Advice for a new Jade Regent run!

[Saigo Takamori]

I will DM a Jade Regent run with my player in a month and I would like to get some advice. We did before Rise of the Runelord, but Sandpoint was destroyed and all the major character for Jade Regent were killed... So I took the decision to start over. The group isn't that min-maxer, and for now it would go as follow:

Human Cavalier
Sylph Hunter
Catfolk Rogue Unchained
Human Alchemist
Human Sorcerer Sylvan bloodline with a mammuth.

15 pts buy, max starting gold.

Is there anything that I should know apart that caravan encounter are boring?

[Haldrick]

It isn't so much that caravan encounter are boring (although they can be) but that the system breaks down as the levels increase

1. How will you deal with the NPCs?

There are lots of them. You start with 4 (plus the drivers) you are possibly adding more in each book. Are you happy to leave the initive for these relationships to the PC's? If not you need to decide what you are going to do and with whom. All of the NPC's or priorities a few?

2. As with all APs fore shadow and build in the PC's backstories. For example I had the party meet Lute (the merchant they meet in book 2) in Sandpoint and here a few stories about him ahead of them as they travelled north.

3. The Crown of the World: This is a long Journey. I did not think that the few fixed points and random encounters would be interesting enough. I just used the random encounters and built stories. Legendary Games do some good add on's

[Saigo Takamori]

For NPC, I will probably let my player get the initiative with the main 4. But for the others I will add some NPC created by my player. I got some ''Player killer'' history behind me (one of my player created character in Rise of the Runelord...) so they gave my some back up character that I will add in the caravan as NPC. I still need to read the following books after the first to see which NPC is useful or can be replaced.

Thanks for the rest, I will look into Lute and the other NPC to do more fore shadow!

[Haldrick]

I try and have each NPC have a bit of Time in the Sun

Koya does Harrow readings and as she levels up takes item crafting feats

Sandhu: I emphasise his knowledge and ability at running a caravan. He also acts as an older uncle figure.

Ameiko: Is incapacitated in Book one and possible kidnapped in Book 2. I think this is a mistake as it make her like a fariey tale princess in need of rescuing all the time. If you need a kidnap victim use on of the others.

Shalelu: is just hard, She has rescued them on occasions.

One of the legendary Games add on's is for the first book and the journey to Brinwell, so consider that early.

In Book three there is "Dead Mans Knoll" and the dungeon they escape thro' I forshaddowed them early in Book 3. I have not found it easy to use PC's back story so much as the AP movers quickly and along distance, but you may have better luck.

Last point, obviously play up how mad Goblins are!!!

[Kyudoka]

Change the goblins to another variety that maybe came off the ships and populated the village: bakemono.

Just swap the -2 from Str to Dex and swap the +4 from Dex to Str. Same evil wackiness, just stronger and less dexterous. The players will probably want to find where these strange critters came from allowing you to lead them towards the ships.

[Uqbarian]

Like Haldrick, I reckon the main thing to consider is how you're going to handle the NPCs. Also, whether to amend or ditch the caravan rules. (If you ditch them, remember that caravan encounters earn XP, so you'll probably need to replace them with other encounters if you're counting XP.)

It looks like your PCs will be low on healing, so they might want to drag Koya into dungeons with them. (EDIT: Even if the alchemist goes for a healing build, they aren't going to be as good at the job as a cleric.)

I have to ask: why does your sorcerer have a mammoth? :)

[Bellona]

Maybe it was a mis-type, and the intention was to write that the Cavalier has a mammoth (as a mount)?

Regardless, I'm wincing a little bit at the thought of trying to deal with having a mammoth in either Sandpoint or Minkai. Stabling, feeding, security (both keeping the public safe and stopping hungry attackers) ...

[Saigo Takamori]

Bellona wrote:

Maybe it was a mis-type, and the intention was to write that the Cavalier has a mammoth (as a mount)?

Regardless, I'm wincing a little bit at the thought of trying to deal with having a mammoth in either Sandpoint or Minkai. Stabling, feeding, security (both keeping the public safe and stopping hungry attackers) ...

no, it is indeed the Animal Compagnon of the sorcerer. Sure I told him it's gonna be hard, but at least he can use it instead of 2 horses.

[Bellona]

In that case, I guess that it's one of those archetypes which allows a Sorcerer to swap out a familiar for an animal companion. (I cannot remember where I saw it.)

[Uqbarian]

Saigo Takamori wrote:

no, it is indeed the Animal Compagnon of the sorcerer. Sure I told him it's gonna be hard, but at least he can use it instead of 2 horses.

Awesome! Does the PC have a backstory for their mammoth yet?

Bellona wrote:

In that case, I guess that it's one of those archetypes which allows a Sorcerer to swap out a familiar for an animal companion. (I cannot remember where I saw it.)

Close -- the sylvan bloodline is a wildblood variant of the fey bloodline that swaps some powers for a companion. (Plus at 15th level it lets the sorcerer grow wings and shrink, so they're like a big pixie!)