History of Ashes - alternate motives [Spoiler Warning]

[Rockstream]

I´m running CotCT and is just done with EfOK. I have read some of the campaign chronicles here and come up with some slight alterations in the HoA-plot. I need some feedback please

Movie plot spoiler:

In the original plot, the pc:s are supposed to seek out the Shoanti to learn more about the Midnights teeth - Neolandus have told them quite a bit about it, but he don´t know what to do about it. That´s it.

I plan to run it this way instead:

1. Neolandus doesn´t know much at all about what the Queen has found/has become. He suspects it is something evil found under the Grand Mastaba, something the Shoanti was guarding up until they had to abandon the pyramid. I think this is more exciting for the players - WHAT is it thats been loosed? How shall we stop what we don´t know much about?! (This is the standard way for me to deal with stuff like this - remember the horror movie is almost always more frightening before the nature of the horror is reveiled.)

2. The pc:s need to unite the Shoanti to build an army against the Queens forces, to save Korvosa.

I set up a grand animosity among the three Shoanti tribes, and the Skull clan already has infighting about wether to attack Korvosa again, after what happened to Gaekhen in EoA. Thoasand Bones has been able to stop futher attacks - a war versus Korvosa with only the Skull clan would be won by the Queen.

This also sets up for an alternative epic ending with the pc:s doing their thing AND a grand battle outside Korvosa between the evil forces and the Shounti.

What do you think? What will this change more? Is this good/bad?

[pauljathome]

Rockstream wrote:

I´m running CotCT and is just done with EfOK. I have read some of the campaign chronicles here and come up with some slight alterations in the HoA-plot. I need some feedback please

** spoiler omitted **

What do you think? What will this change more? Is this good/bad?

It sounds fine to me. Obviously, you'll have to do a little more work :-)

I presume that you've already read #6 in the Adventure Path? There will be some carry on changes to that but nothing too major,

In case you're interested, I came up with some demographics of the Shoanti for my campaign. Based on the books with a lot of interpolation by me using vague real world numbers for population densities

http://john-cotct.wikispaces.com/Shoanti

[MrVergee]

Hi there, in my campaign I'm planning to have Neolandus provide the PCs with less information as well. The bulk of the story will come from the Shoanti.

While the PCs are in the Cinderlands, the Shoanti tribes are massing for war under the impuls of the Sklar-Quah (Sun clan). The PCs can try to negotiate with the chiefs to delay the departure of the war force, which will consist of 4,320 Shoanti:
- Lyrune-Quah (Moon): 820,especially hunters and archers;
- Shriikiri-Quah (Hawk): 370, with lots of horses and 16 mastodon eliphants;
- Shundar-Quah (Spire): 480, including a number of bards;
- Sklar-Quah (Sun): 1750, with a lot of horse riders and warriors;
- Skoan-Quah (Skull): 710, including a fair number of shamans and healers;
- Tamiir-Quah (windclan): 290 and 7 gigantic rocs.

Thousand Bones is not in favor of the war, since it will claim hundreds, if not thousands, of lives on both sides. He supports the PCs in their attempt to stop the queen and retrieve the Teeth of Midnight with a small infiltration unit (= the PCs). Depending on their negotiation skills the PCs can buy more time before the Shoanti beseige the city.

[Wyrd_Wik]

Definitely agree with item #2 I did much the same for my campaign making the endgame of the campaign hinge a lot on the party building alliances not only with the Shoanti, but the Varisians and even Magnimar. We did the whole storm the city thing with the massive army I added a few objectives to reduce or impair Ileosa's defenses. I recommend it, its far more epic but does require some additional work.