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So I was posting on rpg net and someone there wanted to place dark sun on golarion. The conversation however had some fruitful and cool ideas. The idea that became of it was to place a dark sun setting in an alternate plane or planar pocket or even on another planet in the golarion realm. This made me think, stargate. So the idea is the azlanti are mostly gone due to an unknown cataclysm. The idea is what if they used elf gate style stargazes to bail on their cataclysm, along with their slaves (mixed azlanti and orcs mostly). So the few true azlanti use the gate to carry their people and such to this other world across the planes or the universe, and they survived there. Very much like stargate the azlanti stay away to avoid the horrors that were unleashed (earth fall, or their own mistakes) and they buried the gate from their side. So the players find the gate and think it's a treasure vault (or something along those lines) and open it getting sucked through. The players then get stuck their until they can deactivate the gate from the other side, which isn't easy as the azlanti masters (who are very much like the sorcerer kings) are not eager to let them leave, not to mention they are eager to learn that it's safe to go back and conquer the world.
Conceptually I'm thinking a few low level bits of ruin and jungle exploration, followed by a modified version of the second serpents skull adventure racing to ruin to kind of get them there. There they find that there is a weird necrotic energy field around the place (similar to radiation) that has twisted the inhabitants, making them degenerate morlock like humans (the descendants of the azlanti temple keepers) upon which they are aisles through the gate and do the stargate business. After returning they learn (or better yet while there they learn) the thing that caused the whole mess was some nasty elder god like thing that is confined near the temple and it is almost its time to awaken again as it did in their time (maybe this thing gave the info to the elves for the earth fall spell I dunno yet if that even matters) so the heroes will generally go about fighting its minions of mutated critters and finally fight their way to it's lair and fight it.... Ideas and resources to make this work?
Ok an update, after terracing the sections about which I was thinking of doing this, I read that the azlanti fall was due to earth fall and it was the aboleths who came together to do it. So the idea I had was to make the ultimate baddie critter the one with all the crazy energy mutating stuff, to be the head abolish from the coven that dropped the starching on the world. Maybe he's been in suspended animation the whole time through a spell and he's waking up and ready to decimated the humans. Thoughts? Also where is the best place to set the ruins/temple as azlanti is gone, but I'm not sure where it was except the sea.
Ok so I found this little gem pointed out in another thread. Paizo World Map
Background info of what I am working on is now this:
So what I have so far for the pcs: (Spoilers for serpenst skull adventures ahead!
After MUCH discussion with a friend, the ole Wandering Nephilim, I have added a few details. I am adding, an aboleth who snuck through the gate with the 3, it will have been in control of them and it actually made them make the gate. It also made them use magic to alter it to survive the desolate waste and forget it existed. Now all this time later its only known as the Whisperer (or something equally cool). The truth is, it lives in a series of caverns and is worshipped by the cave dwelling inbred descendants of a few of the Azlanti. These morlock like beings resemble albino orcs and are ferociuos savages. Fitting since I decided that the Aboleth was essentially transplanted into the body of a Bulette.... so a Psionic intelligent Bulette.... Scary.
Also the few freedom fighters in the desolate lands of the 3 kings, are a tribe of half-elven Dire Vulture riders descended from the eleves taken captive and forced to build the gate in the first place. They have since devolved into savages as well, warring on the "gods" for slaying their "god" the original inventor elf. The few full elves around that arent rebellious savages live as either secondary citizens or elite Vulture riders for the Silent King. Also Halflings being a servitor race were brought over and live in slums and ghettos serving as slaves or indentured servants to the noble azlanti. Small groups of escaped halflings have gathered outside the cities and have become roving bands of men eaters, much more in common with a goblin than a halfling.
One of the cities is a city of tombs, built over the tombs of the generations of workers who died making the other cities, Here the Oracle Adellissa watches over the workers who live in squalor and in the tombs. The city is mostly half-orcs, half-elves, and halflings with a few family of "true" Azlanti nobles watching over them as well as the templars of Adillessa.
The second City is a decadant city of debauchery and demon summoning, where the Azlanti who live there are little more than teiflings and very rarely human. The city of Ordisian, the center of the city is a huge bloodied sand arena where games are constant and decadence is redifined.
The Last is the city of silence, the city of Gardallin. Its Ivory Spires descending high into the air, and it's Vulture cavalry can be seen swooping about the city at all hours. The city is a military state above all, with constant "mind police" reading the thoughts of the citizens to ensure loyalty to the lord. Some dissenters quickly change their tune, others just disapear.
Check out the Fringeworthy game from a decade or so back. Much of the Stargate background was cribbed from that game, although expensive California shysters..., er, lawyers successfully deceived a judge on that count. I think you can get that company's entire line on a CD.
Check out the Fringeworthy game from a decade or so back. Much of the Stargate background was cribbed from that game, although expensive California shysters..., er, lawyers successfully deceived a judge on that count. I think you can get that company's entire line on a CD.
Hmm, never heard of it. I'll look it up.
I'm taking inspiration from Stargate and Darksun, but also from other places such as the Serpent's Skull AP and Failed or unused Ideas of my own. I also am cribbing sections and books from 4e (VOr RUkoth, Hammerfast) because the concepts intrigue me and I want to make use of them somewhere. At this point I have most of the campaign written for me or at least concepted down on paper. I was lacking a solid opening though and I think I may have came up with that. Its something I started before in a game that never went anywhere. The concept is the players meet in a dockside tavern after another succesful goblin/kobold whip-fest. While celebrating their victory theres a sudden crash as a ship crashes into the tavern. Insane deckhands start attacking people, and the heroic pcs whip them good. They find an adventure ledger, a writ so to speak declaring that the bearers shall be paid 200 gold for attending a meeting with a patron (in this case Eando Cline). They then charter a ship to Eledar and on the way are assualted by Pirates and Sahuagin and storms. Once arriving they deal with a press gang and "tax collectors" before finally making it to the Tavern to find their "patron" He pays them the agreed amount, doesnt seem to notice they arent the people he sent out to hire, and explains that he is on the verge of finding some lost treasure and a temple, etc. And hires them at a rate of 200gp/person to act his his guides and bodyguards as they traverse difficult deep jungle and find the hidden temple. Here's where Serpent's Skull first comes into play
After all of that they learn that the original group who Eando hired had gone insane on their first excursion and he had abandoned them to their fate to save himself. The cause of their madness was one of the other places they had explored that had a sealed room or some such that gave off maddening energy... it's not real polished from there. Also Eando Cline is kind of a placeholder and may become some new npc as I write the stuff....
http://www.panix.com/~sos/rpg/fringe.html
This is just a review of the game, but awesomely informative. There is even a D20 version that might be just what you're looking for.
http://www.panix.com/~sos/rpg/fringe.html
This is just a review of the game, but awesomely informative. There is even a D20 version that might be just what you're looking for.
Nifty, I'll check it out. In the meantime any good level 1-2 encounters I could add or any already done that would cover what I have? Also in the look for stats and encounters from pf adventures and the like that cover the ground I need, not necassarilly story, just encounters I can crib, and maps!
Okay, one real odd bit:
Pull a stock goblin encounter and switch them Grell-like 'floaters'. Did this with a pocket dimension once and really knocked the PCs for a loop. The description was good enough to throw them off their game and start griping about 'too much CR' in the encounter.
Okay, one real odd bit:
Pull a stock goblin encounter and switch them Grell-like 'floaters'. Did this with a pocket dimension once and really knocked the PCs for a loop. The description was good enough to throw them off their game and start griping about 'too much CR' in the encounter.
I remember back in 2nd edition I did that alot, Mindflayers who had the appearance of faceless shadow creatures, and Orcs who were White hairless Mutants. Had a player who just read the monster manual and memorized stats so hed spout them off when wed play or hed metagame and try not to get caught, so I started using some of the extra monster books (the appendixes or whatever) and refluffing stuff so he thought they were out of those. Good times.
I'm mostly just thinking of ganking stats and encounters where need be, so I'm looking for some pre done ones or some really exciting fights that have nifty memorable setups. I'm working on writing the parts I need so we'll see how that goes.
Two Questions of the day:
1) What are some exciting and interesting ways to get the pcs involved. Other than random boat crash. Whats more compelling to get them to investigate the employer?
2) What are some good higher end 12+ PF adventures that have any focus on aboleths, aberrations and the like? Even Demons and the like can do the trick. Essentially I want stats if possible. I plan on looking into the Rivals guide because it seems like it will have a good variety of pre made npcs in it. But I need cool encounters and ideas for delving after an ancient god like aboleth, so Anything that might have that theme or close them to look at for ideas and stats.
Also as it stands, the Eando Kline they meet isnt him, but a rival Ex-Pathfinder who was there when the boat guys went crazy but escaped, he plays nice but is only interested in vindication against the pathfinders for their ex-communication of him so he wants the vault so he can use it to gain wealth and power and crush them... Except hes way in over his head and will probably not make it by campaign's end. Thoughts?
One undercurrent in Lovecraft was that the great old ones powered the spells for plunging through space. Basickly you would be traveling through a wormhole anchored at one end by the Terask, and the other this Ultra Abolith.
One undercurrent in Lovecraft was that the great old ones powered the spells for plunging through space. Basickly you would be traveling through a wormhole anchored at one end by the Terask, and the other this Ultra Abolith.
Thats a nifty idea. Especially if I applied to the concept of the ancient Aboleth that called the earthfall being "subjegated" by the trio (and the help of their treacherous freind, the land aboleth) and basically put into a slumber and used as the battery for the gate. So when the pcs activate it, it sets all of the rest of the bit in motion as it awakens the ancient one (who is no longer threatened by 3 high level "pcs" and a traitor of similiar power) and it sets about the catalyst for the high level portion of the game to happen while the pcs are off in star gate land. It also sets up the pcs versus the "Abo-llette" since they need it to power the device on the other side (probably not alive though, just its essence) Also I imagine it as the 3 god-emporers of the dunes (:p) are lower level than before (ie within pc fighting range) due to atrophy of skill more than anything. In 10k years of running stuff, they have had little to combat other than what few natural predators and rebels surface. So they are severely weaker than in their prime, also "immortal" or not they still show their age and hubris. The Desert beast that is the psionic bullette will be similiar having been stagnant physically, and had no real mental challenge, so hes grown fat and lazy feeding on local peasant sacrifices. I think in the end, the fight with the oracle chick may not even have to be a fight, Im thinking she realizes what is coming, and how terrible they have become and is remorseful.... Although I may depending on player interaction have her be kind of set to fight the pcs saying things like "I know my fate is in held by you, but I test the accuracy of my vision!" or something... More thoughts to chew on...
Any thoughts on my two questions above? The compelling way to get them to meet a pathfinder and go explore some ruins playing indiana jones, while making enemies? Small pathfinder scenerios for level 1 that do this or even fit the theme and can make the pcs "famous" enough to be sought out by oppurtunistic parties? I want an organic flow between the two without overloading the jungle/exploration theme. Maybe some urban sprawling to replace sewer goblins and an unexplained boat crash (that can be and currently is fitted to the overarching bbeg, but with the portal idea doesnt work as well, and also doesnt mesh well with the idea that the pathfinder they meet is a scumbucket using someone else's name). Also any good high level 3.x or PF(prefferebly) adventures of 12+ that deal with aberrations and the like and cool underdark/darklands NON-Dark elf material?
Bump...
Question 1: A shield made from a piece of bullet shell. Etched on the inner surface is a poem about killing a demigod and using it to power something. Try to change the wording of the "even death may die" passage enough that Akram house won't mind.
Question 2: It takes a special weapon to temporarily kill a demigod. They need to go raid the tomb of a Conan like character. His tomb will have been designed to test the characters in edition to whacking greedy graverobbers.
Question 1: A shield made from a piece of bullet shell. Etched on the inner surface is a poem about killing a demigod and using it to power something. Try to change the wording of the "even death may die" passage enough that Akram house won't mind.
Question 2: It takes a special weapon to temporarily kill a demigod. They need to go raid the tomb of a Conan like character. His tomb will have been designed to test the characters in edition to whacking greedy graverobbers.
I like the shield idea, plus if it's cool enough someone might use it... Also raiding a heroes tomb for a "godslayer" is good stuff, always liked the classics.
The shield is organic so Druids can use it. It's naturally valuable so it's masterwork and the value(possibly 2000gp) comes out of the cost of enchanting it. Giving it the protection from missles enchantment may be excessive, depending on your group's style.
So I find myself looking to come back to this. Outline right now is:
- Heroes band together for short mission (something standard and maybe a dungeon crawl, this can be a fun level 1 module if anyone has any good suggestions)
- While celebrating boat thing happens (boat full of mad men thanks to aboleths crash into a bar or what have you, leaving no real clues except the captains logs and invitations or charters
- (likely they will choose to persue this, because my players love dangling carrots) So they will travel to somewhere (like Eladar or such) to meet their patron Eando Kline (who is not Kline but an imposter and an exiled pathfinder)
- Fun involving indiana jones style lost city finding while Pathfinder assassins stalk them and Chelaxian rivals fight them (need Nazis, it's classic)
- Idiot "Kline" sets off the "Stargate" and sends Pcs to Darksun land AKA the desert setting while he ends up dealing with the fallout of waken an elder Aboleth hidden in slumber in the ruins
- pcs explore the cities face the "gods" and learn of the true ruler the whisperer beyond the viel the Abo-llete. They fight it and use it to power the gate home
- they learn the horrid state things have become with lovecraftian attacks on civilizations as the creature re-establishes it's dominance and it's nasties are about
- Que end fight with super aboleth after nasty encounters that take the party to the ruins of Azlant. Also the crazy elves of the spire get invoilved as psuedo allies and enemies, who plan on betraying the pcs in the end since they are the only ones who know of the portals and the aboleth etc...
Thoughts or ideas or where to make the outline stronger?
So what's a good low level adventure that can tie in and be connected but not overtly? just in theme and idea without needing to be completely beat over the head with a hammer connected?