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Greetings,
I am preparing to run modules in my regular pfs nights. I would like to maintain the loose continuity offered by pfs. Even if it is "the society tells you to do stuff". A lot of the hooks offered by the modules assume motivations that are fine for a small independent group of adventurers but are beneath the attention of a large organization such as the pathfinder society.
If you've tackled this issue before, how have you done it in the past? If you're also thinking of running modules, how would you set the hook? Is there an easy answer that wouldn't break immersion?
The modules I'm running are:
Murder's Mark
Feast of Ravenmoor
The Midnight Mirror
Carrion Hill
From Shore to Sea
Realm of the Fellnight Queen
No Response from Deepmar
The Harrowing
Thanks for reading.
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I've run and played a few of those in PFS, and here's what I did and saw done...
In Realm of the Fellnight Queen, I just said that Elyin is a retired Pathfinder who parted the Society amiably and the PCs either knew him personally or were sent to Bellis by the Venture-Captain of Almas to represent the Pathfinder Society at his wedding.
I seem to recall that the GM of The Midnight Mirror used the hook from the book, with the addition that the worried nobles had used knowledge of the Book of Night Without Moon to get the Society interested.
In From Shore to Sea, we were told that these fishermen from over yonder have been trawling up these Azlanti artifacts and ordered to go forth and figure out where they're coming from.
For Feast of Ravenmoor, the "find the tax collector" gig was a political decision by Venture-Captain Heidmarch, to do this favour for the government in Magnimar so they'd look upon the Society more favourably in the future.
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I've run the Harrowing for my VL's group and it was fairly easy to convince them since it was a simple rescue mission to save this important Taldan scholar with a rich noble family background which I had the region's favorite VC, Drendle Dreng, give them the news in the wee hours of the morning. As long as no one tries knowledge nobility right at the start then you should be fine in hooking them in.
(italics for those who've played it before)
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Murder's Mark
This was done at a con. The plan was to do frostfur captives the next day, so this was a "you are traveling to irisen and stop here" adventure.
Someone could also be given a question by the osirion venture captains to ask the sphinx.
Feast of Ravenmoor- The tax collector collected a piece of jewelry in lieu of payment. While it looks like a gold trinket to him, its part of a larger piece of historical significance, find him and get it back.
(going on blurbs)
Carrion Hill- Rumors are that there's a piece of the dark void that zun kathon brought back with him hidden deep in the temple. Try to find it.
From Shore to Sea: Azlanti relic?
Realm of the Fellnight Queen-The society is looking for an Ogham book from the first world that the queen may have in her possession. Its a printed on a string of leaves strung together.
No Response from Deepmar- We had several of our agents get arrested and sent to the mines in an undercover operation in order to dig for an artifact. get our boys out of there and see what they've found.
The Harrowing Bring back the deck if you can, or copy down the stories from it if you can't. theres much truth in old tales.
RPG Superstar 2014 Top 32
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Ok, my responses that I hinted to earlier:
Carrion Hill - Scout the place out for a lodge, find the secret behind Middenstone and recover either Oleg or part of his body - I claimed that Oleg's party were Pathfinders, and that the society wanted to save or revive him.
Murderer's Mark - Sent by Shelia Heidmarch to explore the traveling caravan to see if there are any interesting magical effects or artifacts.
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In From Shore to Sea, we were told that these fishermen from over yonder have been trawling up these Azlanti artifacts and ordered to go forth and figure out where they're coming from.
I actually did a double hook on that one - I both hinted at the Azlanti artifacts and mentioned that a Pathfinder ally in the area had disappeared recently.
I personally think it's about finding the sweet spot that intersects at "solid, believable, specific hook", "not overly specific", and "plot-related enough that the PCs don't wander off to do something else, but not so related that the briefing feels spoilery".
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I ran some of this modules as DM in PFS. This is my "hooks"
Murder's Mark : It's the VC Sheila Heidmarch who sended the PC to give Sister "Esrelda Woodmere" some medical herb / old books and ask the PC to enjoy the circus in town after the delivery.
The Midnight Mirror : the Lodge ask the PC to respond to a rich Nidalese family who search adventurers for finding news from their daughter. Hoping that with this help, this noble nidalese family will favor the Society claim in Nidal.
Carrion Hill : After their good work in "The Midnight Mauler" the PC are asking to see the Mayor of Carrion Hill with letter of recommandation from Markov Rutowski for giving the Society the Right to explore the city.
From Shore to Sea : After "Fortress of the Nail" the Society have the authorisation to explore an ancien Azlant City in the Hellmouth Gulf. The PC are ask to explore and secure the site before a team of historian and archeologist go.
No Response from Deepmar : An near-to-be Venture Captain from Cheliax (my lvl12 Hellknight ^^) ask the PC to aid a friend of him, the daugther of the Captain of the Deepmar Colony, by responding to the call of local authorities to investigate on site why the Colony is silent for weeks.
