots of Aliens.... Elves are aliens they are not from Golarion and travelled there by gates (Stargate style). There are multiple inhabited planets Castrovel (sp?) and Akton (sp?) are the two closest - Venus and Mars so to speak. There are Lovecraftian dimension hopping aliens such as the Denizens of Leng.

Then there is the crashed spaceship in Numeria.

I would go for it I love the 1920-30's Pulp Space Opera that the Paizo staff have built into the background.

I want to see more but there are only so many Jasons, James, and Erik's and until Lisa and Vic gain access to some cloning tech or Cosmo finishes creating replicator in the basement all that "out of space goodness" is going to come in dribs and drabs :-(


The 8th Dwarf wrote:
Borthos Brewhammer wrote:
Would you run a game where the PCs were abducted by aliens and had an adventure in the stars? why or why not?

Pathfinder has lots of Aliens.... Elves are aliens they are not from Golarion and travelled there by gates (Stargate style). There are multiple inhabited planets Castrovel (sp?) and Akton (sp?) are the two closest - Venus and Mars so to speak. There are Lovecraftian dimension hopping aliens such as the Denizens of Leng.

Then there is the crashed spaceship in Numeria.

I would go for it I love the 1920-30's Pulp Space Opera that the Paizo staff have built into the background.

I want to see more but there are only so many Jasons, James, and Erik's and until Lisa and Vic gain access to some cloning tech or Cosmo finishes creating replicator in the basement all that "out of space goodness" is going to come in dribs and drabs :-(

I don't know that much of Golarion's setting and background, as I've only recently began using it as a campaign setting. I'm talkin like the Grays, the Reptoids, all the conspiracy theory favorites abducting the PCs.

And Mr. Kretzer, what is Dragonstar?


The crashed spaceship in Numeria that The 8th Dwarf mentioned has "robot men" for that kind of future element.

Spelljammer stuff would probably fit fairly well with Pathfinder, especially if you can find some 3e converted material (Beyond the Moon converted some basic stuff at least).
Since Golorian is only factored out to the planetary system level, things like the Crystal Spheres, Phlogistan, etc, can all be slapped overtop without any real interference.

If you are talking about "scary abduction from unscrutable entities", then the Lovecraftian horror might be more the way to go (the setting is more about an unstoppable, and amoral force making mortals feel completely helpless in the face of the apparent malevolence of indifference).

I personally am fairly open to my D&D gaming. Adding futuristic or other setting styles and elements to a game does not bother me at all.
Hell, I'd be happy with a mixture of themes! Imagine a space western, with Gunslingers in Spelljammer!

It'd be like playing a Fantasy D&D version of Firefly. *wets himself*


Borthos Brewhammer wrote:


I don't know that much of Golarion's setting and background, as I've only recently began using it as a campaign setting. I'm talkin like the Grays, the Reptoids, all the conspiracy theory favorites abducting the PCs.

And Mr. Kretzer, what is Dragonstar?

You could make the elves far more mysterious and sinister... put them in the place of the greys - with lots of teleporting items and a penchant for breeding programs and probing.

A friend of mine was going to do a thesis comparing fairy tales/ancient myth and Modern Alien abduction/encounters with the focus that they were both the same thing. That in the past it was considered magic and interaction with the gods/myth because people didn't have the scientific education that we do now. Unfortunately somebody else had already done one on the same topic.

Paizo Employee Director of Game Development

When planet-hopping, avoid Eox. That's the best advice I can give.


Borthos Brewhammer wrote:

I don't know that much of Golarion's setting and background, as I've only recently began using it as a campaign setting. I'm talkin like the Grays, the Reptoids, all the conspiracy theory favorites abducting the PCs.

And Mr. Kretzer, what is Dragonstar?

Dragonstar is D&D style game with magic and tech meets...here is the wiki article.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dragonstar

While it does not have the greys...or such that you are looking though for.

Though Pathfinder already sorta has thin in the Derro as described in one of the monsters revisited books is the alien threat. Though they come from below us...instead of from the stars.


John Kretzer wrote:
Borthos Brewhammer wrote:

I don't know that much of Golarion's setting and background, as I've only recently began using it as a campaign setting. I'm talkin like the Grays, the Reptoids, all the conspiracy theory favorites abducting the PCs.

And Mr. Kretzer, what is Dragonstar?

Dragonstar is D&D style game with magic and tech meets...here is the wiki article.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dragonstar

While it does not have the greys...or such that you are looking though for.

Though Pathfinder already sorta has thin in the Derro as described in one of the monsters revisited books is the alien threat. Though they come from below us...instead of from the stars.

Wow that looks really cool actually.

And for everyone else, this is not a thread about me asking where I could find material for something like that, or about Golarion specifically, but rather, would the thought ever cross your mind as a GM to run, in your PfRPG game, an alien appearance/abduction campaign or one shot? I know I'm not the first person to think of this lol.

It can be the Grays, it can be the Elves, w/e but does the idea strike your fancy? Why or why not?


Was running a 3.5 game where some of the aberrations were said to have recently fallen from the stars. The party found evidence of metal in the various supposed crash sites.

Unfortunately, the game went in a different direction and eventually ended before they could find out these things were falling from the moon, where a Huge-size spacefaring Grell mastermind had recently set up a base.

My new campaign will have lots of variety in it, with lost hi-tech from the Ancient World popping up, touches of Steampunk, and the occasional alien visitation, including something I'm planning that will be a little bit War of the Worlds-ish (which one particular player has been anticipating, since I modeled several tripods recently for my minis shelf).

I love variety, and my players do, too. And why not?

Edit: Actually, a good shot of one of the tripods here (since I am not selling anything on the site right now, I believe this does not violate anything, but let me know if I'm wrong):

http://www.creepytownminis.com/


Bruunwald wrote:

Was running a 3.5 game where some of the aberrations were said to have recently fallen from the stars. The party found evidence of metal in the various supposed crash sites.

Unfortunately, the game went in a different direction and eventually ended before they could find out these things were falling from the moon, where a Huge-size spacefaring Grell mastermind had recently set up a base.

My new campaign will have lots of variety in it, with lost hi-tech from the Ancient World popping up, touches of Steampunk, and the occasional alien visitation, including something I'm planning that will be a little bit War of the Worlds-ish (which one particular player has been anticipating, since I modeled several tripods recently for my minis shelf).

I love variety, and my players do, too. And why not?

Edit: Actually, a good shot of one of the tripods here (since I am not selling anything on the site right now, I believe this does not violate anything, but let me know if I'm wrong):

http://www.creepytownminis.com/

I love the idea but I lean less towards the X-files and more towards the 1920's 1930's space pulp kind of thing.

Several of the APs have aliens in them one that comes to mind is the The Second darkness.

Second Darkness SPOILERS :
The second darkness has the Dark Elves trying to crash a meteor into Golarion to kill off the other elves... The first module has alien monsters spawning off a small meteor that crashes near the city the players are in...


I would, but I also dropped an alien invasion into a Greyhawk campaign about 12 years ago. I started with nuking Greyhawk city and the super-wizards (Bigby, Mordenkainen, etc.). Then ended up with hovertanks and concentration camps. It was quite a bit of fun.

It drastically alters the tone of the game, and it's not something everybody wants. Personally, I put it in front of my players as a choice:

"I have an idea for a game, but it drastically and forever-after changes the campaign. We can do it with new characters, or we can do it with the current characters in the current campaign. Which would you prefer?"

That way, you don't screw concepts and ideas, unless they don't mind.


Makarnak wrote:

I would, but I also dropped an alien invasion into a Greyhawk campaign about 12 years ago. I started with nuking Greyhawk city and the super-wizards (Bigby, Mordenkainen, etc.). Then ended up with hovertanks and concentration camps. It was quite a bit of fun.

It drastically alters the tone of the game, and it's not something everybody wants. Personally, I put it in front of my players as a choice:

"I have an idea for a game, but it drastically and forever-after changes the campaign. We can do it with new characters, or we can do it with the current characters in the current campaign. Which would you prefer?"

That way, you don't screw concepts and ideas, unless they don't mind.

I think it depends on what sort of campaign it is.

I would never have done it in the campaign where the overall arc was centered completely around a serious war with an evil cult, for instance.

But the last two campaigns have been episodic, with plotlines lasting only a couple or few sessions, and often being disconnected from an overarching story.

When you play a campaign that is totally character-centric, where one minute they could be solving a murder, the next fighting in a war, the next working for the Empress, etc., variations in tone and variety in subject become much more expected, and much less likely to cause a problem with the players.

I would liken it to the X-Files, as 8th Dwarf (great name) mentioned. You got used to the one-offs with weird monsters and even sometimes supernatural, ghostlike stuff, and because it was all weird and little humorous, and definitely centered around the characters, it didn't ruin the Sci-Fi, alien theme of the thing, overall. It's just another weird (hopefully exciting) situation to overcome.


Rough outline for a an X-Files style adventure arc.

Overall Plot. (kind of ripped off from the UFO computer game and an old 70's tv series)

An alien conspiracy is attempting to infiltrate a fantasy kingdom.

The Aliens are completely thrown by the ability of the multi sentient and non sentient species on Golarion to bend, break, and thoroughly abuse the laws of science.

Their complex tactical simulations have put the chances of an overt successful interplanetary invasion at less than 50% and the best chance comes via stealth and divide and conquer

The thing is to ramp up the obviousness of the aliens slowly so at first the players think that it is some other kind of conspiracy.... give them enough rope for them to think that it is Derro or ithilid or dark elves and so on.

I would weave the Alien stuff in between standard adventures and very slowly build up the clues.

Level 1-3

The aliens send in scout missions abducting vairous species for study and to see if they can be useful for the Alien war effort.

One/some of the test subjects escape and starts menacing the locals... The players put it down to some crazy wizard making new monsters.

Level 4-6

The aliens replace the population of a town that players are travelling through with clones/genetic experiments - something goes wrong (28 day s later style) in the town and the players have to fight their way out. One of the few sane experiments warns them to leave as fast as they can as the "masters" Will be eliminating the town. Have a rein of fire hit the town and get the players to flee.

Level 7-9

There is a loud explosion near the town that the players are staying in that night. When the players investigate have a crashed spaceship kind of like the old Expedition to Barrier Peaks module but with active and angry aliens.

Level 10-12

WAR of the Worlds aliens smashing the world up... Alien doubles in positions of Power trying to take out effective leaders...

Level 13-14

The PCs go to the Aliens planet for revenge or to stop the war.


The 8th Dwarf wrote:
An alien conspiracy is attempting to infiltrate a fantasy kingdom.

Psst...

There's one nation on Golarion that's already been taken over by beings not of this world: Katapesh. The Pactmasters are not human, I tell you! In fact, they're...

Oh, no! THEY'RE AFTER ME!

(more information can be found in Dark Markets: A Guide to Katapesh; while the Pactmasters are not presented as a sinister conspiracy, they can easily be tweaked in that direction)


Spelljammer has lots of alien races that would be good for an invasion theme, such as the scro, lawful, intelligent space-faring orcs (sort of a Klingon vibe), or more alien races, like thri-kreen or the k'r'r'r.

There are plenty of 3.X races that could work, like illithids and neogi (with their ever-present umber hulk slaves), that are weird and scary enough to pose a credible threat to the world. They wouldn't be hard at all to convert for PF games, if they haven't been already.


For an alien invasion, there is a 2e product that would be fun to convert called Tale of the Comet.

For a more traditional game, you could just use the githyanki invasion in Dragon Issue #309 and Dungeon Issue #100 with Polyhedron #159.


How about Dragonstar invading Iron Kingdoms?


Borthos Brewhammer wrote:
Would you run a game where the PCs were abducted by aliens and had an adventure in the stars? why or why not?

Aliens? We call them "elves" on Galoria.


Borthos Brewhammer wrote:
Would you run a game where the PCs were abducted by aliens and had an adventure in the stars? why or why not?

As in, a campaign wherein real, true Fantasy PC's (sword-swinging Fighters and spell-slinging Wizards, etc) are captured by Jump-drive Aliens and hauled off their homeworld, interacting with high-tech hijinx and inter-species intrigue along the way, using their magic/swords/"crude" masterwork armor and the likes?

Silver Crusade

I've thought about using aliens in a couple of ways, but not really for a straight up invasion or abduction plot. I'm leaning more towards the planetary romance angle, or that haunted alien ship idea...

But now I'm thinking about a fantasy X-Com....

GM's turn.

ENEMY MOVEMENT DETECTED


The idea that aliens, a funky laser gun with a couple shots left or even a crashed spaceship might be found in a fantasy setting is just fine by me.

Used sparingly something so odd and out of place can be fun. Heck there are people who believe that aliens visited Earth thousands of years ago and may still be doing so today. Anyone ever watch the show "Ancient Aliens"?

Or you could make up some aberrations that aren't common knowledge and introduce them as "aliens" in your campaign. Knowledge checks don't seem to tell the PCs much about them... I guess they'll find out soon enough!


NO FACE wrote:
The 8th Dwarf wrote:
An alien conspiracy is attempting to infiltrate a fantasy kingdom.

Psst...

There's one nation on Golarion that's already been taken over by beings not of this world: Katapesh. The Pactmasters are not human, I tell you! In fact, they're...

Oh, no! THEY'RE AFTER ME!

(more information can be found in Dark Markets: A Guide to Katapesh; while the Pactmasters are not presented as a sinister conspiracy, they can easily be tweaked in that direction)

I'm doing something similar right now. My campaign is bulid around the pactmasters and the mysterious countdowns mentioned in "Entombed with the Pharaos".

More Details:
The players found one of those countdowns and have already deduced, when it reaches zero, which is only a month and a half away. They have informed the Pactmasters of their findings and they (there are five of them in my Katapesh) have split and thrown Katapesh in a short civil war. As it turns out, some alien evil (the nature of which neither the players nor me have determined exactly yet, but it's gonna be aliens) is on it's way and two of the Pactmasters plan to welcome them while the remaining three have charged the players with helping them. The civil war came to an end when meteors fell from the sky and Katapesh was invaded by alien dog-like beings (akata) and golems (the alien's shock troops).
Now the players are searching for the two "evil" (actually they just see their chance to finally go home) Pactmasters to retrieve the key to the Glass Pyramids which is believed to hold the key to fend off the invaders (the two entombed dwarves did it once already).


I'd certainly make one. Long science fiction and could always link it to something to do with the Numeria and the space ship that crashed there.


Borthos Brewhammer wrote:
Would you run a game where the PCs were abducted by aliens and had an adventure in the stars? why or why not?

I think this could be a lot of fun, depending on yoru group and how you do it. It would certainly be a different challenge for a group of jaded veteran players, allowing you to hit them with completely alien monsters and technology that will seem like powerful magic to their characters.

A couple of cautions. First, this may not appeal to everybody in your group. Some people really don't like genre-mixing and want their fantasy RPG experience "uncorrupted". Second, use caution with the abduction scenario and how powerful the aliens are. Most players do not like feeling powerless and in the hands of the GM plot railroad.

You know your players best, though, so if you judge they will enjoy it and can deal with it, go for it.

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