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Between /the/ final dangling thread of 1e being Tar-Baphon and the prominent place the Knights of Lastwall have in 2e materials so far, it’s clear a trip to the Gravelands is a matter of when, not if. So I wanted to ask: what are your hopes for a visit to this region and these stories, in a story that may well be a sequel to Tyrant’s Grasp?
Personally, I just want more Arazni love, hopefully with her folded in as the patron of the Knights Reclaimant. I’m also fiending for more of what we saw in that 2e illustration with a Knight blessing their revolver bullets - holy guns, please!
I never played the Tyrant's Grasp so this question may already be answered, but if they do a Gravelands AP, I'd love to find out what happened to the Dryads of Three Pines Ford.
Did they become twisted hateful things?
Were they somehow saved, or at least pass on some seeds to take South to safety so new dryads might be born? or maybe against all odds there's some Ellcrys like barrier or protection in play?
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Folks in the class playtest thread have proposed the Knights of Lastwall being a proper military force, and so such an AP could have mass combat and command involved - while it’s not where my mind personally goes, what would you all think of that?
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Folks in the class playtest thread have proposed the Knights of Lastwall being a proper military force, and so such an AP could have mass combat and command involved - while it’s not where my mind personally goes, what would you all think of that?
I'm not good at war games, but if there's a demand for it, sure because I know some folks know and love that tactical stuff. One thing I would recommend if they go that route is the PCs have to get to know their NPC officers that they're giving objectives too, and maybe some of the lower ranking soldiers. I want an option where a Game master can feed the roleplay hungry players a chance to get to know a favorite Captain or whatever, learn his or her favorite drink, if he or she has kids, etc. Really get to know them
And then, they get report that that captain 'got that hill' or failed to take that shrine...but either way died in the attempt. Especially in the Gravelands there should be a feeling of "I HOPE The worst thing that happened to my friend is that he died" because the options include seeing your friend as an undead now fighting against you.
In short, if they go Mass combat, I hope they also give us a few faces to go with the numbers
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I think I'd want to see Druma take the lead in reorganizing the politics of the Eye of Dread. The PCs would be mercenaries or troubleshooters and go on missions. Kind of like Age of Ashes, but less self-directed. One book with the orcs of Belkzen; one book about covert ops in Ustalav; some missions doing politics in nations far off like how the Mendevian crusaders must of rallied allies when the Worldwound opened; a book not directly tied to Tar-Baphon (perhaps countering a cult of Trelmarixian that is making things worse but not directly allied to T-B); maybe a return to Bloodsworn Vale to firm up ties between Varisia, Oprak, Nirmathas and Molthune; maybe after the success of that, they receive permission to use the stone roads to go someplace weird, like Arcadia, Iobaria, or some shaitan metropolis on the plane of earth.
While I'd like the travel of Age of Ashes, I would want the final boss to be something like Tar-Baphon's spymaster, so it's clear that the PCs have helped, but have not resolved or fixed everything. I also want the intermediate bosses to mostly not be the minions of Tar-Baphon, but wicked forces taking advantage of a bad situation.
Maybe instead of Kakistocrats as patrons, a trip to Druma is just one of the missions. The campaign could start as captives in Razmir, which they escape by stowing away on a Kakistocrat barge, but are geased to go on these missions as a way of working off what they should have paid to the barge owner.
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Themes of Dark Fantasy, Horror, and Knights.
Book 1 could involve a Night of the Living Dead scenario for the PCs' starting town. The PCs end up being recruited by the Knights of Last Wall at the end of the battle. The PCs (and the survivors of the town) are then led to the Knight's chapterhouse. They encounter politics, investigation, intrigue, and minor side quests. PCs should realize that things look bleak for their region. The undead are growing stronger every day. By the end of the adventure, the PCs learn about a macguffin that can help the alliance of the living. So begins a knight's Quest.
In Book 2, the PCs head into enemy territory to retrieve the macguffin. This is the grand tour of the Gravelands and ends with the PCs reaching the dungeon where the macguffin is located. This is the Walking Dead part of the story. The PCs should be confronted with difficult decisions that tests a knight's virtue.
In Book 3, it should just be a classic dungeon crawl with Gothic Horror themes. Also introduce undead politics. PCs get their hands on the macguffin. The last part of the adventure should be the PCs returning to their chapterhouse. A new undead invasion attacks and the PCs take part in a epic siege showdown defending the chapterhouse.
The story ends with the PCs using the macguffin in a ritual that turns the tide of battle. The conclusion of the story should reflect a new status update to the region as the PCs brought hope to the living and people begin to join the Knights of Last Wall in larger numbers. The PCs become Knight Commanders of a new crusade against the Lich King.
Themes of Dark Fantasy, Horror, and Knights.
This could be expanded into a 6-parter.
Book 1 could involve a Night of the Living Dead scenario for the PCs' starting town. The PCs end up being recruited by the Knights of Last Wall at the end of the battle. The PCs (and the survivors of the town) are then led to the Knight's chapterhouse. They encounter politics, investigation, intrigue, and minor side quests. PCs should realize that things look bleak for their region. The undead are growing stronger every day. By the end of the adventure, the PCs learn about a macguffin that can help the alliance of the living. So begins a knight's Quest.
In the first half of this (Book One), the PCs are just trying to survive and recruit some other survivors. Then they get recruited by the Knights a the end of this section.
The second half (Book Two) has the politics, investigation, intrigue, and minor side quests. The MacGuffin is named at the end of this section, as is the legendary Wizard of Ozem.
In Book 2, the PCs head into enemy territory to retrieve the macguffin. This is the grand tour of the Gravelands and ends with the PCs reaching the dungeon where the macguffin is located. This is the Walking Dead part of the story. The PCs should be confronted with difficult decisions that tests a knight's virtue.
This now becomes Book Three, but the PCs also have to try to find and free the Wizard of Ozem.
In Book 3, it should just be a classic dungeon crawl with Gothic Horror themes. Also introduce undead politics. PCs get their hands on the macguffin. The last part of the adventure should be the PCs returning to their chapterhouse. A new undead invasion attacks and the PCs take part in a epic siege showdown defending the chapterhouse.
The dungeon crawl and the introduction to Undead politics become Book Four. However, when the PCs get out of the dungeon, they find themselves in an unexpected location, cut off from their expected way back home, and they can't even be sure their home still exists; moreover, although possessing much crucial knowledge that needs to be preserved for the upcoming trials and battles as well as knowledge of the MacGuffin, the Wizard of Ozem turns out to be a serious let-down in terms of actual power.
In Book Five, the PCs find themselves having to navigate something even more dangerous than the politics of the Undead: the politics of the living. The PCs have to make their way through the Hold of Belkzen and gain the assistance of savage but surprisingly powerful allies (while going up against surprisingly powerful and treacherous enemies within the same factions) to use the MacGuffin in improvised fashion to break what turns out to be an Undead siege of the entire region that contains their home chapter house, all the while keeping the surprisingly wimpy Wizard of Ozem alive.
The story ends with the PCs using the macguffin in a ritual that turns the tide of battle. The conclusion of the story should reflect a new status update to the region as the PCs brought hope to the living and people begin to join the Knights of Last Wall in larger numbers. The PCs become Knight Commanders of a new crusade against the Lich King.
In Book Six, the PCs and their new and old allies finally get back into the chapterhouse, and must use the MacGuffin together with the combined knowledge of the Wizard of Ozem and the Knights of Lastwall to conduct a proper ritual to turn the tide of battle, but while the MacGuffin is critical, it is by itself not enough -- in order for this to be more than a setback for the Undead, the PCs have to forge, maintain, and expand a new grand alliance between the Knights of Lastwall and the Hordes of Belkzen, and take the fight to the Undead!
Funny enough, there is a Chalice of Ozem (Pathfinder #77: Herald of the Ivory Labyrinth pg. 62), which is a major artifact. Very much a Holy Grail quest.
But I like the idea of the Wizard of Ozem, and he/she should be a helpful NPC that joins the PCs in the last half of the adventures.
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A three-part AP involving the orcs of Belkzen kicking undead’s butt. Ideally having the characters be an orc-only(or, well, half-orc) group working under Hold of Belkzen’s leadership, and culminating on the creation, development or further steps towards the emergence of a belkzen nation-state, (forcedly) recognized by the rest of Avistan and Garund because they’re just waaay too badass (and because they dealt with whatever the AP would involve on the Gravelands).
Preferably, this wouldn’t culminate on the end of the gravelands or anything like that, though… I think that the idea behind it is just way too cool to disappear so soon from the setting...
I knooow, I knooow, a little way too specific, but oh well… I do like everyone else’s ideas, though! I like a lot of the crusader-ey stuff too, and everything that it involves (Arazni, Knight Reclaimants), sooo yeah.
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Orcs vs. Undead
Book 1 starts in the city of Urgir, where the PCs learn rumors of a undead lord from the Gravelands uniting the tribal and fractured orc tribes. The PCs get caught up in intrigue and adventure in the city, and face against spies of the Whispering Way. They gain the attention of a orc tribal leader, who is anti-Whispering Tyrant, and recruits them. Goal, to unite the orc tribes of Belkzen.
Note that the city of Urgir is primary orcs and half-orcs, but the presence of other species has grown in recent years. So any race can play in the campaign. Each of these non-orc inhabitants must buy and display a token from a tribal chief that indicates that this person is under the protection that tribe.
Book 2 starts with the PCs traveling the Hold of Belkzen and meeting up with three major tribes, trying to convince them to join the alliance against the Whispering Tyrant. Once again they face agents of the undead lord trying to unite the orcs under their banner, and they must face challenges from each tribe. The book ends with the PCs acquiring allies from either one, two, or all three tribal orc tribes and other minor orc tribes. Introduce Gorum stuff, Orc spiritualism, and Kazavon lore.
Book 3 starts with the siege of Urgir by the undead lord from the Gravelands with his orc army. The PCs rally their troops and allies, fight the undead champion. The story ends with the orcs united under the banner of the PCs.
I don't know if everybody else posting on here already had this in mind, but just in case somebody hadn't found out yet (I didn't until just now), apparently the AP for the last half of 2022 is Blood Lords:
Blood Lords is the thirty-third Pathfinder Adventure Path and is expected to run from July 2022 to December 2022.
{. . .}
Zombie Feast (Written by Mike Kimmel) Expected July 2022
Graveclaw (Written by Jason Tondro) Expected August 2022
Field of Maidens (Written by Jenny Jarzabski) Expected September 2022
The Ghouls Hunger (Written by Leo Glass) Expected October 2022
A Taste of Ashes (Written by Brian Duckwitz) Expected November 2022
Ghost King's Rage (Written by Jessica Catalan) Expected December 2022
Blood Lords (in Golarion) are the (often Undead) administrators of Geb (and thus of Geb).
I don't know if everybody else posting on here already had this in mind, but just in case somebody hadn't found out yet (I didn't until just now), apparently the AP for the last half of 2022 is Blood Lords:
Blood Lords is the thirty-third Pathfinder Adventure Path and is expected to run from July 2022 to December 2022.
{. . .}
Zombie Feast (Written by Mike Kimmel) Expected July 2022
Graveclaw (Written by Jason Tondro) Expected August 2022
Field of Maidens (Written by Jenny Jarzabski) Expected September 2022
The Ghouls Hunger (Written by Leo Glass) Expected October 2022
A Taste of Ashes (Written by Brian Duckwitz) Expected November 2022
Ghost King's Rage (Written by Jessica Catalan) Expected December 2022
Blood Lords (in Golarion) are the (often Undead) administrators of Geb (and thus of Geb).
Blood Lords was announced at Gen Con, about two months back!
^Thanks, although not necessarily everyone would have heard the Gen Con announcements, particularly in this time of pestilence.