So I am trying to plan out enough for a PF pbp campaign to get started but am running into a creative block when I try to work on it. The basic premise is roughly an alternate future for Golarion after both someone with enough power *at least* pretending to be Aroden returned and becoming the King of Taldor and then (after some Alexander the Great style conquests) causing a World War, the aftermath of which leaves a near Continental (Avistan) empire under the control of Taldor in which all the Human Azlanti-descended nations and colonial territories are rejoined into the empire (including the before-hand impossible taking of Absalom). This results in, among other things, the restriction of high level magic to imperial use, occupations ruthlessly controlled by greedy guild cartels, the enslavement of demihumans, the imposition of the Human Pantheon as the true religion with Aroden Incarnate as the Emperor at its head. Even for the lower class humans under it, its a pretty tyrannical system of exploitation and magically-aided police-statism.
Additionally, the devastating world war in which magic was heavily used against civilian targets by rival nations has left a populace receptive to the radical ideas espoused by mysterious pamphlets which appeared touting classical anarchism (similar in concept to the still anonymous pamphlets which appeared in Europe promoting the semi-mythical Rosicrucian Order).
I want to set it in the former River Kingdoms and have the PCs start out as regular people oppressed by this system who are directly faced *somehow* by its brutality when the Viceroy of the province is assassinated by a mysterious NPC who gives them a map of the former Stolen Lands (it could become their remote guerrilla base and eventual refugee commune') and essentially recruits them to become anarchist revolutionaries to fight against the Empire and help liberate the people without allowing another state to replace it. So land and liberty for the people essentially. Also there will be a new Zeal mechanic to encourage the PCs to act with ideals and challenge them not to become callous terrorists but stay pure freedom fighters whereby if they lose too much zeal they become disillusioned and either fall to corruption or die in a blaze of glory (similar to that in the Polaris RPG).
Essentially the PCs should become anarchist guerrillas who will make their own plans for assassinating officials, destroying infrastructure, robbing the rich and helping build and protect an emerging mass rebellion movement based on the principles of true freedom and equality for all. So like there will be some dungeon crawl except instead of dungeons it will be barracks and banks etc. with the reward material and magical items both for them and eventual allies.
I was thinking of inverting the Kingmaker/Ultimate Campaign mechanics in that by destroying various buildings in the City Square they can slowly take away those points from the Provincial total and eventually if they knock down the Economy, Stability and Loyalty enough raise Unrest till the people are able to throw off the Empire in the local area completely, of course leading to counter-attacks etc. I am curious about the mechanical difficulties and merits of this idea? Eventually the more "hexes" the revolution succeeds in the stronger the Movement as a whole will be.
I figured I could pull some stuff from Kingmaker, Council of Thieves, and Jade Regent (similar themes of movement building, sandbox campaigning, and rebellion) and reskin if needed where appropriate.
Now my questions are:
What would be a good first scenario to get PCs embroiled in the conflict and give them that push?
Is there a kind of "Adventure Path" framework that would make a logical transition from scrappy band of guerrillas (little more than bandits in the eyes of authorities, a la the Price of Freedom RPG) to powerful exemplars of a massive and widespread anarchist movement which can successfully take on the Empire (long term) and actually carry out a general insurrection? The closest successful historical analog I can think of (not anarchist) would be Mao's original guerrilla's becoming the People's Army and then eventually winning the conflict to make China a new nation. Preferably so that it doesn't become too monotonous with assassinate this person, raid this base, bomb this guild hall or temple, distribute this aid, protect this riot etc over and over again. Just wondering if there's a way to do it really.
Thank you so much in advance to anyone who can offer any ideas of value. I apologize for the lengthy post just wanted to give a good explanation as I cant get the idea out of my head but keep running into a block for how to do it well.
Ambitious, i'll say that for you. :) why not crib from the best - Star Wars?
First AP - puts them on the run and introduced to one another when they fall into possession of an artifact that Taldor desperately wants, that could spell the end of something incredibly powerful for the empire - say, awakening a powerful beast asleep under the capital city like the tarrasque? They are chased by increasingly powerful foes in service to the god-king, until they actually find the means at say 6th level or so to enter the city and use it, unleashing Holy Hell on Taldor by damaging the seat of its power and causing the god king to be out of commission while he fights to put the genie back on the bottle (or destroy it).
Second and third AP - the god king send some of his best agents after the PCs at their home base while he regenerates from expending all that energy. Its a series of totally lopsided combats that teach the PCs the value of escape plans as they need to find and rebuild a new base. Eventually, they discover that he god king is not who he says he is - but they find an ancient tome/ Azlanti knowledge sphere / aboleth memory crystal that shows that he is an Aboleth plot to reclaim mankind as ultimate servitor. They also uncover a device (or Mythic power if you want to get crazy) that can challenge the god king or smack him down to their level to have a hope of beating him.
Final AP - they put their plan in motion only to find out that god king or the Aboleth have put their plan in motion to wipe out home base and all vestiges of resistance at the same time. Final showdown involving Angels, cthulhoid star spawn, gugs, tindalos hounds and other Lovecraftian horrors roaming the streets, while the heroes take on the god king who is about CR+4 to make the outcome a 50/50 shot win or lose.
What would be a good first scenario to get PCs embroiled in the conflict and give them that push?
One idea that springs to mind is to have an altruistic local cleric captured by the Imperial authorities and sentenced to death. Maybe he/she's a cleric of Iomedae who has been denying the divinity of the so-called god-king to her flock, or a cleric of a goodly non-human deity (Torag springs to mind), or simply one who has been casting banned high-level magics for the benefit of the community.
The PCs should have a personal stake in the matter; the cleric could have healed or otherwise aided them, their families, or those they care about. A religiously-inclined character may look to the accused cleric as a mentor, or possibly even a parent-figure. Maybe the cleric ran a shelter for those orphaned by the empire's wars, and some or all of the PCs were raised there. If you want to do campaign traits, every character could have one tied to the particular way in which they are connected to the accused cleric.
The first adventure could begin when the cleric is captured by the authorities. Another NPC who cares about the cleric might call the PCs together, convinced (rightly) that the cleric is destined for a short show trial followed by execution, unless the PCs do something about it first. From there they have to plan and execute a jailbreak with a short and perhaps uncertain deadline.
In the midst of their preparations, the Viceroy could arrive in town, having taken a personal interest in the case of the cleric for whatever reason seems appropriate. He could be staying at the local stronghold/government building where the cleric is being held awaiting trial, and his assassination could take place while the PCs are carrying out their jailbreak. In the chaos that ensues they encounter the assassin and may become accused of being involved in the killing themselves. From there they must escape the city, at which point they are wanted men with few options (at least in the short term) besides following the Assassin's map to (relative) safety, however they might feel about the assassin himself.
A rough sketch of the ensuing adventures, following the 6-part Adventure Path format, might go something like this:
Part 2:
Sort of a "social sandbox," in which the PCs have to work to establish a base of operations and keep it hidden while they rally support among the common folk, recruit skilled specialists, subvert good or dissatisfied members of the establishment, and weaken the empire's infrastructure in the northern hinterlands. Maybe they could recruit the aid of outside factions as well; the barbarian tribes of Numeria, the Sword-Lords of Restov (or their scattered, dispossessed successors), and the pirates of Issia are unlikely to be very firmly under the control of the empire, if those regions are included in its borders at all. Along the way, the PCs may come into conflict with the viceroy's assassin and his allies as they take on a more and more central role in the resistance. At the climax of the adventure, the PCs launch a dangerous mission to defeat the (new) viceroy of the region and whatever dire plot he might have to bring its rebellious citizens to heel.
Part 3:
With at least part of the former River Kingdoms now in more-or-less open revolt, the god-emperor turns all available resources toward snuffing the flame of revolution before it spreads. Not yet strong enough to oppose him or his more potent followers directly, the PCs must travel throughout the rebellious region and help the people prepare for the coming onslaught. In the course of doing so, they hear about a hidden, all-but forgotten power (like an artifact weapon, ancient Azlanti magical ritual, or cache of Numerian super-technology) that may allow them to overcome the impossible odds arrayed against them. The last part of the adventure involves finding and recovering this source of power.
Part 4:
The PCs engage in a campaign of sabotage and subterfuge against the oncoming imperial forces in order to weaken them and perhaps delay them while their own "super-weapon" is prepared. This, again, could be rather sand-boxy, with the PCs deciding where to strike and choosing between any number of possible plans of action, the overall effectiveness of which would determine how devastating the empire's counter-attack will be to the populace in revolt. In the end they must deliver their now-active "super-weapon" into the heart of the imperial forces in order to strike the decisive blow.
Part 5:
The rebel victory sends ripples throughout the Empire, emboldening revolutionary forces across the land.
In Andoran and Galt commoner militias rise up to do battle with the occupiers, heedless of cost in human life.
In Taldor, old noble families that feel slighted by the god-king's regime recall their forces from the field, while scheming Chelaxian bureaucrats become increasingly prone to costly "errors" and manage to "misplace" crucial intelligence reports.
Ulfen and Kellid warbands launch increasingly bold attacks along the northern border, spreading imperial forces thin, while the Garundi and Keleshites muster their forces in the south.
Despite all this, the Empire remains terribly strong, and as revolution spreads, Avistan bleeds. The PCs, now both individually powerful and in command of devoted and battle-tested troops, must face a series of difficult moral choices as they fight to free the people and bring an end to their suffering. Ultimately, they all come down to one question: can betrayal, brutality, and cruelty be condoned if they serve to bring a swifter end to the horrors that the war has become?
Part 6:
The PCs have made their choices and fought their battles, and at the very least they still live to tell the tale. Nevertheless, the god-king and his fanatical followers continue fighting, and commit new atrocities daily in their increasingly desperate struggle to hold onto their remaining power. Word reaches the PCs that the god-king has a secret weakness, an Achilles' Heel which a powerful mortal might exploit in order to break his power forever. Prayers and divinations seem to support the claim, and the PCs (possibly accompanied by a small force of their most stalwart NPC allies) much launch a potentially suicidal mission to gain access to the god-king in the heart of his power: the Azlanti Fortress in Absalom. Once there, they discover the true nature of the god-king, and must try to put an end to his reign of terror.
I do like the idea of the PCs using really powerful magic (like an artifact summoning a tarrasque or something) as a gambit to force the Empire's hand and weaken them at some point. It might even be a really hard decision depending on what it does, as it might endanger innocent lives too. Only other thing is just I want to be careful not to make the imperial scenario/backdrop *too* fantastic, in the sense that players can still relate and drawing a few real world parallels on the nature of authority and greed and the difficulty of revolution and being hunted like a terrorist.
For the opening act idea, at first it sounded a lot like the Council of Thieves opening, but I like what was written about the "cleric figure" (probably wouldn't be an *actual* cleric as the 'good' Pantheon is actually aligned with the Empire through "Aroden" now with the exception of Desna, so maybe an illegal magic user), especially the idea about that person 'running a shelter for those orphaned by the empire's wars, with some or all of the PCs being raised there.' That would be a great way to get maybe a lot of the poor local community involved into some kind of potential riot, which, the local Imperial forces decide to massacre. That leads to a great tipping point for the PCs and the community once the NPC assassinates the Viceroy (think V from V For Vendetta) in retaliation for his injustices and the simple fact that, in the new anarchist philosophy, he has no justification to rule or resist the people's desire to be sovereign individuals.
Killing the local Royal Viceroy temporarily forces the military to run things until a new Viceroy arrives to root out the rebels, leading to some brutal repression in order to maintain control in the River Lands which will engender sympathy and support from the angry populace.
So I know it has to start near the Stolen Lands, as that will be their first community example (like the castle in Suikoden) where they and the peasants, ex-slaves, ex-bandits, outlaws, workers and drop out nobles get to set the tone and see if the new libertarian socialist practices and philosophies can really work.
What decently large sized city in the River Lands would work well then for the opening location of the conflict then and everything?
I figure that besides whatever things the PCs plan to do, the players can choose groups of skilled and somewhat powerful NPCs who have joined them or been recruited and send them out to accomplish various guerrilla actions with percentages of success or failure in the background based on their picks and how well planned out they have the operation as well as how much intelligence collected in the area. Not sure how to make a mechanic for that though.
But is it feasible, with the Kingdom Building rules, to do it in reverse and by destroying the Buildings cause the Unrest to rise and imperial Hexes to fall into anarchy without it being too fast or too negligibly slow?
Is there a way to write a mechanic to deal with how successful their anarchist commune will be? I thought of reskinning the Kingdom mechanics to Mass Movement mechanics or something, like instead of Economy, Stability and Loyalty you have Equality, Liberty and Solidarity or something. It's just different because the PCs have to be careful *not* to take power over the NPCs and act like equals.
Well, the closest cities to the Stolen Lands on the southern side are Pitax and Mivon. Pitax was, as far as I recall, basically founded by outlaws and has already seen more than a few petty tyrants come and go as of the default "present" of the setting. The place has a distinctly chaotic character and the main gods worshiped are Calistria and Desna, so it might be perfect if you want it to be something of a hotbed of dissent.
Mivon is about twice as big as Pitax in terms of population, and is run at "present" by a splinter sect of Aldori Swordlords who left Brevoy after refusing to swear fealty to Choral the Conqueror. It's noted for being a particularly rough town because it attracts skilled and/or arrogant warriors from across the Inner Sea Region, who come seeking to learn the secrets of the Swordlords.
Of course, the Empire would most certainly have had an interest in getting rid of the Swordlords when they moved into the area. Some carriers of that martial tradition might still be around, possibly in hiding, providing a ready source of fighterish character backgrounds or allies for the rebellion. On the other hand, Mivon might have resisted Imperial takeover fiercely enough that it's been basically wiped off the map, reduced to a ruin and possible adventure location.
Is there a way to write a mechanic to deal with how successful their anarchist commune will be? I thought of reskinning the Kingdom mechanics to Mass Movement mechanics or something, like instead of Economy, Stability and Loyalty you have Equality, Liberty and Solidarity or something. It's just different because the PCs have to be careful *not* to take power over the NPCs and act like equals.
I think you'll be best with just handwaving that they're successful. You can quick cobble some kind of "not taking power" rule, say a number between one and thirty, each time the PCs "take power over someone" (whatever that means) roll and see if you equal or beat the number on a d20. If you do, angry mob kills them for being tyrants or something?
