Campaign specific side plot advice (possible spoilers)


Rise of the Runelords

Grand Lodge

Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber

My question shouldn't contain any spoilers, but the answers may … be forewarned.

One of the characters in my ROTR campaign is a Fetchling Cavalier. Started her life planning to one day free her people of servitude on the shadow plane, but ended up escorting contraband between the shadow plane-Magnimar and Magnimar. She was recently assigned by a mysterious council of her kind to transport unknown goods between Sandpoint and the shadow plane via magnimar. She's to stay in Sandpoint, build a reputation, become accepted. Pillbug is her contact. (What the materials are is unknown-Pulp-Fiction-esque. She received a small, heavy bag from Pillbug and is to hand that off to someone that will contact her.

ROTL Spoiler:
The intent is that eventually, the council will instruct her that to free the Fletchlings of servitude she will need to gain control of the rune magic pools. This is likely as a power grab by the council and will free no-one. My goal is to create some player conflict over some people wanting to maintain the pools and some people wanting to destroy the pools.

So, sub-plot help.

1. The cavalier was just worked over and left unconsciousness in a back alley by the Sczarni. They wanted to know what her business was with Pillbug and told her to keep away from him. To build a connection with someone in town, is there a good person to have find her, and help her get back to the Rusty Dragon. I am thinking this player would most likely connect with a kid (that could later be in peril.) I don't want it to be the "Goblin's in the Closet" kid as they party already has connected with him, and will again for that side quest. I have only read through the second module, so I don't know if there are other good Sandpoint NPC's from later modules to connect with. Someone that will be threatened say and this connection would give real motivation to help.

2. Any advice (or knowledge of later modules) around the Sczarni? Do they play any role in later modules? I plan to develop the Fetchling side plot. The Fetchling council (I call them the triumvirate) will keep having her do various mysterious things, transport goods, and ultimately try to gain power from her discoveries. But I think I would also like to develop her Sczarni conflict. Ultimately she (the cavalier) may need to put down the Sczarni, or maybe she takes over the Sczarni operation using the profits and power to help her people back on the shadow plane.

This is all very loosely developed in my mind at this point … I'm looking for anyone's knowledge of APs beyond the Skinsaw murders, as well as any brilliant ideas to develop this sub-plot.

Thanks!


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Spoiler:

You are right, this is a perfect opportunity to introduce someone they will need to talk to later. Unfortunately most of the people they really need to converse with in Sandpoint they will have already talked to, but there are a few optional and helpful ones that I think might help.

1. Brodert Quink: Thassilonian expert, they will want to talk to him at some point for information, it would be a nice way of letting one of the party members know they exist.

2. Sabyl Sorn: From the house of blue stones. If you think your Cavalier could do it, with a successful diplomacy check she gives that party access to her personal library, which gives +4 on Knowledge History and Planes checks, her knowledge of the planes and her lawful nature could casue some nice RP situations with your plane smuggling Fetchling.

3: If you are still in book 1, he could be saved by Katrine Vinder, who dies in book 2, so he would be more driven to track down her murderer.

4: Vachedi the jailor: I wish I would have given my players more of his back story. His sons are currently owned by Kaer Magen slavers, and while this AP does not go there, my players ended up there, because in book 3 a number of them died at Fort Rannick, so the party needed someone to cast raise dead, and it was the closest place where they knew someone could do it.

As for your second question, sorry I can't think of any right now. I'll have to look through mine later and see if I find any.

Grand Lodge

Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber

Spoiler:

Nice, thanks! Some good options there … the player is a librarian in real life so Sabyl would be a great option as she'd relate to her just for that reason. Katrine would be a good tie in to module two (and a different character is join got have the run in with the sister, so would be a nice web of relationships). They've already talked with Quink, but the Jailer is a nice option too.

Grand Lodge

Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber

Spoiler:
Now that I thought about it a bit it's going to be Sabyl Sorn and Katrine Vinder walking together from the White deer. That gives her two connections at once and I think Sabul Sorn could make for a good backup character!

What's extra nice is that the cavalier is who Aldern Foxglove will have the obsession with ...

Ok … that worked so well, next question …

Spoiler:

Another character is a dwarf paladin seeking information on his father that disappeared, last seen in Sandpoint decades ago. Father Tobyn was supposed to have information for him (he's dead!), then the next lead is Lonjiku … that will go nowhere! What the paladin does not know is that his father had a lead on stolen dwarves treasures that were in the mythical Xin-Shalast.

Any good ideas or leads for this character's sub-plot? Isn't there an undead dwarf in a later module? It would be interesting if he encountered an aberration of his father, or in some other way found him.


My players should not read this

Spoiler:

Nice Aldern can kill Katrine for getting too close to his beloved.

Good news yes there is, bad news it is not until book 6 part 2. You should look at it and make sure it works for you, but it is about greedy dwarf ghosts, haunts, and a Wendigo, so it should work quite well if you just changed it to his father. I say it's bad news because that is a lot of books in between. The other problem being that as written there are very few dwarves in the book, which would be helpful.

How many bread crumbs do you want to leave your players for their back story? You could put a contact in Turtleback Ferry for book 3.

Actually if you wanted to what might be a little funny is keep giving him clues and breadcrumbs to people that die or are already dead. Maybe in book 2 he gets word that a farm outside of Sandpoint remembers seeing a dwarf matching that description leaving years ago, but those farmers get killed by the skinsaw man, or make it that Merc who goes to the insane asylum, which would give him the name of someone in Turtleback ferry. Could be someone who died when the casino barge sank, or a dead black arrow, or even the undead black arrow commander. Not sure where I would go with it from there right now, but it's an option.


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RyanH wrote:

** spoiler omitted **

Ok … that worked so well, next question …

** spoiler omitted **

I think it could be really neat if you have the character find some of the father's gear at various points - spread out across the books. Maybe one item in Burnt Offerings (Orik's Shield, perhaps?), maybe Justice Ironbriar will have a ring of his. I wouldn't do just one per book, because that could feel a little contrived, but sometimes have a few items, and other times there doesn't seem to be anything. But it's all pointing towards Xin Shalast.

Grand Lodge

Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber

Spoiler:

Excellent ideas ...

One of the other characters is going to be tied to (grew up with) the two farmers tied up as scarecrows, but not yet gouls.

For the Dwarves, I read some of that last night. I think his father connected up with the greedy miners, hearing they had a lead on Xin Shalast. Some funding came from Lonjiku family (hence that connection). When the Dwarves go all cannibal one of his father's companions escapes back to Sandpoint (This will be VOLIOKER BRISKALBERD ... he's gone crazy from what he saw and does not remember any of it anymore. When he first came back he talked to Tobyn ... so that was that connection.) He thought the father died and was eaten, but instead the father escaped and is now in Xin Shalast either an undead minion, or imprisoned by giants, or in an epic battle fighting for control of the city (maybe this will be epic level play after the AP is done.)

I like the idea of some equipment sprinkled throughout the modules. He already recovered his Dwarven Thrower hammer that was left with Tobyn. (Currently it is just a +1 hammer ... it will grow with the character.)

I also like having most of his contacts already dead ... the dead farmers would be good. I need to sprinkle some leads though ... journal, or map or something.

Great ideas folks!

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