Pyromaniac Press is proud to announce our inaugural products launched on kickstarter
Please consider backing and help get us off the ground
The KS page can be found here
The product certainly looks interesting with some very creative artwork... however, as a player, I've been disappointed by adventure paths in the past with a lack of loot. Will this product provide the cash I need to indulge my role playing whims, no matter how weird?
Thank you for the question Zorba, though I suspect that is a reference to my personal GMing style than a legitimate query :)
To anyone else reading this, Zorba is one of my playtesters. The thread isnt overly active (or not at all) so he's having a little fun at my expense.
Still, in case someone actually wants an answer...
The AP should roughly adhere to the Wealth By Level guidelines set out in the Core Rule Books, though there are extra rewards for clever or diligent players.
Each adventure tends to be paced to maintain action and tension, but downtime is set aside at key points in the campaign for extra curricular activities such as item creation, and while the included wealth may not indulge all your whims, it should be enough to pursue a few choice items.
Finally, there are certainly some inclusions in terms of new magic items that would classify as weird. Keep your eyes peeled for the "brooch that should not be" and the 'void leaches' (among other items) in Part 1 of the AP. Even stranger things appear in the latter Parts.
24 Hour Update
We've been running the Kickstarter for just shy of a day, and we've hit 25% of our total funding goal.
The goal is modest by the standards of many Pathfinder related KS campaigns, and I'd very much like to see as many of the Stretch goals achieved as possible to give all the Backers the most return for their pledge.
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The history is fine. What is lacking is what this adventure is going to do for my PCs, without giving away the spoilers, of course.
From what I can make out (correct me if i am wrong) is that god was born, god went crazy, god caused destruction.
Current Day: You play a PC in a world were evil cult is reworking the god's plans.
I encourage you to do an update on the prologue module and what it entails.
Is this a neutral setting AP campaign or does it relay on your world setting specific?
Will you be giving NPC previews?
Hi Garnath. Thanks for the interest and feedback.
As you suggest, I will add an update on the KS with more detail about the prologue. While there may be some minor story spoilers, anyone receiving a copy of the products would have this information anyway, so nothing is really lost by letting people know what they are pledging for.
The first adventure is billed as a 'prologue' rather than adventure 1 because it is an optional (though recommended) method of involving the PCs in the unfolding events. The prologue introduces a number of campaign NPCs and elements, but is tailored for the GM to pick and choose which elements to emphasize, ways to tie in personalized elements, and in many ways how significant they will be going forward.
The adventure path can be placed into a generic world setting, but it relies heavily on a city with some fairly unique features for a significant portion of the story. The city will be detailed in the products, initially as a brief gazetteer in part one (which is enough to run the campaign) and as a more detailed gazetteer in the Campaign Guide if that Stretch goal is achieved. The Campaign Guide will also have a section covering conversion of a favorite established city to meet the AP requirements.
A free 'players guide' is being finalized and will be available at Drivethru RPG shortly. This will give players and GMs alike a primer to the campaign and city. I will link here when it is available for download.
I have to admit NPC previews was not something I'd considered before you raised it. I'll give some thought to how to present one or two of the more interesting NPCs and revisit it.
3 Day Update
I'm very pleased to announce that after 3 days we are 33% funded.
Thanks to all who have pledged support.
The kickstarter can be found HERE if you'd like to take a look
Hi All,
Big update today!
Firstly, after just 10 days we are over 50% funded! Thank you all for your support and hopefully we continue to grow strongly for the rest of the Campaign.
Secondly, the free Player's Guide is available at DriveThru RPG. This is a primer to the AP, and should give everyone a general feel for what is to come. The one caveat is that is that we have not allocated any art to this book. Art is time consuming to produce, so we are saving it for the main titles.
The Players Guide can be found HERE
Micah
The Player's Guide looks good; this is an unusual setting, and I'm looking forward to the adventures!
Thank you Zaister.
This project has been a number of years in the making, and it's exciting to see it come to fruition.
The City setting is intended to have some unique and (I hope) enjoyable features, whilst still being just generic enough to fit into most fantasy campaign worlds without much work for the GM.
Two weeks to go!
We are at this time 60% funded.
To anyone who has been considering the project but is still undecided, I urge you to download the free Player's Guide (links above), check out the KS updates, or post any questions there (or here).
It's also worth considering that the Prologue Adventure PDF is complete, and will be available to backers almost immediately upon the completion of the Kickstarter campaign (once standard administrative matters are resolved).
For those that have pledged thank you for the support!
Micah
Sounds interesting indeed. I'm in!
Thanks for your support Oliver!
Sent you a PM Micah...
Hi Lorathon,
Yes, the plan is to make all of our products PF/5e compatible eventually.
However, the current Kickstarter products are only PF at this time. The 5e conversion on the initial products is to follow, and eventually we'll release in both formats simultaneously. I'm not prepared to put a timeframe on it just yet though.
Micah
Why did you chose Aether as the name of that god? Any connection to Greek Mythology?
Hi Scary Harpy
Aether is not specifically connected to the greek mythology in the literal sense as the individual, but neither was it chosen without purpose. There is something to the name's meaning/usage that ties in to the AP.
Despite being 'struck down' three hundred years ago, Aether has a role to play in the AP (in a fashion) so I dont want to reveal too much. Aether's story is slated for Part 3 of the AP.
I've been giving a lot of thought to requests for more information, and I have to admit I'm torn. On one hand I dont want to be too mysterious and offer nothing, but on the other I'm concerned about spoiling 'big reveals' for player's and GMs alike.
I'm more than happy to answer questions or reveal general story or mechanical elements, but i'm going to evade questions that might tread close to major plot spoilers.
Way up the page, Garnath asked for an NPC preview. Image code isnt available here, but an image can be found on the kickstarter page under updates (Update #6).
Damien Anthilas
Damien is the last scion of Anthilas Merchant House, a once powerful trading concern now splintered into small factions and interests, its assets picked off by the other merchant houses of Anduria like vultures over a carcass.
The family is cursed, so the rumours suggest, and the history of misfortune is plain for all to see. At the height of its powers, some 15 years ago, the house commanded over three dozen galleys, and held properties in all the world’s major ports. Prior to the rise of the Peregrine Trading Corporation, House Anthilas commanded the greatest position in the Trade Guild. The patron of the house, Barrus Anthilas, was respected and feared, and held a seat on the ruling council of the city.
There were whispers he’d made a deal with the devil to achieve such heights, and as all know, the devil always gets his due.
First it was mould and pests in grain and other perishable assets, then an entire trade house was wiped out by plague in a far port. A freak storm destroyed several galleys containing a consignment to a foreign prince, and House Anthilas’ reputation was deeply damaged. Trade agreements began to fall through, and opportunities dried up. Barrus himself took to the seas again to personally carry the flagging business, trusting his own reputation and instincts. Six months later he was dead, assassinated in a port half a world away.
The business fell to the adolescent son, Damien, as uninterested and unprepared as a successor could be. He ceded his responsibilities to his father’s advisors as he pursued his own interests in the Arcane. Over the next decade infighting, backbiting and corruption eventually saw the house undone, the advisors lining their pockets and jumping ship as the debtors closed in. Assets were liquidated to clear debts, and the house was left as a shadow of its former glory. Still the heir did nothing. Local gossip insinuated that maybe the son made the same devilish deals as the father.
A handful of years ago, just after the untimely death of Damien’s mother, the Anthilas manor house in The Retreat burned down, witnesses swearing it was consumed in a conflagration of unholy fire. A number of the manor staff were killed that night. Arrested and tried for numerous crimes, including practicing dark magic and murder, Damien was acquitted due to a lack of evidence, and – as the tavern tales tell it - the influence of some of the still loyal city elite.
Financially and politically ruined, Damien still seemed to care nothing for the loss of reputation and fortune, delving deeply into the mysterious, and his own obsession with alchemy. To date he is regarded as one of the city’s foremost experts in the occult, but dark clouds hang over him and his legacy.
When the Characters arrive in the city, desperate and in need, Damien offers assistance, apparently for the good of the city and its people. Affable and wise, he champions the characters against some of the more aggressive factions. What are his motives? Is he the genuine but maligned sage plagued by ill fortune that he appears, or is he actively engaged clandestine machinations? Has he made pacts with dark creatures, or is he a victim of the choices of others?
Damien is a major campaign NPC introduced in the prologue adventure Difficult Circumstances.
There is also a book layout preview on the Kickstarter page - Update #7
There is also a book layout preview on the Kickstarter page -
Link'd for you.
Nice graphic approach - parchment looks good, and borders, yes, suitably warped.
I've had the pleasure to read the first 10 out of about 60 pages of the prologue adventure "Difficult Circumstances".
Judging by those, I can recommend everyone to back the kickstarter. The idea behind the prologue adventure is in a good way unique, the start is cinematic and the mechanics are sound.
Stand now there are 10 days left and only about 800$ needed to get this one into reality!
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One Week Left - Massive Update!!!!
We've still got a way to go, but I'd like to thank a number of community members for their correspondence and advice over the last few weeks.
Oliver Volland has been fantastic with his review and feedback on the Prologue. I’d also like to thank N. Jolly and Megan R. for reviews on the Players Guide.
And while it was not originally intended to be the case, several contributors have come forward to help take this project to greater heights.
Thanks to Ismael Alvarez (aka Lorathorn) we are now offering the products in the 5th Edition ruleset as well as Pathfinder.
Finally, Russ Brown of Rusted Iron Games, and Richard Develyn of Four Dollar Dungeons have offered to contribute to the project as well, adding some significant experience and talent. I'm sure everyone here is aware of their work, but if not I urge you to check out their material.
For anyone new to the thread, the Kickstarter can be found HERE, and the free Player's Guide can be found HERE
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We've received a mention in Endzeitgeist's Kickstarter Showcase, and Russ and Richard have been endorsed as well.
If you are interested it can be viewed here ENZ
My discussions with Thilo have been very useful, and a review of the Prologue is expected within a few days.
I'm looking forward to read the rest of the AP :-) Come on folks, jump on the train Beyond Reason!
Final Days!
I'll make one last pitch.
More than 500 copies of the free Player's Guide have been downloaded.
A huge amount of work has gone into this, and over the last 30 days this project has been shaped further by a number of community members that have very graciously offered help and advice.
I have been very fortunate to get Russ from Rusted Iron Games , and Richard from 4 Dollar Dungeons on board as contributors, and Lorathorn for the 5e conversion.
I have received (and acted upon) some outstanding advice from Oliver and Thilo (Endzeitgeist) to improve this product. While no official reviews are available (as it has not yet been released), we've had very positive feedback and Thilo has been very generous in his comments on his Kickstarter showcase.
If you are considering pledging, but are on the fence, feel free to have a look at the updates/comments on the Kickstarter Project Page, or ask questions there or PM me here. I'm always happy to discuss my project.
Thanks to everyone that has helped get us this far - hopefully we can get over the line.
Micah
And backed....
Thanks for the support Morgan.
I went ahead and backed. For anyone that is thinking about it, I was sent a preliminary copy, and while I haven't gotten to fully analyzing it my first impression is that it's well worth pledging for. I would recommend pledging, especially if you run 5e as well. Get it through the home stretch.
Thanks for the support Malwing!
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Player's Guide review is online - hope it'll direct some people towards your KS!
Thanks EZG!
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I reviewed the PWYW player's guide today, for those potentially on the fence: Take a look here!
Edit: Sorry for the double-post, forgot the linkage before and couldn't edit that post anymore...
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A considered review Thilo.
Personally, I'm very happy to support new publishers entering the market with a well formulated Kickstarter and an engaging plot for adventure. Pyromaniac's stated goal is to "produce quality over quantity", and the free Preview definitely whets the appetite.
The Prologue is a little long - by the xp rules (as I understand them) the experience gained should place the characters 'into' 2nd level (beyond the minimum) if the numbers are being adhered to strictly.
There's also a level of interpretation as to when, where and how much 'story' xp to assign. Some readers may disagree with the way I have assigned it (which is fine).
The AP has a level of variability to it. All the core adventures aside from this first two (prologue and adventure 1) will be set for a small 'level range' rather than a specific level. The campaign is designed to have 'side-treks' slotted in between core adventures, which will vary the available xp and wealth. These side treks are not required to run the AP, but they do cover peripheral story material and allow the campaign more freedom (it's not a sandbox, but it offers players a chance to explore some additional elements if they wish - and provides GMs material for when players inevitably take that unexpected tangent).
To appropriate a great quote - "They are more like guidelines than rules"
Cheers
Micah
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The KS has reached it's funding goal. Hoepfully a stretch goal can be met...
Congratulations Micah!
Funded!
Thanks to all who have pledged, advised, encouraged and just generally taken an interest.
Cheers
Micah
Congratulations! Kickstarters can be insane, tense, stressful experiences. Glad you made it through successfully.
Advice: Keep very good records for tax time.
Thanks all.
Now the hard work begins!