What "Themes" do you want to see tackled in an AP?


Pathfinder Adventure Path General Discussion

1 to 50 of 666 << first < prev | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | next > last >>

5 people marked this as a favorite.

Something that perked my interest during the adventure path panel was Paizo mentioning that while players seem to mostly interested in seeing particular locations in Adventure Paths, the devs are more likely to be excited by a particularly strong theme.

With that in mind, I thought I'd ask everyone, what theme do you want to see explored? Be as specific or esoteric as you please: "Kingdom Building", "Giants", "Civil Insurrection", and "Cosmic Horror" have all been themes used, so there's some variation on how big your idea needs to be to get traction. Naturally, I'd also like to hear where you'd set it.

Here are my top 4 wants:

1. Occult themes. I feel through several decades of play, we have a pretty solid handle on "Primal", "Arcane", and "Divine", but I want them to take the time to really establish what Occult means in PF2, and where it is different not just from previous takes on Dungeons and Dragons, but even what changed between PF1 and PF2 (for instance, I sort of feel Psychics no longer fit into the "Occult" bucket, and are thematically and mechanically closer to being the spontaneous Arcane caster than prepared Occult). Rituals, folk magic, invocation of legends, psychadelia, spirit summoning, all of it. I think Razmiran or Nidal would be good places to base these, with perhaps excursions to the Shadow plane and other transitive planes like the Dreamlands or the Dimension of Time.

2. I want to see work put into decoupling all the spell traditions from the trappings of their main associated classes, to work on for instance having the Arcane list feel distinct from the Wizard class, and even more so in the case of Druids/Primal and Clerics/Divine. New archetypes and old organizations that access the traditions in interesting ways should play a part. I think the Impossible lands would be a good place for this one, with elemental monks, the weird landscape of the Mana Wastes, guns making mockery of the old rules of martial combat, and so on.

3. There's a description of the Arcadian continent that the Western half is very lightly settled. I want to know why. I want to know if the Arcadians know why. If Aranzi knows anything. This would be the case of a fragmented legend becoming slowly revealed to the players, and then the players killing it to bits.

4. A vigilante adventure path. Most APs you can’t really dictate a pc’s class, but the free archetype variant could make the concept work. This would be the Batman on Golarian Adventure path, more or less. I’m hard pressed to think of a better place than Galt to stick this, but Ustalav or again Razmiran might work too.


4 people marked this as a favorite.

I would just like a qlippoth themed AP, maybe not to the degree that giant slayer goes all in on giants, but an AP where the BBEG is some powerful almost a qlippoth lord.

I know Age of Ashes does this but I don't exactly how, but a defend the fortress campaign where the whole campaign has a home base that you have to defend occasionally is something I'd like, though maybe only as a 3 book campaign.

An "Around the World in 80 Days" AP where each book is a different leg of the journey. Can give a lot of variety in locale and enemies, and visit a lot of fan favorite locations.


3 people marked this as a favorite.

Location means next to nothing in my purchases and affection for the work. My top APs are Hell's Rebels, Curse of the Crimson Throne, Rise of the Rune Lords, Skull and Shackles, and Kingmaker. I seem to be more interested in theme (changing and making the world) than in exploration, as Kingmaker's appeal for me is the sandbox approach and Rune Lords was simply the style of writing in the first and third books. Not saying that they're not right about their customer base. And I'm not arguing a location-based playstyle is inferior at all.

Themes: Intrigue, sandbox structure, cool set pieces


11 people marked this as a favorite.

People from the non-Western parts of the world defending their homes and being heroic. Honestly, even a classic "defeat the ancient evil" plotline, but one set in Garund, Tian Xia, or Arcadia, with native heroes assumed to be the protagonists, would go a long way.

Also, more super weird stuff like Iron Gods, but with less dungeon-crawling.


4 people marked this as a favorite.

The schism in the Sarenite faith is something I'd like to see. That might be a bit too specific, but healing a rift in the faithful (or a religious war, I guess) is an AP I'd really enjoy. I'd like it better if it was after we had inquisitors available for play, but you know.

We get a Town Guards AP in Agents of Edgewatch, so I'm happy with that.


2 people marked this as a favorite.

As a follow up, I'd also like a Velstrac (previously Kyton) centered AP. Thing is, that is also a roundabout way of asking for a Nidal AP since I'm unaware of anywhere else on Golarion where such an adventure could be held. Maybe the adventure starts off in Cheliax and transitions into Nidal?


1 person marked this as a favorite.
roguerouge wrote:
Location means next to nothing in my purchases and affection for the work. My top APs are Hell's Rebels, Curse of the Crimson Throne, Rise of the Rune Lords, Skull and Shackles, and Kingmaker. I seem to be more interested in theme (changing and making the world) than in exploration, as Kingmaker's appeal for me is the sandbox approach and Rune Lords was simply the style of writing in the first and third books. Not saying that they're not right about their customer base. And I'm not arguing a location-based playstyle is inferior at all.

To be clear, what I think they meant was that when the question goes out "What AP would you most like to see next?" nearly everyone (including me) says "I want a Galt AP!" or "Tian Xia AP!", and that they often get questions like "when are we going to Vudra?" But that they don't really think in those terms; instead, like you, they more often think of a thematic hook or big bad first, and then decide on the best place to set it.

This obviously isn't the case for all APs, as our 15 months of Kortos is proving that they certainly do focus on location first from time to time. But generally they said they (or possibly just that one developer) don't think like that.

So this thread is my attempt to put myself in that mindset, and see what other people think of as well.


7 people marked this as a favorite.

I'd like a gonzo lucha libre AP.
I'd like a fae politics AP, probably something to do with the Witchmarket.
I'd like a maritime AP set in a cold place.
I'd like an extremely dwarfy AP.
I'd like an intrigue-AP where you are engaged in espionage in some potentially dangerous place that is not your home.

This is hard, since if you would have asked me 2 years ago I would have said "circus AP" and "martial arts tournament AP."

Dark Archive

5 people marked this as a favorite.
Pathfinder Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber

City or settlement builder. No building entire kingdom, just a single thorp or hamlet or village growing into city or metropolis over course of the campaign.

Base builder for even smaller scale version, Age of Ashes did taste that with castle thing bit, but it didn't really focus on it ;D


2 people marked this as a favorite.
CorvusMask wrote:

City or settlement builder. No building entire kingdom, just a single thorp or hamlet or village growing into city or metropolis over course of the campaign.

Base builder for even smaller scale version, Age of Ashes did taste that with castle thing bit, but it didn't really focus on it ;D

I like this idea a lot. It would be cool to just build up relationship with your local NPCs while also building up the town into a large city.

Going along with this, I'd love to see an AP focused on building an organization. My own preference would be a thieve's guild. but there are other cool groups you could do.

Shadow Lodge

2 people marked this as a favorite.
Odraude wrote:
Going along with this, I'd love to see an AP focused on building an organization. My own preference would be a thieve's guild. but there are other cool groups you could do.

Going by subsystems alone, we have two of these.

But we could always use more. I'd be tickled by a trade unionist three-part low-level AP, likely settings for which are in Alkenstar or Andoran (the iconic assassin's backstory mentions that they're a thing there).


zimmerwald1915 wrote:
Odraude wrote:
Going along with this, I'd love to see an AP focused on building an organization. My own preference would be a thieve's guild. but there are other cool groups you could do.

Going by subsystems alone, we have two of these.

But we could always use more. I'd be tickled by a trade unionist three-part low-level AP, likely settings for which are in Alkenstar or Andoran (the iconic assassin's backstory mentions that they're a thing there).

You bring up a good point. I'd forgotten about those APs.

I like the idea of a trade union, especially if we get to have an AP in Alkenstar. Another idea I had would be to combine running a religious organization with the Sarenrae schism plot hook. Maybe the players are tasked to fix a temple in disrepair while also mediating the split sects in that faith. I think it'd be pretty sweet.


12 people marked this as a favorite.
Pathfinder Adventure, Rulebook Subscriber

I'd like to see a AP where the players are the random encounters your typical hero's meet on the road.

Orcs, Goblinoids, Halfgiants, Changlings etc all the intelligent races that give guards pause to allowing into a big city.

This wouldn't be an evil campaign. In fact I would call it fiercely neutral. I imagine it along the lines of kingmaker only you are a part of a tribe just trying to survive in a harsh land.

I'd like it to be so neutral that the tribe has to worry as much about questing adventurers sent to clear out the dark forest as it does about wandering Lamashtu evangelicals.

To make it interesting at the beginning I'd like to think that the tribe starts as a collection of thralls to a local evil dragon. Which is a double edged sword as far as protection and lack of freedom goes but it allows the Dragon to give the party some early direction in the form of errands to do.

Mid AP I'd have some high level adventurers kill the tribes Dragon "patron" and then the things that the dragon protected them from come knocking.

I'd see the endgame as the party having to convince the local "civilized" settlement that they can live in peace with each other. The 5th book boss could be the head cleric of the church of Abadar and then the last book will be about co-operating with the town to save both societies.

Man, I want to write this now.


6 people marked this as a favorite.

One concept I like that many people may not be hot on:

Low level adventurers make a pact with a terrible but honest outsider (Efreeti?) to save their town from something way outside their weight class. The pact has unintended consequences and the PCs many smaller messes on their hands that slowly build up over the course of an AP. Eventually the PCs clash with their "benefactor" to take back their own lives and end its meddling.


3 people marked this as a favorite.

I'd like to see an AP where the PCs start off on Golarion, but are very quickly whisked off to one of the other planets in Golarion's solar system, and the rest of the AP takes place on that one planet. I posted this thought on another recent thread, and people pointed out a few examples of published adventures or single books in an AP where the PCs go to another planet, but I'm talking about a true deep dive into this theme. The PCs would spend nearly the entire AP surviving/adventuring on an alien planet, having to learn the culture that's not based on some Earth equivalent society or historical theme like many of the Golarion nations are.

Scarab Sages

4 people marked this as a favorite.
Pathfinder Maps, Pathfinder Accessories, PF Special Edition Subscriber; Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Charter Superscriber; Starfinder Superscriber

I'd like an AP where the PCs' objective is to rise to the top of and run an organization. It could be a guild like was mentioned above, or maybe building up a city, like trying to become new water lords in Ular Kel. They arrive, they find an under-watered neighborhood to be their future power base, and so forth.

I'd like an AP where the whole thing is some kind of race. They're being chased, they're chasing the villain who's on a mission to destroy some artifact of good, they have to get in and get out of somewhere before some deadline, whatever. Each adventure should be a struggle to balance doing the job fast vs. well. The final adventure is the one where choices all along the way become consequences. Perhaps something a bit like Carrion Crown, but without the mystery and the antagonists more obvious. Maybe a romp to and from Akiton before the Door to the Red Star closes, whatever.

I'd like one kind of like War for the Crown, but with more of a cold war vibe than of a shadow or incipient civil war vibe. Like they are agents of a good dragon tasked with a series of difficult quests, frequently bumping up against the minions of some evil, who happens to be their patron's rival. Perhaps the AP concludes by slaying that rival in revenge for the prior defeat of their old master.

Scarab Sages

2 people marked this as a favorite.
Pathfinder Maps, Pathfinder Accessories, PF Special Edition Subscriber; Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Charter Superscriber; Starfinder Superscriber

I think I mentioned it in another of these sorts of threads, but an AP about the personal significance of religion. They have a patron, they make various pilgrimages, they influence what faith the patron eventually adopts. Along the way there's some spiritual growth, perhaps.

An AP that's about the immediate impact and response to the return of Tar-Baphon, such as the one where they are in Druma and are forced to take the lead to re-orient and re-align the politics of the Eye of Dread region.

I think there's been a little too much enthusiasm for time travel lately, and I'd like an AP to strike a contrast to the time travel AP. I'd like one that is all about permanence and timelessness. They help the dwarves follow their cultural traditions; or help the elves give Telandia Edasseril a proper wedding celebration; the Nidalese pay fealty to Zon-Kuthon; the Grreen Faith sees to it that the proper rituals are done in their proper seasons; the ruler of Kelesh receives his rightful tribute from the westernmost satrapy; the victors of a previous AP seek to leave a lasting monument beyond tales of their heroic deeds; the Red Mantis puts the upstart false god Razmir to the blade; any one of these would do. The feeling at the end should be that however it turns out, it could not have turned out some other way, and all is as it should be.

The one about overcoming interior corruption by destroying the sentient magic item frenemy they meet early on, all while resisting its temptations.

The one where they help diverse peoples to overcome their differences to survive a Great Famine engineered by Trelmarixian et. al.

The one where they investigate mysteries and portents at the behest of the Harrowed Society.

The one where they are honored foreign guests and perhaps advisors, eventually well-received and richly rewarded for their services to the local ruler concerning many problems where the ruler would prefer to have easy politically convenient scapegoats if they are not up to snuff after all.

The one with an open steppe, a clear day, swift horses under them, and perhaps a falcon on a wrist to start up hares.

Scarab Sages

1 person marked this as a favorite.

I'd like an AP that surrounds picking a high level patron, convincing (or supporting) them to take the Test of the Star Stone, and then essentially building the trappings of church heirarchy. What they stand for, and who the enemies are.


10 people marked this as a favorite.

I think a crime AP would be fun, basically Ocean's 8 but in Golarion. Lots of complicated heists, evasion of the law, and dealing with crooked cops, rival gangs, and powerful crime lords

On a related note: an espionage AP would also be great. Play a member of a crack team of spies who are investigating a mystery that involves covertly taking out bad guys and infiltrating nefarious groups.

Something to do with exploring the mystery behind Zon Kuthon and his descent into darkness.


5 people marked this as a favorite.
MMCJawa wrote:

I think a crime AP would be fun, basically Ocean's 8 but in Golarion. Lots of complicated heists, evasion of the law, and dealing with crooked cops, rival gangs, and powerful crime lords

On a related note: an espionage AP would also be great. Play a member of a crack team of spies who are investigating a mystery that involves covertly taking out bad guys and infiltrating nefarious groups.

Something to do with exploring the mystery behind Zon Kuthon and his descent into darkness.

I would love "Heists: The AP"

Scarab Sages

4 people marked this as a favorite.

A Heist or Espionage focused AP would be awesome!


MMCJawa wrote:
Play a member of a crack team of spies who are investigating a mystery that involves covertly taking out bad guys and infiltrating nefarious groups.

How would you do that where you start from level 1? I mean, I like the idea, but every time I try to envision a "crack" team of anything, to start at level 1 you'd have to scale down the threats enough that you lose a lot of the feel where you're not a novice. At least in Pathfinder, you can advance in competency relatively quickly, but the APs start at level 1, which limits the scenarios PCs can jump into.


2 people marked this as a favorite.
Andostre wrote:
MMCJawa wrote:
Play a member of a crack team of spies who are investigating a mystery that involves covertly taking out bad guys and infiltrating nefarious groups.
How would you do that where you start from level 1? I mean, I like the idea, but every time I try to envision a "crack" team of anything, to start at level 1 you'd have to scale down the threats enough that you lose a lot of the feel where you're not a novice. At least in Pathfinder, you can advance in competency relatively quickly, but the APs start at level 1, which limits the scenarios PCs can jump into.

Its not an uncommon trope that skilled but green characters would be called upon because of their unknown quantities and lack of recognition in the area in which they'll be expected to work. And if that initial job is something small like 'infiltrate this cult cell' that gets them leads further up the chain, I can see it working out on level progression as they find more and more powerful people.


6 people marked this as a favorite.

An ancient force from golarion's distant past is working to return to shake the modern world. Except, instead of the numerous times where this force and their cultists are enemies of the party who are trying to conquer the world and cause great destruction and death, the force has a great potential to help the world fight off another evil and the party is the group of 'cultists' working to bring about their return. I think this would be a pretty neat campaign set in Nex as Geb gears up for his biggest attack in millennia of warfare.

A follow-up AP where the party has to work to clean up messes left in the wake of a previous AP's adventuring party. Return of the Runelords did this, I really liked it, and I'd like to see something similar in other parts of the world. The Sarkoris Scar and Numeria stand out as places I particularly want to see this happen in.

A fantasy college adventure where the party is at one of the prestigious universities in the Inner Sea and through the course of their studies discovers mysteries and secrets from the past which cannot be left alone any longer. One with a heavy focus on using research, education, and library subsystems. I don't necessarily care where this one is set, though the Magaambya would be pretty cool.


2 people marked this as a favorite.
Andostre wrote:
MMCJawa wrote:
Play a member of a crack team of spies who are investigating a mystery that involves covertly taking out bad guys and infiltrating nefarious groups.
How would you do that where you start from level 1? I mean, I like the idea, but every time I try to envision a "crack" team of anything, to start at level 1 you'd have to scale down the threats enough that you lose a lot of the feel where you're not a novice. At least in Pathfinder, you can advance in competency relatively quickly, but the APs start at level 1, which limits the scenarios PCs can jump into.

A 3-part AP starting at level 11 could serve well for an AP that requires the party to be a team of experts.


3 people marked this as a favorite.

I feel like the natural arc for a "crack team of spies" six volume AP doesn't have them start out as that, but has them end up like that.

So you can have a cadre of street level criminals at low levels who get better and better at their jobs, but eventually stumble onto something that gets them embroiled in high level espionage.

Nailing the fulcrum where you stop working for yourselves and start working for the cause would be key to pulling this off.


2 people marked this as a favorite.

Seconding the love for a planet-hopping adventure.

Liberty's Edge

2 people marked this as a favorite.
Tallow wrote:
A Heist or Espionage focused AP would be awesome!

I want this very much as well.

Andostre wrote:
MMCJawa wrote:
Play a member of a crack team of spies who are investigating a mystery that involves covertly taking out bad guys and infiltrating nefarious groups.
How would you do that where you start from level 1? I mean, I like the idea, but every time I try to envision a "crack" team of anything, to start at level 1 you'd have to scale down the threats enough that you lose a lot of the feel where you're not a novice. At least in Pathfinder, you can advance in competency relatively quickly, but the APs start at level 1, which limits the scenarios PCs can jump into.

You could start off in spy school, but something requires the students to act without input from the instructors. The Pathfinder Tales novel 'The Dagger of Trust' uses this to good effect with the Lion Blades in many ways, while the non-Pathfinder game I'm currently in has basically just gone this route as well. It's a solid premise for part 1 of an AP. By the second book, you're much more of a 'crack team' by all reasonable standards.

keftiu wrote:
Seconding the love for a planet-hopping adventure.

Also this. I want to spend an AP on Akiton or Castrovel pretty badly.

Scarab Sages

Andostre wrote:
MMCJawa wrote:
Play a member of a crack team of spies who are investigating a mystery that involves covertly taking out bad guys and infiltrating nefarious groups.
How would you do that where you start from level 1? I mean, I like the idea, but every time I try to envision a "crack" team of anything, to start at level 1 you'd have to scale down the threats enough that you lose a lot of the feel where you're not a novice. At least in Pathfinder, you can advance in competency relatively quickly, but the APs start at level 1, which limits the scenarios PCs can jump into.

I imagine you start them at a small level.

Good Guy Patron needs some low level flunkies to help suss out some information downstream. He has a suspicion something nefarious is going on, but he has no proof, and jumping in feet first with all power would potentially reveal his hand. So he gets the 1st level team of PCs together to go spy on a miller or a blacksmith in some small hamlet and figure out what he's up to.

When they are successful with that, and remaining uncompromised, they are tasked with following the connections from the miller to the next level upstream. Eventually as they continue following the leads upstream, they gain more outward seeming influence in various parts of the capital city/country and remain spies at the highest levels by the time the AP ends.

Scarab Sages

3 people marked this as a favorite.

I imagine the Heist AP could be written a couple ways:

1) Robin Hood-esque: Where the PCs are stealing from the rich to give to the poor. Probably starting in a small city district or hamlet (or fiefdom where they are doing mostly heists of transport carriages and perhaps the Lord Knight's Mott and Bailey keep. And eventually merge into needing to do the heists of the BBEG's domain to steal the powerful artifact he's going to use to own the world.

2) Morally Ambiguous: Where they are a group of morally questionable people doing heists for their own ambitions, and during one heist happen across something really nefarious and evil. Probably after shrugging about it, they keep heisting, but the evil knowing the PCs are a loose end, the BBEG commands his henchmen to take out the meddling rogues. So for self-preservation, the PCs have to continue conning and heisting their way to learning where, who, and what the BBEG really is, and then figuring out how to take him out in a really cool, well-staged heist/con.


Have we done an AP where the PCs are expected to start out as less than great people, but to learn and grow and become better ones? Strange Aeons kind of does this in a roundabout way, but it would be nice to have an AP where the theme is like "moral growth".

Give us a story where the PCs start out as evil and end up as good, or something like that.


PossibleCabbage wrote:

Have we done an AP where the PCs are expected to start out as less than great people, but to learn and grow and become better ones? Strange Aeons kind of does this in a roundabout way, but it would be nice to have an AP where the theme is like "moral growth".

Give us a story where the PCs start out as evil and end up as good, or something like that.

That's more of a player thing than an AP. I wouldn't want to presuppose the AP on the notion that the players will undergo some kind of moral awakening. You can assume player actions because it often doesn't matter why they follow the plot so long as they do it, but if you go into it looking for a specific character arc, a NPC would represent that better.

You can create any number of parties that can undergo that story arc in just about any AP.

Shadow Lodge

PossibleCabbage wrote:

Have we done an AP where the PCs are expected to start out as less than great people, but to learn and grow and become better ones? Strange Aeons kind of does this in a roundabout way, but it would be nice to have an AP where the theme is like "moral growth".

Give us a story where the PCs start out as evil and end up as good, or something like that.

There's Second Darkness, but everyone seems to regard that more as a bait-and-switch than a natural arc.


Kasoh wrote:

That's more of a player thing than an AP. I wouldn't want to presuppose the AP on the notion that the players will undergo some kind of moral awakening. You can assume player actions because it often doesn't matter why they follow the plot so long as they do it, but if you go into it looking for a specific character arc, a NPC would represent that better.

You can create any number of parties that can undergo that story arc in just about any AP.

Sometimes APs ask for the players to buy in or invest in some theme or another. Like Hell's Rebels and Ironfang Invasion ask not only that you're a resident of the place the story takes place in, but you're also someone who genuinely cares about that place. Strange Aeons asks for players to commit to not knowing anything about who their characters were before waking up in the asylum.

Things like this can be bought into or rejected by the players, but it's not weirder to set up the PCs as "you are a less than wonderful person, on a journey to redemption" as a premise than "you are a Nirmathi patriot who will fight to defend their homeland." Becoming a better person is at the very least less dangerous than fighting the Ironfang Legion.


10 people marked this as a favorite.

I see the "Heists" AP being something like:

  • The PCs are a band of common thieves looking to score a big win. They learn about a valuable doodad being shown off at their town's jewelry store/temple to Abadar/noble's manor. The first book is all about gaining information and planning and executing the perfect (mundane) heist.
  • Second book is about being on the run from persistent pursuers thanks to the doodad they stole. It can also be about the difficulty of fencing the doodad. Maybe the PCs learn it has some powers, legacy or curse. A book all about tricking the law and escaping to a safe haven.
  • Third book is about learning that the doodad is part of a trifecta of doodads that bring infinite riches when combined. Piece two is in a super secure magical museum in a big city. Another heist and infiltration, but this time its full of magical defenses, traps, and dungeon-y elements in addition to striking at the right time with the right intel.
  • Fourth book might be about taking over a thieves/assassins guild, in order to secure some extra secret information about the doodads. This part can be a social and city exploration sandbox to pit factions of an existing guild against one another and uniting the rest.
  • Fifth book can be all about tracking down the final doodad - a big travel adventure into the planes, only to be captured by Planar Interpol and having to break out from an axiomite prison.
  • Sixth book can be the ultimate high level interplanar heist to recover the final doodad from Abadar's First Vault itself, with some absurdly convoluted and dangerous challenges in wait. Except spiced up by having to compete for the prize with a rival gentlewoman thief of legendary proportions (maybe someone the group has heard about since book 1).

    Essentially a Chaotic Neutral AP where your main antagonists and/or opponents are LN.


  • 1 person marked this as a favorite.
    Cellion wrote:
    Planar Interpol

    Ha! I love it.


    2 people marked this as a favorite.

    I would love a true plane-hopping adventure. The PCs could all be yanked out of line in the Boneyard and sent from there, adventuring through heaven, hell, the elemental planes... It could be a lot of fun and show off some cool parts of the universe we don't really get to see.

    Another fun theme would be music. I've toyed with running a game where every member is part of a band, going on the ultimate road trip collecting various artifact instruments to keep them out of the hands of The Man.


    Ice Titan wrote:
    I would love a true plane-hopping adventure. The PCs could all be yanked out of line in the Boneyard and sent from there, adventuring through heaven, hell, the elemental planes... It could be a lot of fun and show off some cool parts of the universe we don't really get to see.

    I like that idea, too, but to avoid railroading, I'd like to see the PCs have more agency in moving from plane to plane than being "yanked.' Maybe include a device or NPC ally that can facilitate the planar travel to at least give the illusion of "you have to do the right thing" =/= railroading.

    Dark Archive

    3 people marked this as a favorite.

    Planar AP where the adventure starts and stays in the planes


    4 people marked this as a favorite.

    I'd be excited for an AP that focuses on were-creatures. Exploring different peoples' and cultures' view on it, both positive and negative. Maybe even having the pcs start as were-creatures of their choosing, although that might be pushing it.


    7 people marked this as a favorite.

    Environmental Conservation AP: An AP where the party is allied with a druidic order and where the main conflict is about how an organization/civilization is endangering the local ecosystem, or has thoroughly destroyed it. The party has to work to stop said group from continuing to pollute the region and to undo the damage that has been done. Plenty of places and ways to frame this on golarion, from fighting Treerazor and his demons to return the tanglebriar to its natural state to trying to undo the magical cataclysms that resulted in the Mana Wastes to stopping Andoran, Taldor, and Galt from destroying the Verduran Forest.

    Magical Constructs AP: Magical constructs feature in a lot of APs, I'd like an AP dealing with people creating Magical Constructs and tensions that arise from them doing sinister things with it. One specific thing I'd like explored as a source of conflict is the two different canon methods of creating golems, one of which being enslaving an elemental's soul and the other being creating an imitation soul from positive energy. A tension between people using these two different processes could set the stage for other conflicts. Maybe a modern-day conflict in one of the places known for golem creation (like Magnimar or Quantium) or one that started in the dim and distant past with a society like the Jistka Emperium known for lots of constructs. It'd also be sweet if there was a fight between PCs and enemies in giant construct mech suits.

    Razmiran AP: I know the idea is supposed to be theme and not location, but I think Razmiran is set up as a theme all its own. Dismantle a theocracy built on lies and dethrone its tyrant king as he winds up a final desparate gambit for immortality.


    Paradozen wrote:
    Magical Constructs AP: Magical constructs feature in a lot of APs, I'd like an AP dealing with people creating Magical Constructs and tensions that arise from them doing sinister things with it. One specific thing I'd like explored as a source of conflict is the two different canon methods of creating golems, one of which being enslaving an elemental's soul and the other being creating an imitation soul from positive energy. A tension between people using these two different processes could set the stage for other conflicts. Maybe a modern-day conflict in one of the places known for golem creation (like Magnimar or Quantium) or one that started in the dim and distant past with a society like the Jistka Emperium known for lots of constructs. It'd also be sweet if there was a fight between PCs and enemies in giant construct mech suits.

    I'm here for Bladerunner: Nex edition. Lets see some Warforged with the serial numbers filed off.

    Sovereign Court

    I too would like to see a planar adventure, although maybe one starting at a higher level for a 3 part arc.


    11 people marked this as a favorite.
    Pathfinder Adventure Path Subscriber

    I'd really like a full 6 book AP dedicated to the Magaambya academy and an exploration of the arcane magic tradition outside of the history of Thassalon. Starting in Nantambu, and then making available more of the uncommon teleportation and divination spells as well as possibly a bunch of new rituals to get the party moving all across the world/planes could be amazing. I think that applying some creativity to the background options will help invite in all character classes to the campaign and it would be awesome to see new or expanded archetypes relating to the magic warrior tradition as well.

    This could even be an opportunity to have an entire AP written by authors of color and for Paizo to show how seriously they are taking their commitment to elevating new voices in fantasy role playing.


    4 people marked this as a favorite.
    Unicore wrote:
    I'd really like a full 6 book AP dedicated to the Magaambya academy and an exploration of the arcane magic tradition outside of the history of Thassalon.

    I would think it would be a good chance for an exploration of magic itself, not just arcane. Nothing gets me going like the mixing of two things to make something better, so Halcyon magic, and by extension the "all school" magic of the Cascade Bearers, would be an amazing subject to explore. Maybe we even get to meet Old-man Jatembe.

    Unicore wrote:
    This could even be an opportunity to have an entire AP written by authors of color and for Paizo to show how seriously they are taking their commitment to elevating new voices in fantasy role playing

    This would be amazing as well.


    2 people marked this as a favorite.

    I'd really like a 6 book AP inspired by a weird blend of Curse of the Crimson Throne, Victorian England and Gangs of New York set in Alkenstar. In said AP, you are tasked to grow your small gang from a vague collection of ruffians who answer to other gangs, into something more akin to the Underworld Police (or unofficial police) as you unravel why the official police has been so powerless to deal with the many many gangs. Complete with an ongoing side mechanic where you grow your gang via gang activities such as trafficking/delivering gunpowder outside Alkenstar, getting into scuffles with rival gangs (akin to the opening scene in Gangs of New York) and organising bare fist boxing competitions. Basically utilising the Circus mechanic from Extinction Curse, lowering payout per "event" but increasing frequency you set up "events" (the AP equivalent of EC's circus events).

    I don't see it happening unless if I personally had to build it for my group, but it would blend a lot of things I kind of really adore.


    2 people marked this as a favorite.

    Magaambya Tower Defense AP

    The Magaambya have weathered the passing of a great many disastrous centuries from their University in Nantambu protecting their way of life and passing their halcyon knowledge from one generation to the next as the grow in power.

    They have made many enemies along the way.

    I’d love to see a multiple-org teamup attempting to eradicate the Magaambyan from the Expanse.

    Brilliant minds among the Aspis Consortium and the Whispering along with the Gorilla King, and Walkena all scheme in concert to assault the Academy and remove them from the continent.

    Players would be members of/representatives of/or allies with the five branches of the Magaambya.

    Each branch is under attack from without as well as within.

    Each branch has special skills/approaches/powers that will resolve threats in ways that could alter story outcomes from chapter to chapter.

    The BBEG? Grandmother Spider.

    You see, she’s teaching the Halcyon Wizards a deadly lesson regarding hubris.

    It seems the Magaambyan have been carelessly (unknowingly?) trampling on her Edicts and Anathema for a goodly long while so she’s pitting the Magaambyan organization against the Axis of Evil so they’ll knock it off

    RPG Superstar 2009 Top 32

    4 people marked this as a favorite.
    keftiu wrote:
    People from the non-Western parts of the world defending their homes and being heroic. Honestly, even a classic "defeat the ancient evil" plotline, but one set in Garund, Tian Xia, or Arcadia, with native heroes assumed to be the protagonists, would go a long way.

    This would be awesome. In addition to allowing the recycling of a plot - but with a reinterpretation based on the different cultural viewpoint - it would also force a 2nd edition source-book for that selected region.

    keftiu wrote:
    Also, more super weird stuff like Iron Gods, but with less dungeon-crawling.

    This kind of crossover would force an update of the Technology rules to 2nd Edition, so I would be all for it.


    Cranthis wrote:
    I'd be excited for an AP that focuses on were-creatures. Exploring different peoples' and cultures' view on it, both positive and negative. Maybe even having the pcs start as were-creatures of their choosing, although that might be pushing it.

    Good call! I'm kind of surprised that lycanthropy hasn't been featured more prominently already. I don't think it's pushing it to have PCs contract lyconthropy during this AP, and then they can either take actions to cure it, or decide to live with it.

    Liberty's Edge

    2 people marked this as a favorite.

    An AP where the PCs just cannot die. Maybe they escaped from a Final Blade but are not truly mortal anymore.

    1 to 50 of 666 << first < prev | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | next > last >>
    Community / Forums / Pathfinder / Pathfinder Adventure Path / General Discussion / What "Themes" do you want to see tackled in an AP? All Messageboards

    Want to post a reply? Sign in.