Foreshadowing, planning, and cutting out book #5

[Lee Hanna]

My group has just started KM, but I've been dreaming & scheming since the AP first came out. Most of that work has been tinkering with the setting, to move it into my own preferred world instead of Golarion.

This is my group's 3rd AP, and the last two were closed down about 2/3 through. This has been from combinations of player fatigue and high-level burnout. So it's long been my intention to wrap up at the end of book #4. I didn't really like "War of the river kings," and I doubt my players would, either.

BUT, I really like elements of Book #6, and I think my group could have fun with that. One player inadvertently set her character up perfectly for it with some background.

So, I have a pair of questions for the group here.

1. Does anyone have suggestions for building up the barbarians to become our Final Enemy? IMC, I've already started this with "Brevoy" having suffered a civil war that ended 6 years ago, and the daughter of the losing tsar fled into the wilderness near the "Stolen Lands." I'll be using her as my "Armag."

2. The other one is more wide-open, I guess I could either downgrade the monsters in #6 to be level-appropriate to the end of book #4 (or not, as this is a party of 6 characters, not 4). An alternative is to replace #4 and #5 with the fey invasion of book #6 (and I would then cut down the CRs).

Opinions?

[Thrund]

I would run book 4 as is, but maybe cut down the exploration/wilderness encounter parts. Someone in another thread suggested placing all the interesting encounters en route when the PCs are escorting the Drelev refugees, which I think works really well to give the book more of a focus. Steal anything you really like from Irovetti's entourage and give it to Drelev so that it still gets used.

Then, run a shorter book 5, but instead of armies from Pitax, have the kingdom attacked by Fey forces. Perhaps the PCs find out about Briar and Nyrissa has to send through what she can to hold them up until the blooms are ready. This lets you use some of the locations from the book as written without involving Pitax at all (and having written this, I'm tempted to do the same myself).

I think book 6 can be run pretty quickly as long as the PCs have everything they need (or know where to find it) when the blooms begin.

[redcelt32]

You could expand the boggard fight to be a whole running adventure with guerrilla warfare in the swamps between small army units. After they clear the boggards, then they have to deal with an invading army of barbarians. Just bring the barbs to the player's kingdom like they would face in Book 5.

I would still leave Book 6 as is because extraplanar stuff is pretty hardcore and difficult to top with a mundane barbarian fight. IMO there are some memorable experiences and fights in Book 6, so I would definitely not skip.

If they are really burned out, I would just advance time a few years after they finish book 4, and level them up appropriate for Book 6. Then carry on as normal.

[Othniel Edden]

I personally like the Barbarian storyline more. With the exception of Book 3, its incredibly easy to foreshadow. Most of the ruins could have their destruction linked to the barbarians and the Staglord himself could be either their agent, or a warlord that is left over. You could also use plots like Grigori and the cult of Gyronna to tie it even tighter.

[Lee Hanna]

I thought some more on this last night (instead of prepping for tonight's game). I may crunch up books 4 and 5, and merge many elements. Thematically, 4 and 5 seem to have similarities that I find redundant.

Pitax and Irovetti will disappear, the Tournament (if I keep it) will become a new event hosted by the Drelevs. It might appear between books 2 and 3-- Varn and his champion's absence will be noted. I haven't decided about the hexploration in book 5.

The two wars will be merged into the barbarian invasion (IMC, an attempt to renew the civil war). Drelev's treachery will be part of that war.

The two swords will be reduced to one (Briar), and the whole of Armag's tomb dropped. Fort Drelev will have been built on the ruins of an elven settlement, the under-parts of Whiterose Abbey still under the castle.

In this case, Grigori and Marissa will be working for the same patron (the invader/rebels), but with outside (elven/fey) support. I might lay clues that waking Vordakai was instigated by someone outside, as well.

[GM_Solspiral]

I'd drop a big dungeon in there somewhere, since I have 2 groups I'm mugging dungeons from shattered star where needeed but fropping the meta-plot.

[Lee Hanna]

Reviving my own thread again... We're just starting Book 2, so this is all largely academic.

My current thinking is to keep the swords separate, but still merge the two books.
- The Rushlight Tournament will become a Midsummer thing, newly sponsored by the Drelevs.
- I don't want to keep the dungeon-crawl of Armag's tomb, but it may stay. My players are showing a marked preference for the hack & slash lifestyle.
- Pitax is still history, and Drelev may pick up some things from Irrovetti. The barbarian invasion is still on, just merged with Irrovetti's army.