We are currently between Burnt Offerings and Skinsaw Murders and I need help with a side-quest.
Current party are level 4 and it looks to me like the PCs level way too fast in book 2. So I want to send them on a side-quest.
We are adding a new player who will be a Samurai who is a distant relative of Ameiko's. I was hoping for a backstory of the Samurai proving protection for a group of new workers for the glassworks.
I was thinking the current PC's could be sent by Ameiko to gather the new workers and find them embroiled in some kind of trouble in either Magnimar, Riddleport or the swamp.
Need help fleshing this out.
Please offer any thought and assistance.
Thanks,
Steve
We are currently between Burnt Offerings and Skinsaw Murders and I need help with a side-quest.
Current party are level 4 and it looks to me like the PCs level way too fast in book 2. So I want to send them on a side-quest.
We are adding a new player who will be a Samurai who is a distant relative of Ameiko's. I was hoping for a backstory of the Samurai proving protection for a group of new workers for the glassworks.
I was thinking the current PC's could be sent by Ameiko to gather the new workers and find them embroiled in some kind of trouble in either Magnimar, Riddleport or the swamp.
Need help fleshing this out.
Please offer any thought and assistance.
Thanks,
Steve
In my second time running it through I wanted to expand the players experience in Magnimar and add in some foreshadowing regarding the Runelords eventual involvement. The way I did this was by adding Book 2 of the Shattered Star AP almost exactly where you are now - I actually shoe-horned it in between books 2 and 3 of Runelords, after Justice Ironbriar was dealt with. The local Pathfinder Society saw how the PC's handled the insidious threat of the Skinsaw cult and Shiela Heidmarch asked them to look into the Lady's Light. It might suit what you're looking for perfectly with the possible exceptions that its a little bigger than your typical 'sidequest' and wouldn't really involve the Samurai's backstory.
Alternately, you could power up the first book of Jade Regent and take away the 'quest' aspect of it. That would serve really well too.
Both would be highly recommended for flavor, theme, location and level.
I will give it a look.
Keep 'em coming.
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Chopper's Isle in Wayfinder #7 is one that I am about to run for my guys that are between Burnt Offerings and the Skinsaw Murders. They are level 4 and the mini-module is for level 3, but my guys only need a small boost before they get to 5th level.
Dawn of the Scarlet Sun is a free module set in Magnimar. The only problem with it is that it is also a murder mystery and this might mix up the plot somewhat.
Feast of Ravenmoor is also connected to Magnimar (though it is not a free module). It is for 3rd level characters but probably could be adjusted for 4th level.
Peet
Has anyone though to run the PFS Golemworks scenario as a preview of Xanesha?
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I ran Dawn of the Scarlet Sun here as well - I don't have any problem muddying the waters with two sets of murders, myself. I set it up that word had reached Belor recently that Magnimar was experiencing its own set of murders, and that one of his friends on that force was investigating. He offered to write an introduction to Kasadei, and that served as the jumping on point. With success there, Kasadei offered to give them a bit of authority to their searches - basically, that these strangers are acting on her credentials. When the party rogue failed to break into the Foxglove townhouse, these papers got them to decide to move on. "Hey, if she's the one sticking her neck out to investigate one of the city's nobles, then I want no part of this."
I just got this point last weekend. I made a custom session. Basically the crows seen overhead in grubbers hermitage are cause for concern. The local fisherman who normally come to sell their catch daily haven't come to town in 2 days.
Have the samurai arrive by ship to Sandpoint and upon exiting the docks he overhears the fisherman talking about this.
Somewhere else in town (doesn't matter, even in the inn) have the PC's over hear someone talking about Hags Plummet story. (pg 386 in the RotRL hardback book.)
If you need further motive. Have Ameiko request the PC's look into the matter as she cannot serve her famous spiced curry salmon (from the swallowtail festival lunch) and her business is beginning to decline.
The take a ship out to the island. They find the thorp has been ransacked. All the towns people are missing. They investigate and found a scared girls in a closet who said Sahuagin raided the thorp and tortured people. They were led by a hag and kept asking for an "orb." They find dead bodies littered around town.
They moved to the far side of town to find another set of docks. About half are remaining alive and are being waterboarded and dunked into the water from the ships mast and tortured by the beasts. All they ask for is the orb (which no one knows they have.)
Backstory: one of the fishing boats two days ago dragged the bottom of the ocean floor and recovered a lost Thassilion artifact. This magical obsidian orb. For me, the orb was what powered the war machine towers used by the Azlantist towers that shoot the fire. The hag had grown obsessed with it as a prized item. Though she doesnt really know what it is, she is infatuated with its beauty. (think the ring in LotR).
Have a combat encounter with a sea hag and sahuagin on the docks. Have the sahuagin dunk several towns folk into the water once they are attacked as a complication. the PC's only have so many rounds to save them before they die (i used 10) as they have already been torutred a drown a lot.
If victorious they shold question the NPC's. Asking about the orb which they dont know anything about. They attacked with minutes after Freds ship came to docks with a big catch (can change name).
They can search below decks in the fish and find the orb there. Once they recover it they go back to town with the survivors who relocate to Sandpoint.
The orb has Thassilion runes on it but they don't know how to activate. They can take it to Quint to sell (for whatever EL treasure value is.) he buys it out of intrigue. They might not sell it, in which case he may just ask to look at it.
Eventually he comes to realize what it is. He will comission the mayor to rebuild the lighthouse. She agrees as it will protect the coast, also it will give the town something to build now that the church is done and the relocated towns folk can help.
From here: I plan to have Quint figure out what the orb is. By the time the attack on sandpoint comes around from the giants (book 4 i believe) the tower will be done. Over the course of your campaign comment on the progress of the tower.
2 options: befriend Brodert Quint who will activate tower during the battle to help defend city.
OR - Have quint become obsessive or maybe even evil. Gets someone to steal the orb or allies with the giants and uses the tower to hold the region hostage perhaps even using its power to control Magnimar as the towers could shoot fire miles.
I haven't played this last part out yet. My PC's were weary of revealing to much and don't actually no what it is. They didnt even tell him he had the orb. I plan to have someone in town discover the PC have the orb. Maybe Shayliss (as she is g/f) of the sorcerer who carries it with him. She will let her gossiping tongue reveal the info by accident. Which will be interesting as she didnt know what it was. After that I think I will have Quint be overly friendly to try and buy it and raise the price as the PC level as he learns what it is. If they still dont sell it then he will get someone to steal it.
It will take a lot of knowledge to rebuild the tower in such a way to defend the town. Possibly some evil magic too (look at how the dam at skull's crossing works to see what I mean). Thassilonian ruins are enchanted in ways that people don't understand any more. Also, nobody (except maybe the PCs) believes Quink when he says the Old Light was actually a weapon.
If you decide to make Brodert Quink turn evil then you probably need to create another Thassilonian "expert" for the party to consult.
I think instead I would have "Pillbug" Podiker show an interest and it turns out he has a contact somewhere that wants to pay a lot for it. Possibly this could be Xanesha or Lucretia. Of course, after meeting him they plan on cutting a rune into his chest and killing him rather than paying.
You could work in that though that it turns out it is the Denizens of Leng who want the orb, because its power can boost the Leng Device. Karzoug, who doesn't know what the Orb is (or the Leng Device for that matter), has agreed to get it for them as a part of the deal to secure their help. However, the Orb could also be key in destroying the Leng Device and keeping Mhar off Golarion.
Has anyone though to run the PFS Golemworks scenario as a preview of Xanesha?
I ran a modified version of The Golemworks Incident after Hook Mountain Massacre, as the intro to a cobbled-together additional Rise of the Runelords Book 4: Seven Swords of Sin.
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I posted a list of appropriate side-quest modules for Runelords a couple of years ago.
Link.
It's been a while since I looked at the Beginner Box module, but I have to say I wouldn't recommend using it without major modifications.
If you want to change it the resistance gem should probably be turned into a consumable item with charges. Likewise the dragonbane sword should probably be swapped with a unique item like a talisman that grants the bane property to a weapon, but otherwise functions as an oil of magic weapon.
The dragon himself could be swapped out for some kind of drake... alternately you could leave the dragon in (with weakness) but later replace longtooth with him assuming he escapes. If you leave him as a black dragon he should definitely be a recurring villain.
Finally, if this is to be the den of one of the goblin tribes, the tribe really should be larger. Some of the rooms should have goblins added, even if these end up being goblin commoners instead of goblin warriors.
The other thing about the beginner box module is that there really is no story at all to it. The GM needs to work on it in order to have the module make some kind of sense.
Peet