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Post by Nygil, Nickolie on Apr 10, 2012 11:18:06 GMT -5
We can start the overlords right away, or ease in to them. I am thinking of using them on mission two, but easing in to the scope of things.
More active online section would rock, and is a good way to push the flavor and the guild.
As for the NPC's thing I think will it take away more than it will add, but it's up to Brent. Also, fair point us DM-NPC's on your missions, on your own quests play a 'PC' so that the party get to be involved with them?
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Post by steve on Apr 10, 2012 17:05:22 GMT -5
I agree Steve, I will be doing just that. Next year I will not be running nearly as many things... Once the idea is ok'd by Brent and Dm's have spoken their minds on it, I will make the edits and post the player bit for the players.Tsk, tsk. I like the idea of the DM's trying to involve players more. I would just ask other DM's to keep an eye out. The last thing we want is for some DM's to play favourites (whether they mean to or not). It could be as simple as giving a player a reward that's really flavourful but just slightly better than what everyone else got (e.g. a spell-like ability vs. a low-tier feat).
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Post by Rofusco on Apr 10, 2012 18:58:20 GMT -5
I think playing multiple characters is fine to develop the NPCs and give the players some attachment to the world around them.
Once exams are done I'm gonna try and write up a summary of the province I'll be creating and who the big bads are in that area. Also, as far technology goes how will we be handling firearms? I was thinking for my province to keep guns limited as if they have only recently been invented/adopted and aren't in widespread use or that they come from a foreign land where gunpowder has been developed but it depends on what we're doing with the setting as a whole. I just know someone is going to want to play as a gunslinger.
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Post by Krunk on Apr 11, 2012 12:31:58 GMT -5
The allowance for guns is currently "Emerging Guns", which is pathfinder's standard setting.
Gunslinger is allowed in this era but without any of the advantages of dirt cheap ammunition and advanced firearms [only ever having to target touch AC from L1 onwards with 400ft range is silly].
Full info for all of the different eras for firearms can be found in the firearms section under equipment, it is under the first bit titled "firearms in your campaign".
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Post by Nygil, Nickolie on Apr 11, 2012 13:38:04 GMT -5
Also we may advance slightly on this ear chart later in the year, as guns become more important to a people being over run on all sides by baddess.
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Post by Krunk on May 10, 2012 18:37:41 GMT -5
I was wondering if we could get some opinions going on what the official character creation guidelines should be for next year's club game. After having spent an unhealthy amount of time doing research into [mostly] everything pathfinder, I have compiled what I personally believe will be the best setup for the club game. RULE 1[/u]: If it ain't Paizo [1st party], it ain't allowed. Ability Scores: Standard fantasy point buy [15 points] www.d20pfsrd.com/basics-ability-scores/ability-scoresHP: Max HP for all levels. Races: All Core.* *Subject to change, awaiting Advanced Race Guide. Classes: All Paizo [Core, Base, Alternate]. Prestige Classes: All Paizo; If you want to take a prestige class then you must continue to take it until you reach level 5 in it, at which point you are free to take levels in something else. Multiclassing: Allowed, although I feel that restricting people to one class in addition to their favored class(es) is something that is worth considering to prevent characters like this: Oracle 1, Paladin 2, Ninja 2, Alchemist 1. Favored Classes?: Yes, all Paizo. www.d20pfsrd.com/classes/character-advancement#favored-classEvery time you level up in your favored class, which is determined by the player when they create their character, you get to pick either an additional hit point, an additional skill rank, or an alternative bonus dictated by your race. Feats/Skills: All Paizo. Traits?: Yes, all Paizo. www.d20pfsrd.com/traits [Scroll down past the lists] If traits seem like too much of a hassle, I have provided a smaller alternative list, all of which you can never really go wrong in taking: 1) Indomitable faith [+1 to Will saves] 2) Resilient [+1 to Fortitude saves] 3) Deft Dodger [+1 to Reflex saves] 4) Reactionary [+2 to Initiative] 5) *Courageous [+2 vs fear] *Do not take if you are playing a Paladin! This trait will likely become useless. Hero Points?: Yes, however NO hero point related spells or items. www.d20pfsrd.com/gamemastering/hero-pointsAntihero Option?: Yes. www.d20pfsrd.com/gamemastering/hero-points [Scroll down] The PC gives up hero points, gets an extra feat at level 1. I think that's everything, I got a little sidetracked at multiclassing but I'm pretty certain I got it all. Let me know what you think.
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Post by illios on May 13, 2012 3:00:55 GMT -5
I don't like the no multiclassing rule because character's are already so limited by the lack of PrC choices in Pathfinder, maybe they just really need that one level in monk or barbarian or whatever to make an otherwise two class build work/fit the character. 4 classes might seem excess but there is also NO WAY it is good, so people are going to go there for flavour, which I'm fine with. Also I vote for 20 point buy. I'm mean to my players in game so I'd like them to be a little more resilient. -Edit- I agree with the rest. -Second Edit- After reading every single trait, I must say they seem flavorful and we should allow 2 in my opinion, or a feat instead for boring people with feat intensive builds. Also none of the campaign feats fit -obviously- but I think we should design a few campaign feats ourselves. Also we shouldn't have the regular regional traits, but each DM should make 2-5 traits for their region. Thoughts?
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Post by illios on Jun 27, 2012 12:02:17 GMT -5
I am currently world building the Elven Nation. It is intensely fun, and I'm going rather deep into it. If other people would like I can put my research into these world building aspects for their country/kingdom/whatever we're calling these. Also as a point of reference here are some general stats about my kingdom (about population and landmass):
110,000 square miles of land total 4,950,000 People 24, 000 square miles of developed land 86,000 square miles of wilderness
Urban population breakdown: Total: 173,000 *3.5% of the population Capitol: 31,000 people “Large” Cities by population: 2nd: 14,000 3rd: 11,000 4th: 10,000 5th: 7,000 Small Cities: 8: ~5000 (+/- 500) *Total living in small cities ~45000 Towns: 22: ~2,500 (+/- 1000) *Total living in towns ~55000
This information is relatively correct for 14th-15th century Europe. I modeled my landmass on present day Italy, and my population density on England because I felt that Elves wouldn't be very populous and would leave much of their land to Wilderness (And I still can only really envision human farmers). I am currently working on their economics and impact of magic on medieval businesses.
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Post by brent on Jun 28, 2012 18:01:37 GMT -5
Ive been thinking a bit about how we are running this this upcoming year. I think we have decided or discussed a more story oriented campaign and trying to have that work into day to day missions, which i am in favor of. Using the half year campaign format we are really going to want to get the story out there early on. In the last 2 years (my experience) we haven't even had a noticeable story until the day before exams 1st semester.
So what i'm thinking is that instead we actually start the story before we start the campaign. If we can settle on a basic theme and how the conflict will arise before the DM meeting in a way that allows flexibility when we all get together we can post the story over the next couple months on the forums.
I thought it may be interesting to post "real time" updates on what is happening in the world we plan to use which show a ramping up to something big then have some sort of major event occur a bit before our first game (like an assassination or break out of full scale war).
I realize not a lot of members check the forum over the summer and some even not during the year, but i feel like it could be a really nice touch for the ones who do, and it will still be there for us to refer people to at the beginning of the campaign.
If most people like this idea a few of us could work together and work out the details. Tell me what you think
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Post by Nygil, Nickolie on Jun 28, 2012 19:16:42 GMT -5
We have not done this in the past based solely on the person in charge not having the time to keep up with it, be that me or Adrian.
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Post by illios on Jul 3, 2012 17:44:55 GMT -5
My King was already going to be assassinated in the first one or two missions anyway so I like this idea. Though I want it to happen right at the beginning of our first session rather than on the forums.
Further, I have a very detailed narrative I want to weave in my kingdom anyway. I also am willing to help others run missions in my kingdom. I feel like I'm a bit ahead of the curve right now, but I've already started on my setting (currently building my cities and landscape), my plot (deciding general points and brainstorming tasks and events), and my NPCs (I've decided my major factions and am putting names to roles). I feel like if two other people were to put as much effort as I have into the setting we would have a very good club game this year. We just need one Human nation and one Dwarf nation and everyone designs missions with the setting and general plot in mind, and ba-da-boom ba-da-bing we have our club game.
The creators of the kingdoms would also be able to fill the function you were thinking of Brent and create extra content for the forum that would really add depth to the game's backstory. I for example am already going nuts trying to write down all the backstory details I keep coming up with. If I posted it all on the forum I think my ramblings would suit your purposes.
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Post by brent on Jul 3, 2012 19:32:21 GMT -5
If you want to post what you have here in terms of back story, ill work on another area, and if we have any volunteers to run the 3rd, we can write back story for all of them and ill put it together into some kind of prologue, then at the DM meeting we can set up the conflict initiating event and introduce that to the players on Day 1.
I have also been considering the state of the world in our campaign, based of what has been said before. Basicly 3 nations in a tenuous peace. I see the situation being similar to north and south korea. They are still technically at war, and while there are some well defined boarders, many of them are still not decidedly clamed. However since we have 3 nations, if any makes the first move to try and claim this "no-mans land", the other two could unite against them seeing this as an act of aggression. The result would be an area along shared boarders where no country has any real power. At the one point where the 3 nations meet we have a "neutral" city, which is where our guild hall can be located.
Some other points: The no mans land could roughly coincide with rivers and other features which are good for farming, we would then have to decide whether it would have many small conflicts or be empty of troops mostly. In the later case we have farmers who could be free of tariffs, shipping goods down river to the neutral city, making it a huge trade city under no nations control and thus an important point to control in any war.
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Post by brent on Jul 4, 2012 0:58:43 GMT -5
Colin has offered to prepare the human nation and ill try the dwarves. If anyone would be excited to help out just let us know.
We do need to tie the histories together though and make sure the influence the have had on each other is apparent to players to make it feel more realistic.
To John: whatever you have in terms of history and back story we will try to use as a start point, to make sure everything lines up properly. We will have to decide together any major wars or changes of boarders, treaties etc.
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Post by illios on Jul 4, 2012 6:48:03 GMT -5
I haven't gone into depth in the history, I've just touched it.
What is important to the back story right now is: the time period and method by which the current rulers came to power (Currently I'm thinking rather standard political intrigue following a war against foreign enemies, where the House Royal proved to be the strongest leaders); the history of their forest (The magical beings that dwell there, why the magic is so strong in this forest and what caused it to be that way); the history of their mountain (Once a volcano that rose very high and caused devastation to the landscape, I plan on that being the roots of the House Sorcerer, in that they are all descended from the sorcerer that stopped the volcano); How/Why the borders are the way they are (I have no current thoughts on this one)
I've been working more at the landscape and cities and current NPCs. So far the only important places I've named are a singular tall mountain (Currently calling it Grey mountain, it used to be a volcano until a powerful sorcerer stopped it), a river that runs off this mountain called Foyle, an Magic Forest that surrounds the mountain that contains a place called the Enchanted Vale (an area close to the Foyle somewhere in the middle grounds of the forest).
The major factions in my Kingdom are: The House Royal Royal Guard House Sorcerer Druids of the Vale The Rangers Guild A priesthood of Elves Merchant Council of the Plains
Smaller less important factions include: A Priesthood of Haflings that build roadside temples for travelers A monastery of nature loving monks House Sylvan and Grey (Noble houses representing Sylvan and Grey elves) A cult of Vecna (Or similar god, I forget the name but pathfinder has that mortal who ascended that is very secretive) A crime syndicate named the Blood Brothers that control a small city The academy of Magical arts in the Capital A school of war in a fort town That's what I have right now
Also I've brainstormed a plot for my kingdom during the year. Basically it follows a few threads: 1..... One thread is repeated attempts at the throne, starting with a successful attack on the current king, followed by a thwarted attempt at his children, then another successful attempt that wipes out all but one member of House Royal 2..... Another thread is the gathering of allies against the Drow: You must convince the Druids, the Priesthood, the Monks, the Cult, the Rangers, House Sorcerer and the Merchants to help you. 3..... The last thread is a simple one but important - as the plot progresses you must uncover and delve into the hideouts of the Drow that allow them to attack the city, a secret passage into some caves beneath House Sorcerer, a hideout in the woods, a secret hideout in the Palace, a small underground cave system in Grey Mountain, a cultic take over of an abandoned church, and finally an entire city located beneath one of the larger hills in the Magic Forest.
I wasn't working on making things that would read well on the forum yet, more on nitty gritty things like how the economy functions and the landscape and total population with breakdowns for cities. I also haven't named much yet since I'm picky with names and it's currently more convenient to refer to things by their description/role (Like house royal and priesthood of elves and Magic Forest). I've also found a veritable tonne of good random generators that should help flesh out details and provide inspiration. If you ever have something that you're having a bit of trouble with using random generators is always pretty easy (e.g. can't think of a tavern name - use a generator! can't think of feature to give your city - use a generator! can't envision an island near your kingdom - use a generator!)
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Post by illios on Jul 4, 2012 6:56:46 GMT -5
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