Which AP for more cerebral, less "follow the plot to the next fight" play?


Pathfinder Adventure Path General Discussion


The person hosting my new group (my first game in a VERY long time) requested, if possible, more puzzles/discussion/intrigue/anything but constant combat - they're fine with 75% combat / 25% other, but they're hoping to get SOME non-combat stuff in. I've never run an AP past the first or second session, and only know the plot to Rise of the Runelords thanks to the ACG.

I know all the APs will include some non-combat stuff, but how much - and how much it feels like - I have no clue. Recommendations would be MUCH appreciated.

(I own... maybe half, but I'm willing to buy ones I don't already have, so...)


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Really depends on what you and your group really wants. I will list out a few APs that I think might have what you're looking for or at least some of the books have it.

1) Basically any Urban themed AP will go great. Council of Thieves and Hell's Rebels largely take place in 1 city letting you build up friends and allies. Play up the possible politics of gaining different factions to be allies. Hell's Rebels even has you helping to manage your own faction. Curse of the Crimsion Throne also is pretty good but by book 3 it might be more go there kill the thing and book 5 is mega dungeon.

2) Mummy's Mask. It's dungeon crawl yes, but with the right group and characters it can also be heavy puzzle based with different traps, tricky curses and unique allies you can flesh up or add your own to. Bogs down a bit in places(Book 2 can drag and books 5-6 really focus on 1 location. 6 being Mega dungeon.)

3) Any AP with management. Hell's Rebels does this but a few others can help out. Jade Regent has you leading a caravan and it being your fallback/safety point, so upgrading and managing it can be a big deal if your players get involved and invested. But that drops by book 5. Wrath of the Rightious is a dungeon crawl but I know book 2 has army rules. With some work you can get the players to command large armies to crush foes in your way to the dungeons. Ironfang Invasion kinda sets you up with all 3. It's wildness based but you're tasked or at least suggested to help a group of refugees survive. With work you can easily go a number of different directions with them.

4) Skull and Shackles. Bit of a mess here and there but you can shift it to pirate politics and ship/crew management. Along with interesting puzzles you can pull to shore up things and a lot of RPing to get to know crew. Warning, if you hate water combat, avoid.

5) Yeah. The Grand daddy. Kingmaker. I don't have that much experience with Kingmaker but it's supposed to be "Make your own town, city" type of deal with dungeon crawls to weed out dangers to your new township. Throw on Militia rules and you have something that could be pretty deep. If you can wrap your head around them.


War of the Crown sounds perfect. Otherwise Curse of the Crimson Throne.


Thank you both. I'll talk to the players, of course, but now I've got more info to go to them with, without having to buy every AP and read them all cover-to-cover (to-cover-to-cover...) to figure them out, which I greatly appreciate.

Leaning toward Kingmaker if we have no new players, probably War of the Crown, Council of Thieves, or Hell's Rebels otherwise, but one of the players did talk about wanting a ship-based campaign, so keeping Skull and Shackles in the mix.

Stuff with a Megadungeon is out simply because if they decide they're cool with a giant dungeon as long as I manage to include some story with it, I'll just attach Thornkeep to Emerald Spire, I've always wanted to run it and never had a group make it far enough to even attempt the obligatory water level.


gatherer818 wrote:
Stuff with a Megadungeon is out simply because if they decide they're cool with a giant dungeon as long as I manage to include some story with it, I'll just attach Thornkeep to Emerald Spire, I've always wanted to run it and never had a group make it far enough to even attempt the obligatory water level.

The Term "Megadungeon" might be different from player to player.

But I will say books that have one location that has multiple maps over the course of a book that isn't like different buildings or street maps, might be termed at least to me a "Mega Dungeon"

As an Example(And the two I mentioned) Book 5 of Curse of the Crimson Throne takes place in one huge castle across 3-4 floors full of creatures, monsters, and little in the way of politics to play with. You CAN as there's a hint or two in the book about how you might play some of the smarter monsters off each other for more control but that's about it.

Final Book of Mummy's Mask is just 1 Pyramid. With 5 different segments each with their own theme and challenge. And with all the monsters either mindless or devoted, hard to do anything else than "kick the door, kill the monster, loot".

As a side note, Each AP usually has one big dungeon to go through so you may have to just deal with that. Or find ways to cut parts of it out. Usually near the later half of the books.

Other side note, Hell's Rebels does have a good amount of water. More than you would expect so brace for some underwater combat there.

I've flipped through Hell's rebels more than War for the Crown or Council of Thieves. I know Skull and Shackles decently to the point I'm going to run it in... well a few hours of time of writing.


Plus one vote for Hells rebels. I really loved running it, it was a breath of fresh air after running shattered star


I'd suggest EN Publishing's Zeitgeist AP, provided you're willing to iron out the issues in some of the rules-components. Reviewed the whole saga, fyi.

Acquisitives

Pathfinder Adventure Path, Lost Omens, Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber

War for the Crown or Hell's Rebels. Hell's Rebels is extremely highly regarded, at least in these forums, and it's thoroughly infused with roleplay from start to finish.

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