Looking for player advice.

[Andarion]

Okay, first things first. I am finding a hard time getting into the idea of this campaign because I find that Pathfinder is doing every genre but the kitchen sink on one world. I don't mind sci-fi in fantasy (I love the idea of Star Wars). I have a problem with it being paired with French Revolution, Colonial USA, Horror, Standard Fantasy, Egypt, Pirates, and Vikings as neighbors.

That being said, my group has a subscription and has the entire path and I have said I was not going to participate in a couple of the paths already. I do not want to be the reason that this one is not played.

So, I am looking at ideas for a character for this path. I enjoy story and creating a character to influence said story.

I have no clue where to even begin fitting a character into this campaign. What are you trying to accomplish? How does the story progress? What are goals that actually work for this path?

I do not want to experience the blindside that many people (not me thankfully) got hit with in Council of Thieves.

I don't even need to get class or race suggestions, just some ideas to work with to make an enjoyable character for this path.

Thanks for the help.

[Eric Clingenpeel]

If you haven't already, download the player's guide. That gives a lot of suggestions for types of characters that will fit into the campaign. Also look at the traits and think about what kind of character would have one of the traits that look interesting and use that as a launching point. That is after all what the player's guide and the campaign traits are for.

[Ascalaphus]

Golarion is a bit of a kitchen sink, but one of the ideas behind the APs is to choose just a handful of themes and tell a coherent story, rather than taking on the entire kitchen sink.

Iron Gods is about SciFi, not so much about French revolution or mummies, for example. The stuff happening over there in the other AP is over there.

To get an idea of what Iron Gods is about, the Players' Guide is a good beginning. If you've played some of the adventures of PFS S6 that's also helpful - Hardness pops up now and then and it might be something to take into account.

Apart from that, I'm reminded of some Mad Max and Fallout, because Numeria isn't really a nice tidy place.

The path is built around the idea of the PCs being at least somewhat heroic, protecting their communities from weird evil stuff.

[Misroi]

There are a few major themes to the path. One of them is "in a world where super-science and magic exist, how do these two get along?" Another is "in a world where the gods definitively exist, what is faith?" Questions you should ask yourself about your character are:

Who do I worship and why?
How do I feel about technology, and why?
Why do I hate the Technic League?
What attachment do I have to Torch, the city where the AP kicks off?

Answering these questions will help determine your character's reactions to the Big Questions of the AP.

[Lord Tobies]

Misroi wrote:

How do I feel about technology, and why?

This is a major question and really should be asked of your own character and to the whole party. If you or someone in the party is not going to embrace technology that's fine but if that player is going to be anti-Tech the party might have some issues. Also if someone is not embracing Tech expect to be/feel under wealth.

[K-Rod]

Andarion wrote:

Okay, first things first. I am finding a hard time getting into the idea of this campaign because I find that Pathfinder is doing every genre but the kitchen sink on one world. I don't mind sci-fi in fantasy (I love the idea of Star Wars). I have a problem with it being paired with French Revolution, Colonial USA, Horror, Standard Fantasy, Egypt, Pirates, and Vikings as neighbors.

That being said, my group has a subscription and has the entire path and I have said I was not going to participate in a couple of the paths already. I do not want to be the reason that this one is not played.

So, I am looking at ideas for a character for this path. I enjoy story and creating a character to influence said story.

I have no clue where to even begin fitting a character into this campaign. What are you trying to accomplish? How does the story progress? What are goals that actually work for this path?

I do not want to experience the blindside that many people (not me thankfully) got hit with in Council of Thieves.

I don't even need to get class or race suggestions, just some ideas to work with to make an enjoyable character for this path.

Thanks for the help.

Generally, anything works for this AP. The big attraction is the introduction of technology. You can either embrace it or hate it. If you hate it magic is still widely available in this setting. The APs string together decently and it shouldn't feel forced if done right, so all you really need is a motivation to help out in Torch to begin with and an urge to adventure and help.

I'll give you what I am writing up for my players so they have a minor feel for the setting and the beginning of the AP. Minor spoilers but nothing that an adventurer wouldn't necessarily be privy to/heard rumours of.

********
Setting

The Player’s Guide will go over most of this information but the gist of it is as follows:

Iron god’s takes place in Numeria. In -4363 AR (it is currently 4714 AR) a large metal vessel broke apart in the atmosphere and created a meteor-like shower above Numeria. The largest piece that fell into Numeria is the structure now called Silver Mount, located near Numeria’s capital city , Starfall. Numeria itself is bordered by the River Kingdoms to the South, Ustalav to the West and Worldwound to the Northwest. It’s a pretty harsh barren land which is home to a variety of people, but the two largest groups to be aware of are the Kellids and the Technic League.

The Kellid’s are basically a diverse group of mostly nomadic barbarian tribes. The different tribes all have different values but they all essentially hate technology. The closest thing they have to a central power is the Black Sovereign. The title is reserved for legendary barbarians who are thought to be able to unite the Kellid people. the current Black Sovereign is Kevoth Kul, and he currently resides in the capital of Starfall.

Some of the main Kellid Tribes are as follows:

Blackhorses - The Black Sovereign originally came from this tribe. They have currently found themselves shunned from Starfall. Mostly found in central Numeria, including the area around Torch.

White Scars - Loyal to the Black Sovereign and reside in the area around Starfall. They are known for being corrupt and are not liked by other tribes.

Blood Gars - Barbarian Pirates who live close to the Sellen and raid towns and ships. They are extremely violent and notorious for their cruelty.

Ghost Wolves - Live on the eastern plains of Numeria. They will destroy any technology they come across and will kill any member of the Technic League they come across. They are more known for their acceptance and use of magic.

Sunder Horns - Notorious raiders and slavers in Western Numeria. They are known for being accomplished smiths and for controlling several mines in Numeria.

The Technic League are a group of magic users who are united in their obsession with technology and the power that comes with it. This group believes that they are the rightful owners of all technology in Numeria and will go to any means to acquire and keep it secret. The Technic League exerts control over most of Numeria through their spies, taxes and it’s legion of robot servants all the while pretending to serve the Black Sovereign.

Hidden throughout Numeria is also an extremely rare race called the android. No one knows where they come from but they seem to emerge from the buried structures through Numeria. Android are extremely rare and not much is known about them in general. Some towns and cities are more accepting of androids, while others would just as easily kill them out of fear or turn them over to the Technic League for a reward.

*********
The Adventure

The AP takes place in Torch, a town known for a mysterious purple flame that continually is lit at the top of Blacktop hill in town. The flame was found to have the perfect properties for smithing as the flame is hot enough to work even the most difficult sky metals, but precise enough to allow delicate work to be completed. This has led to many Smith’s throughout Golarion to travel to Torch in order to work with the flame. This pilgrimage of Smith’s has been Torch’s main source of income since it was created.

While the flame is known to intermittently erupt hundreds of feet high, the town has become familiar enough with the tell-tale signs to know when this danger is coming. Very recently though, the flame atop the hill has gone out and has not reignited. An expedition led by one of its council members, Khonnair Baine, was sent out but never returned and now the town is faced with 2 large issues

Most people are anxious about the fate of Khonnair as he was a well-loved man in town. His ingenuity and intelligence have improved and helped many in Torch. The larger, more looming issue for the town itself is that the loss of the flame has led to Torch’s economy tanking. This is a major issue as the town is required to pay a tithe to the Technic League and failure to do so would most likely not end well. Word has spread around that the town council is offering a reward for any adventures brave enough to find the missing councilman and find out what is causing the issues with the flame.

***********
Hopefully the above has given you some decent ideas to work with. Reading the Player's Guide can give you some general ideas but I find a lot of them too constricting. Also, there is some potential plot real estate for android characters but it all depends on your GM on that one.

[Kot the Protector]

The player's guide is indispensable with this task. As everyone else has said, it is an important read here. There are quite a few interesting directions to take with your character in this particular AP:

How does your character appreciate technology? Does anything more advanced than crossbows and pulley systems worry them? Are they fascinated by the possibilities of such advanced tools and weaponry? How your character reacts to tech is a vital part of your character in this AP. While it can lower the amount of loot you feel you are getting, it does eventually balance out if your allies are working with you to make sure the wealth is distributed.

How does your character feel about the Technic League? Do they respect, fear, or hate the League? Has the League wronged them personally or someone they know? Has the League had no effect on their life? How would they feel about the League's practices of slavery and meaningless sacrificing of sentient lives to simply test out some cool iron boots they found in a wreck? How would they react to the very real and terrifying powers that they League wields with all of this technology at their disposal? The League is a major bogeyman in this AP, so nailing down how your character feels about them is also important.

Who does your character worship and how do they view divinity? This is a somewhat intimidating question, but a necessary one. This AP, while being very Sci-Fi, found a grand way to make Fantasy come into the fold of Sci-Fi, and the nature of divinity itself is made somewhat fuzzy. How your character understands divinity is very abstract, but may help you deal with things to come...