This campaign combine a plot-line with a game-mechanic. I'm trying to find a PbP system that would move quickly and give the players a fair amount of choice.
The campaign would takes place in an ongoing multi-planar setting inspired by Planescape. Characters are experienced Pathfinder/D&D types. The situation is that there are certain evil forces that are attempting to destabilized various planes - through importing forbidden magic, by giving them super-powerful technology or through other strange means.
The PCs are part of something like a spy agency trying to stop this. So the PCs must act to stop the villains without revealing their own nature (since that, arguably would further destabilize the plane). The PCs operate through the network of safehouses and friendly civilians that the "Good Guys" set up (the "good guys" being powerful good wizards, clerics and such who are financing the enterprise and providing power magic for it). As spies, the PCs would face a lot of the challenges of ordinary criminals - they engage in raids, follow suspicious characters, handle local spies and so-forth.
The planes involved would be relatively low-power; little magic and/or technology. The PCs would begin at 6th level, one rank mythic and be akin to superheros relative to the average person in the plane (but the baddies and other forces might still challenge them).
For the challenges that the PCs face, I'd like to use a modified version of the Blades In The Dark game. The PCs choose among possible capers - following a powerful foe, raiding a strange tavern, etc. They then roll together to see how far they get in the caper and then they thrown into the point where "things go (partially or completely) wrong" and have to finish thing off. Each player has a myth-points or hero points they can use to solve some of these problems with a flashback also.
- Each caper would have several skill-rolled associated, each of which has to be made by a different character. Each success moves you up a stage (but you wouldn't know how many stages or what the success-level is). You could improve your chances with some research and/or role-playing beforehand but nothing drawn out.
Once you get out, you find out the good and bad implications of what you've done. And the "spy agency" the characters are a part of would have internal politics, so you can succeed and still piss off a boss. Or fail and not have people worried.
This similar to an old Andre Norton book The Crossroads Of Time (except the heroes in it use psionic, details!). Also similar to a lot of original Startrek and Dr. Who episode. But characters use magic, not hi-tech.
I'm posting the idea for feedback. I hope write a proposal soon.
I'm experienced IRL gm and I just finished a two month PbP campaign using discord. I like a lot of PbP but it has problems of slowness and people confused about what choices they have. This is my idea about how to make things clear ... and fun.
Seems interesting. I really loved the planescape boxed set from 2e. It had a music CD in it that was full of really awesome stuff.
Dotting for interest. Is this only inspired by Planecape or is it in the setting?
The 'Spy Agency" Could be a timeless Department of Planar Integrity, located in the astral plane.
That would exist ... probably. If the PCs worked for them, they would start much lower in the hierarchy, where things are much more informal. IE, their mentors would look like an ad-hoc group of higher level adventurers.
"Inspired By Planescape" in this cases means that everything that exists in the planescape books exists as at least rumor in this multiverse - but that doesn't mean the PCs will necessarily encoder it or not easily. Sigil and the outlands exist - but here Sigil is too large to reach the end of. So the factions and similar organizations exist on a very larger scale. A given organization you see may claim to represent a faction and may actually represent the faction (neither statement implying the other). Similarly, the Interplanar Consortium and or The Department of Planar Integrity wouldn't be easily found but there could be rumors swirling about.
To be fair, that was CucumberTree, not me, but still.
To be fair, that was CucumberTree, not me, but still.
Oh shit, sorry, I cut and pasted my replies too much... sorry
As far as the system goes, I am pretty sure that there is a hack for blades in the dark that uses superpowers or the like. Let me see if I can find it.
EDIT: HERE it is, in case you just wanted to run the blades system.
As far as the system goes, I am pretty sure that there is a hack for blades in the dark that uses superpowers or the like. Let me see if I can find it.
EDIT: HERE it is, in case you just wanted to run the blades system.
I shall take a look. I have the Blade In The Dark main book. Perhaps I can barrow a mechanic from this module as well. I like to add mechanics to Pathfinder rather than directly running rules lite systems. I feel like Pathfinder allows a player to add to their character over time and so allows a satisfying campaign. Rules lite is good for one-shots and more closed-ended games.
A friend of mine got me the Blades in the Dark book recently for my birthday. Haven't read it all through yet, but it looks amazing so far.
I'd be interested to try this with you and finish reading that book ^^
So the Chaosmen bariaur (basket) brawler I have laying around wouldn't fit?
So the Chaosmen bariaur (basket) brawler I have laying around wouldn't fit?
Some of the planes investigated would be multi-race and some would be human-centric but magic sufficient to pass for human would be provided by the organization in those.
Warrior/Barbarian types would be fine - assuming they're able to use their drinking and carousing to their advantage making contacts etc.
However, as a matter of the space PC normally move in, centaur-like races really don't have many options for adventuring.
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How about pole dancing Sensate Succubus?
A tiefling half-succubus sensate could be fine.
I'm pretty sure Paizo would insist on things still staying PG. We'll talk about "adult themes" but not describe in gruesome detail.
Uploaded draft of rule mechanic. I'll be uploading a formal advertisement soon with lots of info about what I'm looking for in characters and players.
Posted formal recruiting thread here.
I am confused by the way the system apparently only allows one recruitment thread per campaign but allows multiple campaigns. In any case, the real campaign is now linked to the new thread.