Help with a different start for Kingmaker

[Douglas Muir 406]

Back in the original AP, you start with Oleg and the defense of the trading post. Now you start with the assassins at Lady Aldori's house.

The thing is, for various reasons I kinda dislike this starting point. Thematically and in terms of actual play it's jarringly different from the rest of the first module. The assassins are a one-off with no connection to the rest of the AP. The set-up -- with part of the mansion being sealed off -- feels contrived. YMMV, but I just don't like it.

Of course, the starting scenario does have a point: it introduces a bunch of NPCs who will be important later, it gives the PCs some minor magic items, and it gives them enough XP to level up. But there should be lots of other ways to do this.

So I'd like to run some other short 1st level scenario instead. I was looking at Wolfgang Baur's _The Raven's Call_, an old third party module from the early days of 1e. It has 1st level adventurers rescuing a village from attack by humanoids. That's not precisely what I want, but it's closer than the starting point in the AP book.

But I bet the hive mind can do better. So what I'm looking for is:

-- a wilderness adventure
-- for 1st level characters
-- with some opportunity to drop in NPCs

It can be 1e, 2e, or D&D 5e... I can adapt stuff readily enough, that's not an issue.

Right, so! What've you got, team?

Doug M.

[GigglingNinny]

Something that's been suggested elsewhere would be to have the Bandits attack the party on their way to Oleg's. You could have Tartuccio travelling with them to Oleg's for his charter, but have him cut and run. When the party receives their settlement charter, you could have a gathering and include Maegar Varn and some other people from his kingdom, Hannis Drelev and his entourage, and the Iron Wraiths.
Depending on how long this takes, Varn and Drelev may have already started their kingdoms by then.

[DM_aka_Dudemeister]

Did someone say they want a different Origin Story for their Kingmaker AP?

[DM_aka_Dudemeister]

You could use Hollow's Last Hope from the Kobold King adventure as an alternative opening. Curing a town of a fungal plague and killing a beast plaguing the country-side might draw the attention of Lady Jamandi and she can offer the PCs their commission based on the competence displayed.

You can even insert some of the rivals and NPCs into the adventure as another team searching the woods for the ingredients for the cure.

[Douglas Muir 406]

DM_aka_Dudemeister wrote:

Did someone say they want a different Origin Story for their Kingmaker AP?

Ohh, these were great. And they gave me some ideas for where and how to start.

Thank you!

Doug M.

[Douglas Muir 406]

DM_aka_Dudemeister wrote:

You could use Hollow's Last Hope from the Kobold King adventure as an alternative opening. Curing a town of a fungal plague and killing a beast plaguing the country-side might draw the attention of Lady Jamandi and she can offer the PCs their commission based on the competence displayed.

Just went back and looked at HLH again.

Huh: It's really a first finger exercise for Kingmaker, isn't it. You can see where a bunch of these elements would get repurposed a few years later.

Doug M.