After years of not playing and life moving on, I have finally come full circle from being a new player in RotR to GMing it myself.
So here is what I am looking for-
I have a party of 4, with 1 player who will join after we complete the Nualia arc in the Burnt Offerings(first "chapter") in the Rise of the Runelords Adventure path.
After this point, even though this is my first in depth DM role, i want to break away and homebrew the rest of the adventure. I have played quite a bit, and I do not lack imagination- i just want to make sure i can pull from the source material of Pathfinder while also creating interesting things on my own.
My players are currently going through thistletop, and will soon face and presumably thwart nualia.
My idea is to create a world event after this piece, and sort of really "dig in" to the game.
So far my PCs have been having a great time going through, and they know that i have written plenty of pieces myself, but there is a narrative currently since i am following the AP loosely.
Tsuto is in jail, and the PCs and Shelelu are making their way forward.
What i need is for them to defeat Nualia, have something impactful but ominous happen, then they go back to town and get their due rewards for this accomplishment.
So my "ask" is this:
(help! lol)
My other PC that wants to join will be a witch(he is a vet, while my PCs are either new, or have not played in years). I would like to tie this in somehow, but that is not the core of my question(ideas welcome however).
I was thinking after Nualia, perhaps when they visit Tsuto in jail, he could become possessed or something and have a strange event happen in or outside of Sandpoint. At that time i can really move past what i consider to be the "tutorial" of the game.
I was considering a larger demi-demon god who is even above lamashtu could be waging a war somewhere else, and a portal gets opened and our PCs get sucked into a place they dont recognize, with an ominous warning from a possessed Tsuto that their fight against evil is far from over etc etc...
Question is.. Where? What God/Demon? Why? etc etc...
I can fill in some blanks of course, but I am not sure of the specifics.
I would like to dump them somewhere less civilized or barren(with some cool stuff, rather than just goblins, bandits etc). They have been able to go back to town and sort of get heals or food or whatever comforts almost whenever they choose at this point. Dropping them off somewhere that they need to scavenge a bit(not super brutal, just.. interesting enough) and then they can come to a town or something would just be interesting.
They could meet the PC Witch during the World Event, or maybe soon after they are transported away they run into her.
The question is what would be an interesting location, close enough to civilization or an interesting area where they could continue their quest to kill demons, but also somewhere a little less simple than sandpoint. Whether thats by local customs or just because its a different kind of city, i dont care.
I am looking for interesting ideas about how i can further these pieces for an overall arc.
I imagine this campaign will probably last months and possibly years, so i need to prep for a longer arc that is also interesting, but this seems to be a nice setup.
TLDR:
PCs about to finish burnt offerings, defeat nualia etc... Not interested in moving on to the Skinsaw Murders AP(not because it sucks, just because im not).
Need a world event that sort of spells out "hey, this town isnt the only place this is happening. Demons seem to be trying to take over everywhere at once, but its all smaller-scale attacks. Maybe a large battle that opens a portal/hole that they end up getting sucked through etc..."
I can write the story itself, but the question is how does Pathfinder Lore fit into the picture? I enjoy using it as i can reference better, but im open to homebrew locations and stuff as well. just looking for advice.
If it matters, my PCs are the following.
Human slayer
Dwarf Forgemaster(cleric)
Gnome swashbuckler(LG)
Human oracle
The player that would be joining wants to be a Changling Witch. I would incorporate this into the story somehow if possible, as i really enjoy surprises (and springing them on my PCs of course).
How can i tie my ideas down a bit? Any advice is much appreciated and thanks for reading. I know these forums can get long winded, but i cant think of any shorter way to explain.
Thanks friends!
