[Pathfinder] 2 High Fantasy Game Ideas

Started by Wintercat, June 17, 2013, 10:31:36 AM

Previous topic - Next topic

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Wintercat

Sword and Sorcery

The flames danced in the fireplace, and the old man rested back in his chair silently sipping on the wine in his glass before looking at the young heroes before him seriously. "Many years ago I began to teach a promising young man named Mortanius. He was a driven individual, excelling in his studies and proving to be a quick learner. Perhaps too quick. He craved power, and while I advised him to temper his eagerness, I saw it in his eyes that he would go far as long as he learned some patience." Drawing a deep breath and sighing, the man took a new gulp of wine, wiping his mouth into the sleeve of his robe. The grand-master of the academy was ancient, few knew how many he had trained before but it was rare to see him looking as weak as he did now.

"One night Mortanius broke into the restricted section of the royal library, and began to consume the knowledge stored within. He learned of great secrets kept there, and of the horrors meant to be sealed away. That night he fled, and I did not see him until twenty years later he returned. He lead an army of wild-men and beasts through our borders, his mighty forces assaulted and struck down the Kerem-Nih and Kalem-Vor fortresses. His forces marched forth to lay siege on the Capital City itself when I was forced into the field." The old man's gaze rose as he gazed upon his young apprentices, the seriousness of his words showing in his expression.

"We fought one another with spell and sword, and the ground twisted and broke beneath us. The armies stood silent waiting for the outcome, watching the battle unfold. Only one side would emerge victorious from that. It was a bitter victory. My greatest pupil had become the greatest nemesis of our world. I told him to surrender and we could still help him but he laughed at me and unleashed forbidden magic upon me. Our battle lasted for days, but finally I managed to wound him enough to force him to retreat. The King and his men chased after him and his forces, and seven years later he was finally slain, with the Royal Sword struck through him into the stone throne at the Forsaken Palace." Sighing heavily, the old man set his cup aside, his hands trembling as he looked up at his students.

"Mortanius posed a very real threat to the very existence of our kingdom, and as much as I would like to claim that his arrogance made him weak, it was not a clear victory to either side. My magic was spent, and Mortanius may have retreated that day and struck down, but given the great aspirations and power he held, death would not hold him forever. Its been two hundred years since that faithful day, but the word has arrived that the Black Banner has risen again."

"I need you to enter the ruins of Kalem-Vor, the closest of the fallen Keeps, and find out what you can. If Mortanius has truly returned we must learn of it before the army of darkness marches once more to war, because this time the light truly might be extinguished. Hearken to this task, my young apprentices, because this is a trial by fire."





The Guild Chronicles

"This world is a savage garden, and the beasts have forced the races of man to stand together as none would have survived if we had stood divided. Humans, elves and dwarves were the first to join the alliance. Gnomes and halflings stepped forth soon after. Several half-orcs came to us as the orc clans were being decimated while still fighting back. Though we were less enthusiastic about including them to our rows given the likely reason for their half-blood nature, we were in no state to turn away a potential ally back then.

Our towns stand far apart, each a fortress of nigh indomitable might. They are the bastion of civilization within this world that was given to the senseless chaos and cruelty that lies beyond them. With what precious farmland we have we need to feed the countless hungry mouths, and man the walls to protect what remains of us. Some say the age of Man has ended, and these are the years of decline, that ultimately the races of man are doomed to fall. There are many brave souls that volunteer to the duty on walls, but few are as brave or foolish as to step forth to join the Guild.

As our world is overrun by these beasts and common people flee in fear, only the Guild has kept the few remaining towns in touch with one another. Each a nation unto itself, a city-state answering only to itself, these towns have kept in touch through the messengers of the Guild, and that is why its safe to say that Guild itself is the ray of hope in an otherwise doomed world.

What hope do common men have against a beast that can walk through a hail of arrows unharmed by their pricks on its thick hide? What hope does man have against a beast that can rend them apart with its bare claws on a whim? What hope does man have against beasts cunning enough to use magic of their own?

The man has the Guild. Swearing an oath to stand resolute and hold back the night, the Guilders are both heroes of legend, and yet feared by many of the common folk, because to walk through the wilds is to invite death and merely surviving this long is a testament to their abilities. Who is to say that in fighting these beasts they have not become like them in turn? There are some that say that to battle the beasts is to give in to the darkness within, that to walk beyond the sanctified walls is heresy to their doctrines, and leads to corruption and dying of the soul. I've seen many such preachers in my time as well.

If you understand this, and know the risks involved, you have your chance. Take your bags and go. You can get a steady job watching over the walls, and fighting whatever petty thieves and drunkards the towns hold, perhaps throwing yourselves at the few beasts that might break in sometime, and claim a small fame as a hero if you survive, even if you lose a limb or the life of a loved one in doing so.

But if you stay, I will teach you how to eat, fight, spit, like a Guilder does.

Most of you might not survive. Many of you may give up and leave. Those that stay will become living Legends. Both loved and hated, respected and feared. Its a hard path, but its the only one we have once the choice is made. Because someone has to keep the flame of hope alive."





Now that the Intros are done...

I have been working on a fair share of writing for stories I like to work on in my free time, but a friend on this site reminded me I should see about running a few games again. I discussed a few ideas with the said friend, and agreed to post up 2 ideas I have for Pathfinder games, though these are both set in Homebrew Settings rather than the Pathfinder's own core setting.

I am going to use Original Gods in this though, NOT the Pathfinder's deity list. Though I won't be listing anything out before seeing how things go. Still, a cleric can easily follow an ideology, rather than simply a particular deity, so that should not be a problem even if someone would consider a cleric for a character.

I could run -1- of the above games to a few players, the game itself would likely start off at some point between level 3 and 6. I prefer starting at low levels and working up, but that works best in a tabletop game where people can sit down to play the whole evening anyhow. So, I'd be willing to raise the starting level a little, so the characters could be assumed to have undergone enough training to stand on their own against some of the threats.

One story has a definite villain to it already, another opens perhaps more open roaming opportunities and chances to set goals of your own to the tale to come. Both are built up around high fantasy concepts, and level increases would likely occur swiftly along the way. The first leans somewhat towards dungeon crawls, the second one angles towards survival in the wilds as well as fights in large towns.

Both tales have their own victory conditions as well, which would bring the tale to a 'good end' if reached, though as with many games, I would figure the players may well come up with their own ideas no that eventually. On that note, both ideas are likely to rather long concepts that would become campaigns of their own might, taking a fair share to explore.
I've taken the Oath of The Drake. Remind me of it if you think I act against it.
A&A

Muse

A link for all of us who ever had a shouting match with our muse: http://www.ted.com/talks/elizabeth_gilbert_on_genius.html

How to set this Muse ablaze (O/Os)

When the little angel won't appear no matter how many plum blossoms you swirl:  https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=135346.msg16474321#msg16474321 (Major update 5/10/2023)

Teo Torriatte

I would be interested in either story, if you would have me.


Foxfyr

I love the level of detail you have painted in the summaries of these campaigns; I would love to be a part of either of the two. I do like the notion of a driven storyline against a clearly defined antagonist that is part of the first premise.

Ershin

I love the detail you went into with the intros, and would love to get the chance to play in either of the stories they begin.

Chloris

A good ol' pathfinder game seems like a good idea. I'm a bit more interested in the Guild.
The Long Road: a Traveling adventure.
A Human / NC freeform roleplay following the path of a caravan.
Packing up for departure!

spooky

*jumping up and down*

I want in I want in!!!!

Either one.... both are awesome.. Me Me!!!
I have taken The Oath of Drake.

EroticFantasyAuthor


Siereis

I'd like to state my interest in joining in on this adventure RP.  Both ideas sound rather great, but if I had to choose then I prefer the first one with the more clearly defined objectives.

Question Mark

Nice, I like it!  I appreciate the detail that went into the intro posts.  I'd prefer the first one personally.

Couple of questions, though, if you have a moment.


  • Is the intro storyline likely to last us all the way to the end of the campaign, or is it the first part of something bigger?  What kind of flexibility will the PCs have to influence their story (e.g. could a neutral PC join the villain)?
  • What source material are we allowed to use?  Similarly, how much leeway do we have with our character's backstory, motivations, alignment, etc.?
  • We've got a lot of people in the thread so far.  According to my experience, some will inevitably bow out, but have you considered a cap on the number of people you'll allow in the game?  Will it be first come, or an app process?
  • Will there be cookies and ale?

Wintercat

I was considering leaving this topic up until Friday and seeing if there was any response at all, but it does seem there is an interest in the game concepts and a few questions waiting for answers as well. I'll try and clear up a few matters now, and I'll seek to provide additional information and answers as this moves along.

It appears that from those who have taken up a preference the first idea draws more interest than the second one, though its hard to say with some of the replies that seem willing to go for either option. I'm tempted to try and run both games, but I would consider it best to keep it to 1 group game for now, and so a choice will need to be made on those.

I am inclined to run the first game of the two based on the replies so far, but I will listen to people's opinions on that matter still, as I am quite ready to run the second one as well if that took preference.

Question Mark, let's see about those questions.
  • The intro outlines the beginning of the first mission, and the campaign backdrop. The campaign would deal with the threat(s) to come, and could well build up for something bigger, even if the initial campaign was brought to a conclusion I have had some games running for several years in the past.

    As for the flexibility available to players, there is a fair bit of tolerance of what may take place, but a PC actually choosing to take side with the foe would likely end separated from the group, and quite possibly a kill-on-sight order issued on them. Possibly even a follow up mission targeting their death for betrayal. So while possible, there would be consequences.
  • Source Materials? I have a fair share of Pathfinder books, I am quite happy to use most of the Paizo's books though I am -reluctant- to take up 3rd party material, having seen some -absolutely horrifyingly broken powergamer combos- in the past. So Paizo's material? Allowed, but I'd like to know where its from in case I feel the need to check on something. 3rd party material? Assume -no- but you can ask and try to convince me, but any other player has the right to veto 3rd party materials out of use. I have seen too many -broken- materials that they're not worth the headache in my opinion.
  • Indeed, bowing out is relatively common and a sad practice that leaves a game abandoned, slowly trickling away to nothing but a memory. I am looking to run a game for a minimum of 3 players but would be happy to run to as much as 6 players. Beyond that, I would accept some characters ready as 'backup' to join along if someone bowed out later, but I imagine such a 'reserve' status wouldn't appeal to people perhaps.
  • Cookies and ale, well that's a good question, I'd like some for myself as well. Player characters would likely find a chance to acquire both in some form at least, but as for the players, I think it would require a trip to the store or at least to the kitchen cabinets, because I don't have any to share and no way of sharing it here either.

I'll take up any other questions that come to mind. On a few other things, I already mentioned thinking of level range 3-6 to start, as well. Also, considering the ability scores still. I've had a tendency to grant higher ability point totals to spread as per the rules, to allow powerful characters, but I am considering the option of using a more standard 25 points spread for this tale. Although that's up for negotiation status, I've had tales that have permitted as much as 35 points to spread around. Though too powerful characters can kill the fun for the players as easily as underpowered I think.

Also, the 'Sword and Sorcery' title on the first one isn't a title I might use, just something I used to differentiate the ideas somewhat while working on them.

Oh, back on the cookies issue, anyone that can tell what served as an inspiration to the 1st game idea is welcome to have a cookie right now to praise themselves for their knowledge. While I took an old idea and made it my own with a lot of artistic license, I imagine someone could tell still what served as the background spark for the tale.
I've taken the Oath of The Drake. Remind me of it if you think I act against it.
A&A

Siereis

So seeing as how it seems as if most/all players would be playing as the 'good guys', I assume that means that you, Wintercat, will be RPing as all the enemies and describing all the environment?  While I have no problems with this...it is also quite the big responsibility.  Realistically, how active do you see yourself being in terms of posting frequency?

Wintercat

There have been games I kept up with several daily replies to keep them moving but it also required players to tolerate that they might not always get much time to reply if others carried a scene on more eagerly. I have also had games with preagreed days when I post and hope everyone has posted by then or accepts they missed the chance to reply.

I can reply at least once a day when motivated but if kept waiting and asked to let everyone get a chance to speak up then a came might end effectively paused till the last person can reply. At minimum I aim to check my bookmarks here once every 3 days even if I am not expecting any replies.

So it would depend on what was agreed as the post-rate and if I should wait for all, at least 2-3 player replies or what.

If you are suggesting a co-dm arrangement I am not opposed but would still need to find someone for that. Also I would be open to evil characters in freeform games but with Story-driven Pathfinder game that can make things a touch difficult too. For one an evil character could end up revealing a lot of surprises ahead of time and even with player--character knowledge separation it would give away some excitement by spoilers.
I've taken the Oath of The Drake. Remind me of it if you think I act against it.
A&A

Inash

Is it too late to try and get in on either of these?

Ixy

I think that the description makes both these ideas sound fantastic, with the second in particular seeming like an excellent idea. 
______________________
The big print giveth, the small print taketh away.

Siereis

Quote from: Wintercat on June 19, 2013, 04:27:57 PM
If you are suggesting a co-dm arrangement I am not opposed but would still need to find someone for that. Also I would be open to evil characters in freeform games but with Story-driven Pathfinder game that can make things a touch difficult too. For one an evil character could end up revealing a lot of surprises ahead of time and even with player--character knowledge separation it would give away some excitement by spoilers.
Well regardless of if we have a co-dm, it certainly won't be me.  I've tried my hand at DMing and I ... suck to put it honestly.  However, I think just one DM should be fine at least for the start.  We can always recruit another if you get swamped.

Alliance

I'd like to join.

What races will you allow?

eh hem cough, I want to be a Dhampir or Vishkanyas so bad.

Pathfinder Society is just so restricting sometimes.

Wintercat

There's been a bit of time, and from the previous interest it seems that either idea could be run, but seeing as there is a bit more support for the first idea, I will go with it then. So I look forward to exploring this game with the fair people here.

For character Creation
*  Ability Scores: Point Buy with a total of 30 points to help create a character for this tale.
*  Races: Core Book, Advanced Race Guide. Other books? Ask, but I want to keep with Paizo's core books.
(That does mean Dhampirs or Vishkanyas are an option. Majority of races beyond Standard can expect to be a real minority, but they are an option.)
*  Classes: Core Book, APG, Ultimate Magic, Psionics Unleashed. On others? Ask.
*  Starting Level: 5th. Characters have been rigorously trained and may have minor skirmishes to their name by now, but its only now that they're being called to true service.
*  Party Size: 3-6 people.
*  Starting Gold: 12,000 gold (Standard 10,500 plus a small extra. Max item price of 8,000 gp to any 1 item.)




I would appreciate charactersheets at Plothook or Myth-weavers sites, with links provided for the character sheets after they're made public. This is by no means a necessity though, a simple text sheet here is fine as well. Plothook is merely a site I have used for the gaming purposes before, providing the character storage for several of my past characters for example. Its a tool, use it or not, I merely wished to remnid of the option.

I would request that people voice out what they would like to play. Ideally, I would hope the group is capable of dealing with combat and possible (probable) traps and surprises, and magical preparations would go a long way to aid in all that as well. Hirelings may be possible at some point(s) in the game, but will be inferior to player characters, and -will- demand a share of treasure as well as an additional payment, if they are used. Which means a well rounded team is far more likely to stand its ground together.

Any backgrounds and ideas that you wish to discuss with me about can be done in private messages or here, I will check back to the thread daily. I have been absent during the weekend and recovering on the Monday, due to real life interruption of finding out a friend of mine got a job offer -overseas-. Apparently, one of my friends signed up to go and work in America, in California, and the past weekend included a lot of things but also his farewell party which took a bit of time.
I've taken the Oath of The Drake. Remind me of it if you think I act against it.
A&A

Question Mark

Fantastic!  I will have my character up ASAP, probably by tonight.  He's a master archer with an ancient Masterwork bow, who's recently discovered that he is a sorcerer.  I'm toying with the idea of multiclassing (fighter 1 / sorcerer 4?) if that's alright?

Wintercat

Multiclassing is perfectly valid option certainly. One other thing I just realized, don't forget the ability increase from leveling up the character.

As for Hit Points, full Hp for first 3 levels, roll after that normally.
I've taken the Oath of The Drake. Remind me of it if you think I act against it.
A&A

spooky

Hmmm, can I make a Spellblade Magus? Or is having two casters going to be an issue?
I have taken The Oath of Drake.

Question Mark

Quote from: spooky on June 25, 2013, 02:06:35 PM
Hmmm, can I make a Spellblade Magus? Or is having two casters going to be an issue?

For what it's worth, Ada (my character) uses his spellcasting in a support role: primarily illusions and distractions to disorient foes, but he has one or two direct damage spells for tight spots.  Still, if memory serves, Spellblade Magi are usually offensive spellcasters, so our characters would fulfill separate niches in the party.

spooky

Yup, and I think I'd be all direct damage
I have taken The Oath of Drake.

Foxfyr

I've got a two-handed weapon barbarian/fighter in mind who will bring the pain and defend the squishies. Probably going to take the superstitious power to better resist magic, but may reconsider since it also applies to friendly magic.