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This campaign's been finished since about a year ago and I found some of my notes.
- Race options were limited to human, aasimar, dhampir, and tiefling in order to provide a more Dark Ages feel to the game. Class options were trimmed just enough to exclude anything terribly exotic or tribal. Alignments were restricted to LG, NG, CG, LN, N, and LE.
- Minimize animal encounters in favor of undead or evil fey.
- Describe occasional disembodied moaning or unnatural howls while resting so that the players really appreciate fortified areas (Oleg's, their kingdom's walls, etc.).
- Replaced Bokken with a crippled (human) alchemist. His wife and children are buried nearby, but a drekavac haunts the site and prevents any peaceful mourning. If the PCs remove the threat, the alchemist finds his way back to Oleg's and sells discounted potions. The alchemist might request an escort to the graveyard and back for a small sum and some experience.
- Replaced Tyg-Titter-Tut and Perlivash with two or three fiendish wolves. Change the wolves' type to aberration. These predators were once human, but the exact details of their transformation are a mystery. As long as the characters are unaware of the wolves, the creatures will mimic cries of distress in hopes of attracting prey. The wolves do not eat flesh, but draw their energy from negative emotions such as fear and misery. If the party is defeated, the wolves linger for a time before leaving the characters unharmed. However, future subsequent encounters will taste "old" and "stale" to the wolves and the party's chances of post-defeat survival drop.
- Replaced the kobolds in area G with insane humans (with bite attacks). Cannot be reasoned with and do not speak any known languages. One wears a cursed wooden charm that fills the wearer's ears with unintelligible chatter and is deafened as long as they remain in contact with the charm.
- Removed the giant frogs in area I. If anyone approaches the pond, one 1/3 CR skeleton per party member quickly rises out of the water and attacks. The skeletons wear decayed and ruined copies of each party member's gear. If the any of the ruined gear is touched after its undead wearer's death, the items crumble into ash.
- Removed the boggard lair in area O. The two ruined buildings covered in bizarre markings (Aklo-speakers meeting a DC 25 linguistics check can interpret the following: "bound King do our Labor Sealing") have been nearly swallowed by the bog. Within the first building, the characters can find a large, ominous chest bound in rusted chains. The chains can be easily broken with a successful strength check or melee attack. Upon opening the chest, two pairs of crawling hands fly out and flee the scene immediately. Left behind is a simple spellbook containing one or two low-level abjuration spells. The second building is less a structure and more a pile of rubble guarded by an intact wall. A DC 20 perception check reveals several corpses buried beneath the rubble and mud with each of their hands severed.
Anyone sleeping within this hex suffers terrible nightmares and quickly wakes to find a connecting scratch around each wrist. Regular rest is impossible within this hex until each mutilated corpse has been properly buried with funeral rites (if buried together, one rite suffices for all corpses). Funeral rites require a knowledge (religion) check: DC 10 is a basic success; DC 20 or higher confers a +1 bonus on all saves for the week.
- Replaced the thylacine in area V with three sagaris that swarm any character falling into the pit.
- Replaced the Sootscale tribe with an entirely hostile goblin tribe. Within Y5, the characters find Felix (NG male catfolk rogue 2) bound and gagged. Felix left his Iobarian catfolk clan a few years ago to join a group of wandering adventurers. After watching his group slowly succumb to curses, disease, and monsters, the rogue managed to get completely lost and was captured by goblins. The catfolk's hair is sparse, the little bastards plucked most of it out, but bears no significant wounds, broken bones, or mutilations; after a few days rest, Felix could fight alongside the party without penalty. After enduring a year's worth of torment and misery, Felix welcomes any aid and returns it tenfold. He can relate quite a bit of information concerning the Stag Lord's fort and readily admits he was nearly killed there.
If allowed, Felix will travel with the party and even aid in defeating the Stag Lord. Should the party decide they don't need the rogue's help, Felix makes his way to Oleg's and waits for another opportunity. Felix has the Nimble Faller and Curiosity alternate traits; he will fight, but will not kill unless the party is overwhelmed. After his imprisonment, Felix refuses to work with or alongside goblins and will not, under any circumstances, describe his years in captivity.
- Left the Stag Lord encounter mostly intact, but none of the bandits are given special personalities. Each one is irredeemable and hostile due to a wicked genus loci subtly corrupting anyone sleeping within the hex. This presence doesn't reveal itself until much later and acts as an ongoing antagonist.
During Rivers Run Red, I spent a lot of time warping encounters and events before I gave up decided to adapt scenarios from The Expedition to Castle Ravenloft, Silent Hill 2, Labyrinth, and many more sources. Since the PCs generally stayed within their kingdom's borders, I mostly reacted to their choices and the result was a feeling of "a bastion of hope in the darkness" rather than the standard Kingmaker approach.
Oliver Crownley CN male human wizard (universalist) 1
Oliver Crownley comes from minor nobility and uses an elaborate signet ring as his bonded item. Physically described as Jeffrey Combs from Re-Animator. If Crownley had any sense, he'd be dangerous; nothing fascinates this young aristocrat more than forbidden knowledge and nothing stops him from acquiring it...except poor reflexes, low stamina, no common sense,... Have an evil artifact that needs to be safely hidden until it can be destroyed? Crownley has to see it. Find an old grimoire that possesses everyone who reads it with a suicidal spirit? Crownley must read it. Despite acting as more of a comic relief than a threat, the young wizard makes an excellent scribe and apprentice. Just make sure you five-year-old-proof any real knowledge.
Eva, Just Eva LG female aasimar bard (archivist) 1
Eva was adopted by Iomedean clergy as an infant and readily prepared to join the priesthood. There was just one problem: she couldn't handle divine magic. Not even the simplest orison would manifest. After a brief depression, Eva poured all of her energy into academia and exhausted every book the small temple had to offer. An eager apprentice and dutiful to the last, Eva arrives when the characters begin constructing a library, mage tower, or magic academy.
Edward Litera LN male human inquisitor of Asmodeus 4
Ever a slave to procedure, Edward Litera spent twenty eight years as a minor scribe before ambition demanded a change. The inquisitor's knowledge of church policy could shame some of the highest authorities in Cheliax. His successes soon earned an honorary Hellknight membership and he frequently acts as a recruiter. Grim, determined, and oft merciless, Litera's presence can be used as a threat, aid, or whatever role the GM sees fit.
Phobos N male(hermaphroditic) tiefling urban barbarian 2
Phobos was born to a woman unprepared, and more importantly unwilling, to raise a tiefling. After many failed attempts, she finally sold Phobos to a traveling side show. When the tiefling grew past six feet and could no longer be cowed into submission, the proprietor ordered an early departure one morning. Since then, Phobos wandered for several years as a caravan guard before landing in the characters' kingdom. Despite the tiefling's unusual anatomy, Phobos identifies as male and, at nearly seven feet tall, few argue the point. He's a simple soul and will take whatever combat-related job is offered.
So that's all I've got--enjoy.