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I’ve got a Wizard in Kingmaker that has a pretty bad reputation in his kingdom thanks to some bad Diplomacy rolls against a certain Bard. The GM has decided that the commonfolk of the kingdom are convinced he’s a Tyrannical Evil Necromancer and I’d like to change that opinion.
Anyway, we’ve recently built a Wizard Tower/Arcane Academy in the capital, and I had this idea for a ‘Festival of Lights’ thing put on by the school. Basically, I’m trying to symbolize the Kingdom as a beacon of light and stability in an otherwise bleak and chaotic land.
The idea is to incorporate a lot of things like spells and items from various sources as ‘overall ideas’ that could be used during a festival. I don’t want to try and plot and plan out every detail of a festival, but I’d like to come up with ideas that could be present in such a festival that was funded and hosted by a school of magic.
Some ideas I’ve come up with:
- Shoanti Fire Dancers: Not sure if these actually exist in Golarion, but I know the Shoanti's Sun Clan has burn riders, so it makes sense that they might also have Fire Dancers.
- Fireworks: Both mundane and magical in nature. For the magical ones, it’d be things like Wands of Snapdragon Fireworks and Pyrotechnics and Dancing Lights.
For Pyrotechnics, there’d be archers that shoot flaming arrows into the sky which would be the target for the Pyrotechnics spell.
The wands of Snapdragon Fireworks would be higher than level 1 and they’d alternate on castings. Half of the people with the Snapdragon wands would cast first, while the other half would use Dancing Lights to send orbs of light racing off into the distance, like shooting stars. They’d use their move actions to target the sky for the Snapdragons.
The Mundane fireworks would be used along with the magical ones for multiple different types of fireworks.
- A room of Rainbows and Mirrors: Basically, a funhouse with mirrors of various sizes and shapes and in the center is a crystal orb that is actually a magical Light trap. Whenever someone enters, it triggers the trap which casts Light on the inside of the crystal orb. Because the orb is crystal, when the light passes through, it comes out as a rainbow of scintillating colors that reflect off the mirrors in the room.
Rainbow Light Trap CR 1:
Type magical; Perception DC 25; Disable Device DC 25
EFFECTS
Trigger proximity; Onset Delay immediate; Reset automatic
Effect spell (Light spell inside a crystal orb that creates a 40 ft diameter of rainbows)Creation Requirements
Prerequisites Craft Wondrous, Light, Cost 250 gp(I have no idea if this trap follows the rules or not)
- Dodgeball: A game for people of any age. In the center of a circular area is a pedestal and people line the edges of this circular area. When the game begins, the pedestal shoots up to 4 red orbs of light each round at random targets in the area, but do not pass beyond the boundaries. If the orbs hit, the person hit is colored Red, and declared ‘out’ and must leave the area. The pedestal continues shooting 4 orbs each round until only one person is left uncolored, at which point it deactivates.
Dodgeball Trap CR 1:
Type magical; Perception DC 25; Disable Device DC 25
EFFECTS
Trigge touch; Onset Delay immediate; Reset automatic
Effect spell (Dancing Lights target humanoids, victims hit are colored red, +0 ranged touch)Creation Requirements
Prerequisites Craft Wondrous, Dancing Lights, Prestidigitation; Cost 500 gp(I have no idea if this trap follows the rules or not)
- Light Tag: Participants (up to 10, 5 for each side) are given a pair of gloves, and a vest to wear. The gloves shoot balls of light that are used to hit the opposing team. The vest can be used to shield against the balls of light.
Light Tag Equipment (custom magic items):Light Tag Gloves
Aurafaint evocation; CL 1st
Slothands; Price 500 gp; Weight –These gloves were originally created for the Festival of Lights as an item set for a game and come paired with a light tag vest. However, they’ve become great aids in teaching aspiring Wizards how to target opponents with their ranged spells. With a spoken word, the light tag gloves fire a ball of light at an opponent as a ranged touch attack. If the opponent is hit, a colored mark appears on their body where they were hit.
Construction
Requirements Craft Wondrous Item, dancing lights, prestidigitation Cost 250 gpLight Tag Vest
Aura faint abjuration; CL 1st
Slotchest; Price 500 gp; Weight –This vest was designed to work with the light tag gloves as the defensive counter to the gloves. As a standard action, the wearer of the vest may create a shield that can only block the ranged attacks from a pair of light tag gloves. The shield created acts as a tower shield, and is used as such, but it only works against attacks from a pair of light tag gloves.
Construction
Requirements Craft Wondrous Item, shield Cost 250 gp
If anyone else has ideas, I’d be grateful if I could use them.
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Just make sure there are water crews on hand. Actual bucket brigades as well as some spare casters with quench on their spell list. Last thing your reputation-suffering mage needs is his big festival turning into a City A La Bonfire.
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You've got plenty of spectacle and amusement. What you're missing are jobs for the community and stuff that makes people feel warm and fuzzy about you.
The two big components that make for a successful holiday are these: food and alcohol. Gambling helps too.
Come up with some sort of pastry and say it's traditional for your festival. Serve it flaming like crepes suzette. Likewise, come up with some drink or cocktail and top it with flaming brandy. People will forgive a multitude of sins if you get them drunk.
Come up with some sort of game that people can bet on and tie it in with your lights theme.
You also need some sort of folk custom that doesn't revolve around magic. A torch relay or jack-o'-lantern carving or since you're in the River Kingdoms, just going down to the Sellen with a bunch of candles, putting them in paper lanterns, and floating them down the river to the next kingdom. Incredibly pretty, cheap, and no one feels that they don't measure up because they're not a wizard. If you want to be fancy, let your student light their lanterns by drawing a glowing arcane mark on the paper which will look suitably impressive but be still kid friendly.
Ah, forgot the paper lanterns. I had just watched Tangled before posting this and really liked the idea of the thousands of lanterns floating over the water, but forgot to post it. We set up our kingdom in the Stag Lords fortress, so access to water ways isn't too big a deal.
Food and drink would naturally be included, but good ideas about creating a food and drink that would become a festival 'tradition'.
I was thinking three arenas for the Light Tag games, and 5 Dodgeball games could be played at once. These could easily be bet on as people never know what's going to happen, but they may know the people playing. I could easily see some 'professional' teams being formed and turning it into a 'national sport' sort of thing.
It will be an expensive festival, no doubt, but once the majority of the items are created, they don't need to be made again. Three sets of the Light Tag equipment would be crafted for 15,000 gp, but once made, don't need to be made again. The Dodgeball traps would cost 2,500 gp, and be portable (just move the pillar), same with the Funhouse and Raindbow trap.
I like the idea of the torch relay and jack-o'-lantern contest. The idea isn't to make them feel inferior, it's to show them that magic can just as easily be a good thing for the people, instead of the negative view they have right now.
Anyone would be able to play in the Dodgeball or Light Tag games, they just need to wait in line for their turn. They'd all be able to walk through the fun house, and view different things. Anyone can lay back on the hill overlooking the kingdom and watch the fireworks go off.
Thanks for your ideas and suggestions, I'll definitely be adding them to the over-all plan. I'm attempting to type them all up in an organized manner, price out as much as I can, and then submit it to the GM as a proposal.
At that point, we'll work out how to fund it, but we've got our own idea worked out. My wizard is an item crafter, and he's sunk a large portion of his own money into a 'fund' that he uses to craft items that he sells (for full price) with the profit going back to the kingdom. He never makes any money doing it, but he helps generate BP. I could use that fund to raise the money to finance the Festival, it'll just take time. It's currently winter in our game, so he'll have time to come up with the resources before the spring/summer.
Newly revised list of ideas here.
--- Shoanti Fire Dancers: Not sure if these actually exist in Golarion, but I know the Shoanti's Sun Clan has burn riders, so it makes sense that they might also have Fire Dancers.
Trained Hirelings are priced at 3 sp per day, I’m thinking of hiring them at 1 gp per day, for 3 days, with house and lodging included. They’d receive good meals (5 sp per meal) and stay at the castle or inn (2 gp per night).
So to hire a group of Shoanti Fire Dancers would cost 4.5 gp per person, per day, or 13.5 gp per person for the 3 days they would be there. Call it 10 people and 135 gp for the festival.
--- Fireworks: Both mundane and magical in nature. For the magical ones, it’d be things like Wands of Snapdragon Fireworks and Pyrotechnics and Dancing Lights.
For Pyrotechnics, there’d be archers that shoot flaming arrows into the sky which would be the target for the Pyrotechnics spell.
The wands of Snapdragon Fireworks would be at CL 5th, which allows a Firework to be launched each round as a move action for 5 rounds. The users would also have Dancing Lights prepared and would alternate with each other.
Round 1: Group A casts Snapdragon Fireworks and use their move action to launch them into the sky. Group B casts Dancing Lights and send the orbs racing across the sky.
Round 2: Group A casts Dancing Lights and send the orbs racing across the sky, they use their move action to launch another Snapdragon Firework. Group B casts Snapdragon Fireworks and uses their move action to launch them into the sky.
Round 3: Group A targets the flaming arrows with Pyrotechnics and uses their move action to launch another Snapdragon Firework. Group B casts Dancing Lights and uses their move action for Snapdragon Fireworks.
This repeats, with variations of when things are cast, who is casting what etc. In the meantime, mundane (non-magical) fireworks are supplementing the magical ones.
A Wand of Snapdragon Fireworks (CL5) costs 1,875 gp to craft. Four wands will cost 7,500 gp to craft.
A Wand of Pyrotechnics costs 2,250 gp to craft. Four wands will cost 9,000 gp to craft.
A Skyrocket Firework costs 50 gp to buy, 17 gp to craft. Craft 300 Skyrockets for 5,100 gp.
A Starfountain Firework costs 500 gp to buy, 170 gp to craft. Craft 50 Starfountains for 8,500
Total cost of the Fireworks display is 30,100 gp.
The Firwork display would take place on the last night of the Festival and would be the culmination of the event. It wouldn’t actually be so structured as above, it would take place over a longer period of time, staggering the fireworks and displays, probably over a period of 10 – 20 minutes.
--- Torch Relay: 5 teams will make perform a relay race using a Continual Flame torch (each one colored differently). The each member of the winning team wins a 50 gp prize. There will be one relay race each day of the festival.
An Everburning Torch costs 50 gp a torch to make (the material components of a Continual Flame spell). 25 torches is 1,250 gp.
50 gp per person on a 5 man team is 250 gp. Three prizes is 750 gp total.
Total cost of the relay race is 2,000 gp.
--- A room of Rainbows and Mirrors: Basically, a funhouse with mirrors of various sizes and shapes and in the center is a crystal orb that is actually a magical Light trap. Whenever someone enters, it triggers the trap which casts Light on the inside of the crystal orb. Because the orb is crystal, when the light passes through, it comes out as a rainbow of scintillating colors that reflect off the mirrors in the room.
Type: magical; Perception: DC 25; Disable Device: DC 25
EFFECTS
Trigger: proximity; Onset Delay: immediate; Reset: automatic
Effect spell (Light spell inside a crystal orb that creates a 40 ft diameter of rainbows)
Creation Requirements
Prerequisites: Craft Wondrous, Light, Cost: 250 gp
It takes a DC 20 Craft (glass) check to make a 10 ft diameter flawless silvered mirror, but no price is given for the mirror. I’d call that 1,000 gp easy, but I don’t need a 10 ft diameter flawless silvered mirror. Call it a DC 10 Craft (glass) check to make a bunch of cheap mirrors that distort the reflection for 100 gp sounds about right.
Total cost for a Rainbow Fun House is 350 gp.
--- Dodgeball: A game for people of any age. In the center of a 40 ft radius circular area is a pedestal and people line the edges of this circular area. When the game begins, the pedestal shoots up to 4 red orbs of light each round at random targets in the area, but do not pass beyond the boundaries. If the orbs hit, the person hit is colored Red, and declared ‘out’ and must leave the area. The pedestal continues shooting 4 orbs each round until only one person is left uncolored, at which point it deactivates and the colors fade.
Type: magical; Perception: DC 25; Disable Device: DC 25
EFFECTS
Trigger: touch; Onset Delay: immediate; Reset: automatic
Effect: spell (Dancing Lights target humanoids, victims hit are colored red, +0 ranged touch)
Creation Requirements
Prerequisites: Craft Wondrous, Dancing Lights, Prestidigitation; Cost: 500 gp
I’d set up 5 Dodgeball games at a time.
Total Cost for Dodgeball is 2,500 gp.
--- Light Tag: Participants (up to 10 players, 5 players for each side) are given a pair of gloves, and a vest to wear. The gloves shoot balls of light that are used to hit the opposing team. The vest can be used to shield against the balls of light. Each person can be hit 5 times before they are considered ‘out’ and must leave the playing field.
Light Tag Gloves
Aura faint evocation; CL 1st
Slot hands; Price 500 gp; Weight –
These gloves were originally created for the Festival of Lights as an item set for a game and come paired with a light tag vest. However, they’ve become great aids in teaching aspiring Wizards how to target opponents with their ranged spells. With a spoken word (a standard action), the light tag gloves fire a ball of light at an opponent as a ranged touch attack. If the opponent is hit, a colored mark appears on their body where they were hit.
Construction
Requirements Craft Wondrous Item, dancing lights, prestidigitation Cost 250 gp
Light Tag Vest
Aura faint abjuration; CL 1st
Slot chest; Price 500 gp; Weight –
This vest was designed to work with the light tag gloves as the defensive counter to the gloves. As a standard action, the wearer of the vest may create a shield that can only block the ranged attacks from a pair of light tag gloves. The shield created gives a +4 bonus to the wielders touch AC if he moves, but if he stays still, it acts similar to a tower shield by designating one side of his square as a wall granting total cover (see Cover in Combat). The defensive benefits of the light tag vest only applies against attacks made by a pair of light tag gloves.
Construction
Requirements Craft Wondrous Item, shield Cost 250 gp
Up to 3 games can be played at any one time. It costs 500 gp to craft the items necessary to outfit a player. There are 5 players per team, so 2,500 gp to outfit a team. 10 players are in a game, so 5,000 gp per game. There are up to 3 games being played at a time, so 15,000 gp to run all 3 games.
--- Planetarium: A tent with a podium inside that uses Minor Image to create a ‘floating through the stars’ hologram. The tent is a 40 foot diameter circle by 15 ft tall at its peak. People see things like comets, and stars flying through space, and hear sounds that would enhance the experience. It would start inside the tent, and then slowly change as the people ‘fly’ through the air, off the planet, and through space.
Type magical; Perception DC 27; Disable Device DC 27
EFFECTS
Trigger touch; Onset Delay immediate; Reset automatic
Effect spell (creates the illusion of flying through space in a 20 ft by 20 ft dome.)
Creation Requirements
Prerequisites Craft Wondrous, Minor Image; Cost 3,000 gp
It costs 3,000 gp for the Space Trap, and 100 gp for a tent for 10 people to sleep in. This will require a larger tent, so call it 300 gp and a total of 3,300 gp for the Planetarium.
--- A Festival Food: I’m thinking of a Festival Pastry and a Festival Cider, each of which will have a very minor magical effect. When you drink the cider, it causes your hair to glow, and when you eat the pastry, whenever you touch something with your hands, you leave a glowing mark, which can be used to draw glowing pictures or leave marks, trails, etc. The effects of the cider and the pastry last for 1 hour.
I’m thinking to make the Festival Cider and Festival Pastry; both require a DC 15 Craft (alchemy] check, the Brew Potion feat and the cantrips Light or Dancing Lights for the cider and Arcane Mark for the pastries. Three dozen pastries or a keg of Cider costs 5 gp to produce, and they will be provided free for consumption at the Festival.
Call it 415 dozen pastries (nearly 5,000 pastries) and 140 kegs of Cider will be made for the Festival. I’ll round up the pastries to 700 gp for 415 dozen pastries and 700 gp for the 140 kegs of Cider.
Total cost of the Festival Food is 1,400 gp.
--- Miscellaneous: Normal food and other kinds of entertainment like traveling minstrels, acrobatics, jack-o’-lantern carving contests etc, will be needed. I’d call it 10,000 gp for food and other things, more as the GM deems appropriate for the festival.
Fire Dancers – 135 gp
Fireworks – 30,100 gp
Relay Race – 2,000 gp
Fun Hosue – 350 gp
Dodgeball – 2,500 gp
Light Tag – 15,000 gp
Planetarium – 3,300 gp
Festival Food – 1,400 gp
Misc. – 10,000 gp
Total Cost – 64,785 gp
What can be recycled for future Festivals?
Torches – 1,250 gp
Funhouse – 350 gp
Dodgeball – 2,500
Light Tag – 15,000 gp
Planetarium – 3,300 gp
Total Recyclables – 22,400 gp
So in total, I'd need about 65,000 gp to fund the Festival. My GM and I set up a system where my Wizard can craft items, and sell them for full price. Then I take the profit I made from the sale, and submit it as BP for the Kingdom. I don't auto-sell anything, I have to make Diplomacy checks to see if I can sell the item in a given month. So it takes time, and any month that I don't sell anything, is a month that I don't make anything either. I'm thinking I'll use this system to fund the Festival, but it will take quite a bit of time.
The upside, though, is roughly a third of the stuff only needs to be made once, because it's re-useable. So the first Festival will be the most expensive, but once I've got it, any Festivals in following years will be significantly cheaper.
Also, I think the Festival will charge a fee for merchants and caravans to sell their wares at the Festival, to help offset the cost. Not sure how much this will cost, but anything should help.
So, I decided to write a speech for the Festival on the first night, which is when the Paper Lantern release will take place. It'll use an item that we came up with for public speeches.
Aura faith illusion; CL 1st
Slot neck; Price 1,800 gp; Weight –
This collar was made for the public speaker. It attaches and detaches to the speaker’s throat, and then amplifies their voice to carry great distances. It lessens the check to hear the speaker’s voice by -15, making it relatively easy to be heard, even over the sounds of mass battles.
Construction
Requirements Craft Wondrous Item, clarion call; Cost 900 gp
Greetings and Welcome to the first ever Festival of Lights! It is my dearest hope that such an event as this shall become a tradition in our beloved kingdom that shall last for ages to come. I am glad to see the happy and smiling faces of everyone that has turned up, and I would like to personally thank you all for coming. After all, this Festival is for you, the people of our kingdom, and if it were not for you, we wouldn’t be here.
Our kingdom may be young by many standards, but I like to think we are a strong and vibrant kingdom never-the-less. This strength in the kingdom does not come from the nobles in their courts, or wizards in their towers. It comes from you, the people, the ones that work the land, that grow our produce. The people are the heart and soul of this kingdom, and it is the people that have allowed the Light of this kingdom shine so brightly as a beacon of stability and success in this otherwise wild and chaotic land.
Tonight is the end of the first day of our Festival the will culminate with a spectacular display on the night of the wedding of our King Tith to the lovely Lady Tib. I want you all to enjoy these three days, as they are days of peace and happiness for all comers. Today, you are not farmers, or priests, tavern keepers or nobles. You are all men, and women, enjoying your lives in our noble kingdom.
(Kyl casts a spell, Retrieve Object which allows him to teleport his own paper lantern to him)
I want you now to all join me in raising our lanterns into the air. I want you all to understand exactly what these lanterns mean. Each lantern that you see before you, represents the small speck of light that you bring to our world. While each lantern is but a candle in a darkness our world can contain, together, we are bright enough to light up the very heavens in our glory!
I want you all to see just what exactly what men and women of all ages, of all races, can do when they band together and share their strengths and weaknesses, their skills and knowledge. I want you all to witness as common men, as common women can do what even the greatest of mages and clerics could never achieve. Release your Lanterns now, and watch, as but mortal men and women rearrange the VERY STARS IN THE SKY!
I might also suggest contests or skill challenges for common folk to create other entertainment to pass the time till it gets dark and your light show can start.
I added an archery competition, a dueling tournament, a jousting tournament, a jack-o'-lantern carving competition, Festival Pastry eating contest, a Festival Cider drinking contest.
Other entertainment includes traveling minstrels, musical groups, various house-hold games to play (things like horshe shoes, scavenger hunts etc).
My list is growing and growing with ideas, not all of which will actually make it to the Festival, but ideas the more ideas, the more fun that can be had.
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IMC, one of the PC's is a bard. He has taken to writing songs about exploits of the party and embarrasing songs about their political enemies. I make him roll a performance check when he writes a new song without letting him see the dice roll. This is the appeal of the new song. He has rolled very high for a couple now and they are starting to get spread around the land.
In order to encourage their spread, he invited all the local bards from the region, and hired several of the more well-known touring bards from Brevoy to come to a recent festival. He paid all of them to learn the songs he wrote and play them during the festival. Even though there is no guarantee, he is hoping some of them get spread across Brevoy and the other local kingdoms.
You might try hiring a skilled bard to write some positive or flattering songs and hire some minstrels to travel around entertaining people on your dime. Included in their repertoire would be these songs.