So, while I'm aware, as GM, I can change geography to my liking (to a degree) but I much prefer using maps as is, so my more specific question is on the map of Ustalav featured in Rule of Fear, what can I identify as just grasslands, shrubs & such, or an actual forest, or forested swamp/bog? Every time I think I've chosen a decent starting point for my campaign for societal reasons, geography gets in the way, but I don't want to make decisions that contradict canon. Can anyone help with this?
Also, according to Rule of Fear, the current year is 4711, but other sources claim it is 4716 A.R. So is there any material on Ustalav whatsoever set closer to this time period?
Also, according to Rule of Fear, the current year is 4711, but other sources claim it is 4716 A.R. So is there any material on Ustalav whatsoever set closer to this time period?
The Strange Aeons adventure path may answer that question, but it's a couple months away.
Otherwise, for simplicity, just assume that Ustalav is relatively the same since Rule of Fear, or perhaps Carrion Crown has been resolved.
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The reason Rule of Fear thinks it's 4711 is that the book was published in 2011; the "current year" is always aligned that way. Go ahead and assume things are basically the same (unless you want to advance the timeline in some interesting way).
As for the geography, it's just guesswork informed by descriptions of each county. They don't generally get more detailed than that, so I wouldn't worry about it. ^_^
Okay, so besides named lakes and rivers and towns/cities, just BS it, essentially?
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Okay, so besides named lakes and rivers and towns/cities, just BS it, essentially?
We prefer to say, "Let the GM determine what's best for their campaign," but essentially yes.
I just am not a fan of MIXING canon established locales with custom locations, so feels... wrong to say there's a forest or building somewhere the campaign setting map doesn't indicate. This will be my first campaign as GM, and I understand a lot is up to me, but haven't got a feel for that kind of creative authority yet lol
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I just am not a fan of MIXING canon established locales with custom locations, so feels... wrong to say there's a forest or building somewhere the campaign setting map doesn't indicate. This will be my first campaign as GM, and I understand a lot is up to me, but haven't got a feel for that kind of creative authority yet lol
That's fair. However, sometimes canon needs to be fired out of a cannon. A lot of places are left deliberately blank for you as a GM to take and create and make your own. We're not going to knock on your door and tell you you're doing it wrong. And the campaign setting is, again, not super-detailed for you to add those forests and buildings wherever you want them.
"Where's Super Spoopy Forest?"
"Oh it's just west of Thrushmoor!"
"...It's not on the map..."
"That's an outdated map, and since the royal cartographers lost their funding, they keep using older versions of the map—no money for a new survey."
Whatever you plan on doing, just be consistent about it as a GM. After it leaves our hands, Golarion is very much *your* world now—have fun with it. :)
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Well thank you very much for the push and the go-ahead lol Going to need to document a LOT to keep my head wrapped around the whole thing.
Well thank you very much for the push and the go-ahead lol Going to need to document a LOT to keep my head wrapped around the whole thing.
Learning to take good notes is a great GMing skill to have. :)
Like Liz said, you don't need anyone's permission to adapt/modify a published adventure or campaign setting to suit your (and your players') needs.
For example: I'm running an on-the-fly conversion of the original 1983 Ravenloft adventure that was written for AD&D. I've set it in Ustalav, just grafting the Village of Barovia into the map. It's not canon for the published campaign setting, but it IS canon for my home game!
I'm probably going to be running Kobold Press' Tales of Old Margreave sometime soon. Again, I'm planning to set it in Ustalav, so I'll need to figure out where on the map I'm going to plop a huge, ancient, haunted forest...
I'm probably going to be running Kobold Press' Tales of Old Margreave sometime soon. Again, I'm planning to set it in Ustalav, so I'll need to figure out where on the map I'm going to plop a huge, ancient, haunted forest...
Canterwall or Varno would be a good fit, but I think the county of Vieland would be best.
Lol I'm starting to get it. Anyone know best place to stash a gargantuan vampiric vampire bat kaiju revered/worshipped/feared by vampires?
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Lol I'm starting to get it. Anyone know best place to stash a gargantuan vampiric vampire bat kaiju revered/worshipped/feared by vampires?
Either Virlych, or in some unexplored corner of the Hungry Mountains in Amaans or Ulcazar. Alternatively, you could have an entrance to the Darklands in Ustalav, where vampires go to descend into the kaiju's domain.
Those are awesome ideas, thank you. Funny I didn't think about it much, but my campaign is set to have a very strong subtheme of food & eating, so I hadn't made the conncection between that and the "Hungry Mountains" lol So I like the Darklands being where said kaiju slumbers, but it would be a missed opportunity to not go to the Hungry Mountains in a campaign where eating is kind of important, so perhaps the path to the Darklands is somewhere in said mountains. Or if I don't want my party getting lost in there, perhaps add a portal or something.
The main thing will generally add up to, Vampire: "So you need help thwarting this kaiju enemy? Well, our ancient master could very well join you in the struggle against it, but as a kaiju, it feeds on a semi-unique energy source. Namely, the blood of sorcerers, bloodragers, etc, so, I recommend you put levels into sorcerer or bloodrager or take the Eldritch Heritage feat and offer that power to us, and we will in turn offer it to awaken our master, and it will rise from its dwelling and assist you, to some degree, against this huge threat." So I don't believe an entire quest into the Darklands is necessary, but that is a more than plausible answer to where and how a kaiju hides beneath Ustalav.
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I'd be leery of actually demanding that players take certain classes for the plot - it'd be better for them to need to recruit an NPC than to feel they're being forced into classes they aren't interested in.
Though you could pretty easily encourage that someone play a ____ during a character creation.
For example, I pretty heavily encouraged my Reign of Winter party to have a witch in it because the AP has options and rewards that only become available if one of the PCs is a witch.
But having a witch isn't actually necessary for completing the adventures.
I was thinking of them taking the levels/feats, and upon that contributing to the sumnon/powering up of the kaiju, they then would still have a level with which to put into whatever class (though perhaps better if NEXT time they level up, they get 2 levels worth instead)