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War for the Crown (PF1)

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War for the Crown (PF1)

Unread postby danjiro » 10 Dec 2020 02:10

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This is the thread where we coordinate the War for the Crown campaign being undertaken by group D&D3.

For an explanation on our approach to the Paizo Player's Guides, check out this post written by icy: https://culture.vg/forum/topic?t=7324


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CHARACTER TIPS

  • Important skills: Bluff, Diplomacy, Intimidate, Knowledge (history), Knowledge (local), Knowledge (noblility), Performance, Profession, Sense Motive, and Stealth
  • Thematically appropriate combat feats: Combat Expertise, Combat Reflexes, Improved Disarm, Lunge, Spring Attack, and Weapon Finesse
  • Some characters that are native to Taldor, preferrably middle or upper class
  • Characters who can blend into the social scene or investigate strange events
  • Character class spread with diverse abilities
  • Taldor is stubbornly humanocentric with a particular stigma against half-orcs, half-elves, and geniekin
  • The practical gods of Taldor are considered: Abadar, Cayden Cailean, Norgorber, and Shelyn but there are sizable cults to others
  • Useful languages: Common (obviously), Azlanti, Celestial, Elven, Kelish
  • Recommended familiars: cat, hawk, mouse, lizard, monkey, owl, rat, raven, toad, and weasel
  • Recommended animal companions: bear, bird, camel, big cat, small cat, crocodile, dog, horse, venomous snake, and wolf. Of these, however, only the bird, small cat, dog, and horse are generally considered appropriate at aristocratic gatherings

You guys have already created your characters and have a decent spread of the above, but you still have time to talk amongst yourselves and make tweaks to fill in any blanks or cover any weaknesses before the first session. The campaign begins in Oppara, glittering capital of the empire, with the assumption that each character has done something minor that nonetheless proved sufficient to earn the attention of some noble circles and led to their recruitment by Lady Martella Lotheed.

icy has already explained the concept of campaign traits in the previously linked thread so I won't repeat it here for brevity's sake, except to remind you of this: "Note that if you have a very explicit character and backstory in your mind that doesn't fit any of these traits, you're not obligated to take any of them. You won't get the bonuses, but D&D is about far more than just bonuses. So pick a trait only if you find one that sounds cool to you and you wouldn't mind having it."


CAMPAIGN TRAITS

Athletic Champion: Your physique and skill brought you into the public eye, and a winning smile helps you stay there. Taldor honors its extraordinary athletes, celebrating them as cultural heroes. Whether you were a gladiator, a runner, a wrestler, or any other competitor, your most recent victory caused someone important to sit up and take notice. You may never have a political career in front of you, but for now your name is helping to bring a little extra money in, and maybe that’s good enough. Select two of the following skills: Climb, Diplomacy, Perception, and Swim. You gain a +1 trait bonus on checks with those skills, and they are always class skills for you. In addition, you are accustomed to maneuvering through crowds; you gain a +2 trait bonus on checks to navigate through a crowd or resist being moved against your will, including spells and bull rush, drag, and reposition combat maneuvers.

Child of Oppara: You belong to a noble family that matters in Taldor, though as the story begins you may or may not be on good terms with your relatives. Your upbringing among the city’s well-to-do gives you an upper hand when it comes to knowledge of high society, and you start the game with a modest inheritance. With Princess Eutropia’s efforts to provide for Taldor’s common citizens and overturn years of tradition, new lines are being quietly drawn in the sand, and you have found yourself embroiled in these intrigues whether you intended to be or not. With this trait, the assumption is that you belong to a minor noble family (and can make up your family name). In this case, your family keeps a small manor in Aroden’s View or Senate’s Hill. If you want to be a member of one of Oppara’s major noble families, you must take the Noble Scion feat at 1st level. You gain a +1 trait bonus on Appraise and Knowledge (nobility) checks, and one of these skills is always a class skill for you. The Noble Scion feat does not have a Charisma prerequisite for you. In addition, you start play with a noble’s outfit, a signet ring, and a single additional nonmagical item worth no more than 200 gp.

Disgraced Noble: Your noble family used to matter, until your father took a stand against Maxillar Pythareus, the commander of Taldor’s military. True or not, the accusations Pythareus leveled against your family in return destroyed your reputation and isolated you from the society you grew up in. Now the only thing that matters to you is clawing your way back up the social ladder, either for your own quality of life or to clear your family’s name. You’ve had to practice deception as you began working your way back into Taldan social circles; you gain a +2 trait bonus on Bluff checks to conceal your identity and a +2 bonus on Linguistics checks to spot or produce forgeries, and one of these skills is always a class skill for you. Once each day, you can choose a single humanoid you believe to have been involved in the conspiracy to destroy your family; you gain a +1 morale bonus on attack and damage rolls against that NPC for a number of rounds equal to your character level. At 10th level, this bonus increases to +2.

Rising Star: All too often, great minds must suffer for their art, but you’re one of the lucky ones. Your skills attracted the attention of a noble patron who pays for your food, housing, and tools. As your patron introduces you to other cultural elites, you’re slowly learning to navigate the treacherous waters of high society, but you still remember the lean times when each meal was a hard-won treasure. You gain a +1 trait bonus on Sense Motive and Survival checks, as well as checks using a single Craft or Perform skill of your choice; one of these skills is always a class skill for you. Once each day, you can invoke your patron’s reputation or name one of your own prominent works to gain a +2 circumstance bonus on a single Bluff, Diplomacy, or Intimidate check. You begin the game with a masterwork musical instrument or tool appropriate to the Craft or Perform skill you selected, a gift from your patron.

Senatorial Hopeful: While you belong to a noble family, hailing from the outlying prefectures means you lack the pull and wealth needed to rub shoulders with the stars of Oppara’s social scene. Your life has been quiet, isolated from the thrum of fashion and pop culture, but you see this as a source of insight and aim to help people by someday joining the senate. It’ll be a long journey, but you’ve already begun learning which hands to shake and how to listen carefully when others tell you what they want. You gain a +1 bonus on Diplomacy and Knowledge (local) checks, and both of these skills are always class skills for you. Once each week you can call on family connections to obtain a single piece of equipment or consumable magic item (such as a potion or scroll) worth up to your character level × 25 gp. Delivery of the goods you request takes 1d4 days. At 10th level, the potential value of a magical item increases to your character level × 50 gp, and your requests can also include spellcasting services and wands.

Taldan Patriot: You love your country, its history, and its people... even though they may not love you back. Whether you’re a bureaucrat, a minor noble, or a soldier, you want your community to be the best it can be and you channel that love into a position in service to the people of Taldor. You gain a +1 bonus on all Sense Motive and Knowledge (history) checks, and these skills are always class skills for you. In addition, once per day you can recall a specific fact about a Taldan noble’s personality—quirks such as a hobby or pet peeve—including information you would normally learn as a discovery check in social combat.

Young Reformer: Perhaps you were born at the bottom of Taldan society and you’re tired of seeing your friends and family toil endlessly with no hope of a better life, or maybe your privileged outlook was shattered by empathy or tragedy. Either way, you know the system is broken, and you’ve dedicated your life to fixing it. But tradition rules Taldor as much as any Grand Prince, and change requires more influence than you have… so far. You’ve got a few friends and allies, and plenty of determination, but while you work toward the power you need to change the nation, you’ll have to resort to more discrete ways of righting wrongs and curbing the abuses of the upper class. You gain a +1 trait bonus on Disable Device and Knowledge (local) checks, and one of these skills is always a class skill for you. Once per day, you can call upon your co-conspirators to have “made arrangements” on your behalf, allowing you to attempt a Knowledge (local) check in place of a single Bluff, Disable Device, Intimidate, or Sleight of Hand check. The DC of this Knowledge (local) check is equal to the DC of the skill check it replaces. Whatever arrangements you make—for doors left unlocked, guards strong-armed out of your way, stolen keys left for you to find—must be reasonable to have anticipated and achieved beforehand; you could arrange to have a noble convinced you’re a very important diplomat traveling in disguise, for example, but if a fight breaks out you could not rely on your network of contacts to feint for you in combat. You don’t have to use this ability in advance; you can announce its use as you encounter a challenge, implying you foresaw this challenge and made arrangements prior to your arrival.
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Unread postby ChevRage » 10 Dec 2020 04:33

Disgraced Noble is perfect since that's kinda what I already had in mind for my character, and the bonuses are nice too. I'll need to make sure I pick up a ray spell or two to get full use of them.

Also at the moment my character is very skilled in bluffing and intimidation, and also has a decent knowledge of nobility, but lacks much diplomacy, knowledge of history or the locals, and can't sense motive or be stealthy at all. I could put some points into the stuff I lack, but they aren't my class skills so I wouldn't get much benefit out of doing so. Once I pick up some sort of invisibility spell I should be able to go invisible for a short time, or even bestow it to others.

As far as combat goes, I have a very useful disarming spell, Grease, which can coat any surface in a slippery substance, going as far as coating the weapons enemies are holding. And one of the feats I've chosen is Improved Initiative so hopefully this allows me to go first more often than not, and once I pick up some buffing spells I should be able to buff people on my turn as combat demands. I can't wait to get that Haste spell. I may be squishy, but I have the Toughness feat and a very nasty spell that can disable enemies that get close to me, so I think you guys shouldn't need to worry about me too much.

My character is fluent in Common, Elven and Draconic, we should probably co-ordinate our languages so we at least know one language that isn't common amongst ourselves for secrecy's sake. My owl should be very useful for scouting things out in the dark too.
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Unread postby danjiro » 10 Dec 2020 04:58

Since icy has shown interest in the Noble Scion feat from the War for the Crown: Player's Guide, I'm including it here in full.

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VARIANT FEAT - NOBLE SCION

You are a member of one of the significant noble families of Oppara, whether or not you remain in good standing with your family. In many cases, these families are Imperialists loyal to Maxillar Pythareus.

Prerequisites: Charisma 13 or Child of Oppara trait, must be taken at 1st level.

Benefit: You gain a +2 bonus on all Knowledge (nobility) checks, and Knowledge (nobility) is always a class skill for you. You also gain an additional benefit depending on which family you belong to.

Basri: You come from the long line of ambassadors, diplomats, and travelers that make up the Basri, and your family maintains the strongest ties to the elven nation of Kyonin of any Taldan humans. Select one of the following as a bonus starting language: Celestial, Elven, Gnome, Sylvan. You gain proficiency in one of the following weapons: longbow (including composite), longsword, rapier, or shortbow (including composite). If you gain proficiency in all martial weapons at 1st level, you can instead select elven curve blade.

Clement: Your Garundi and Mwangi ancestors served Taldor proudly during the Sixth Army of Exploration and were awarded titles for their service. Your family, which has maintained their noble titles to this day, is known for keen insights and biting observations. You can substitute your Wisdom modifier for your Charisma modifier when attempting Diplomacy skill checks.

Corcina: Your family came to prominence during the Second Army of Exploration, and maintains a legacy as explorers and sailors. You gain a +1 bonus on Climb and Escape Artist checks, and a +2 bonus on Survival checks to navigate.

Karthis: Yours is a family of distinguished military veterans, charismatic demagogues, and xenophobic zealots. As the rest of the family becomes increasingly Imperialist, you have made no effort to remain in their good graces, but you retain the skills they taught you during a childhood of rigorous training. You can apply your Charisma modifier instead of your Dexterity modifier to Initiative checks.

Kastner: Your stalwart family defines itself by opposing your devil-worshiping Chelish cousins, a grudge that inspired some of Taldor’s greatest healers, priests, and negotiators. You gain one additional use per day of channel energy, lay on hands, or mesmerist tricks, or 3 additional rounds of bardic music per day. You gain only one of these benefits, even if you later acquire a second class that provides one of the other class features listed.

Lotheed: Your family ranks include the greatest wizards and arcane scholars in Taldor, and schooling in some of the most comprehensive arcane libraries in the Inner Sea was your birthright. If your Intelligence is 11 or higher, you gain the following spell-like abilities: 1/day — dancing lights, prestidigitation, read magic, unseen servant. The caster level for these effects is equal to one-half your class level.

Merosett: The cunning members of your large family, a longtime fixture in Oppara’s bureaucracy, specialize in tracking lineages and sidestepping red tape. You gain a +5 bonus on Bluff checks to send secret messages and Sense Motive checks to discern secret messages. You halve the time required to search through archives, navigate government offices, review contracts, or otherwise work with the complex bureaucracies your family has mastered for generations.

Stavian: As a close relative of the Grand Prince, yours has been a life of material comfort and indulgence, colored by constant threats and direct influence. You gain a +2 bonus on Fortitude saves against poison and on Will saves against enchantment spells of the charm and compulsion subschools.

Talbot: Your starkly conservative family are merchants and entrepreneurs first and aristocrats second, willing to forgo duty if they can instead pursue profit. They condemn would-be adventurers and readily oust them from the family ranks, leaving you an outcast. You gain a +2 bonus on one Profession skill of your choice. Once per day, you can use this Profession skill in place of a single Knowledge skill check.

Varima: Your family immigrated to Taldor from Vudra hundreds of years ago, and thanks to noble roots, extensive trade contacts, and an unparalleled skill in negotiation, soon developed into a steadfast fixture of Oppara’s social scene. Whenever you use Diplomacy to influence a crowd or a room (but not individuals), you can roll twice and use the better result.

Vernisant: Your family is descended from the great general Arnisant, who commanded Taldan forces during the Shining Crusade... and they will never let anyone forget it! Their fierce Imperialist support and nationalist fervor has left you alienated from your relatives now, but their emphasis on scholarship left a mark nonetheless. You gain a +1 bonus on all Knowledge skills in which you have at least 1 rank.

Vinmark: Newcomers and outsiders, your Ulfen family was exalted to nobility 19 years ago, when Stavian III promoted your family patriarch to Baron of Oppara as a reward for service in the Ulfen Guard. Established aristocrats consider your family crude, choosing to leave them on the margins of Taldan politics unless a noble thinks they could use you to curry favor with the Grand Prince, but hard-won practicality and newborn cynicism grant you insight most Taldan nobles lack. Once per day when rolling a Sense Motive check, you may roll two dice and use the better result.

Zespire: Your family runs charities and lobbies heavily for social reform, leaving them with few friends among their Opparan peers but heartfelt support from the common folk and lesser nobility. You gain a +2 bonus on Diplomacy and Perform checks when dealing with common citizens and with nobles whose titles are limited to Lord, Lady, Knight, or Dame.

Special: This is a variant of the Noble Scion trait presented in Pathfinder Campaign Setting: The Inner Sea World Guide. If you take this version of the feat, you cannot also take the version presented in that book, when you unlock it.
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Unread postby ExiledOne » 11 Dec 2020 17:04

I think I'll lock in Young Reformer. It fits my character's skills the best and it's not too hard to make it work background-wise. I kinda don't have Thieving Tools right now so it offsets the penalties I'll receive for using improvised tools as well. I also speak Elven, and Varisian so that makes three of us that speak Elven that I know of. Should that be our common language? Considering that Taldoran society has a bit of stigma against us it's unlikely any of them will speak our language well. I was wondering, does anyone speak Azlanti or Kellish? Also Chev, I'm pretty good at stealth so I like the idea of you making me invisible. I think I'll need to pick up Weapon Finesse at some point, I might even switch my current feat for it. My strength is low so I have to make up for that, it'll allow me to use daggers and short swords well with sneak attacks and attacks of opportunity. I was pretty torn on picking a feat, cause I wanted Agile Maneuveurs as well. It's set to Deft Hands right now which is cool but with the Young Reformer campaign feat, might be overkill for the Disable Device checks.

I'm tempted to swap my wisdom and charisma. It sounds we need someone who has high wisdom? I think the others already have high charisma so maybe I should fill that role in a bit better. It wouldn't be maxed out but it could be decent. I'd swap around a few skill points as well but it might not be a bad idea. I'll ask danjiro about it.
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Unread postby ChevRage » 11 Dec 2020 17:38

If you'd like some thieves' tools and don't have the money for them, I can give you some if you want, I should have plenty of gold coins left over.

As for languages, Azlanti, interestingly enough is the Golarian equivalent of Latin so I think if nobody has selected it, I'll change my selection of Draconic to that one (if I can). Whereas Kellish is the language spoken in Qadira and the Far East, it will definitely be useful, though I think it'd be best to keep your knowledge of it on the down low. It's probably not super vital that every one of us has Elvish as a secondary language, there are benefits to diversifying as much as possible too.

With regards to feats, you should be aware that you get one every second level after the one from the first. There are two level up tables, one for your class, and a smaller generic one with benefits that every class gets, it's on page 30 of the Pathfinder Core Rulebook.
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Unread postby icycalm » 13 Dec 2020 16:00

Robo, dan placed your family's manor in the Oppara map last night, check it out. If you google around you could find a floor plan for it and get dan to approve it, and I could put it in. I just googled "vtt small noble estate" and found this for example: https://www.facebook.com/CorruptedQuill ... 2333701805

It's not official content, it's player-made, so we can just take it. Always check that stuff you want to add isn't official.

I think this has roughly the right shape and size, but the road is not placed identically to the map we have. Plus it's a bit too rustic to be a noble manor in a capital city, in my opinion. But I only took a minute to find it, so there're probably better options. You could spend countless hours looking up D&D floorplans on Google, it's a rabbit hole.

Another thing you could try is use Dungeondraft, and make the exact shape we need. I could make it unlockable with this adventure, since it has noble manors in it that need to be made. Mine is outside the city, so we probably won't be needing it for the first session, but I'll have it ready by the next one. Dungeondraft seems super easy-to-use and makes gorgeous assets. We should probably give it a try.

And remember you need one or two guest rooms to house Chev and me. I'd rather it was two, I can't see two nobles rooming with each other.
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Unread postby danjiro » 14 Dec 2020 05:07

Since the party has now assembled and had some time to discuss their relation to Lady Martella while regrouping at Ivan's manor, it's likely that you all compared "origin" stories, as it were, sharing your fortuitous connection to Lady Lotheed amongst yourselves. This is what you discovered:

Seeing as how Ivan, Cedric, Edward are nobles and noble circles tend to be a bit incestuous, the three of them started off knowing each other. They may have all grown up together as friends or they may be acquaintances from various academies/schools that got along well over the years. But regardless of how they originally met, they now found themselves all in Oppara at the same time for the first time in what seemed like ages. Taking full advantage of this, Ivan has offered to let Cedric and Edward stay at his family's manor, for the time being, so that they can all get their bearings and catch up.

Ivan was contacted a week or so back by agents of Lady Martella Lotheed with an urgent missive to meet with her. After turning it down a couple of times it was eventually revealed to him that the good Lady was aware of his family's recent financial difficulties and had decided he wasn't in a position to decline her offer of assistance. There were a few things he'd have to do for her, of course, but it's not a bad line of work being employed as the agent and occasional bodyguard of such a prominent figure.

As for Cedric, the Lotheed family and his family have never been strangers. One day, at an important function, Lady Martella Lotheed herself approached him, and over the course of a pleasant discussion where he spoke of his aspirations, implied that she was willing to take him on and endorse him. She would get him the access he clearly sought with the senate and in exchange she would call on him when she was in need of assistance. He would be well paid for his time, of course.

Edward, on the other hand, ran into Lady Martella Lotheed's retinue on the street in passing and she went out of her way to call out to him. She invited him to have a meal with her in a more private location, informing him that she had a juicy proposition he'd not likely want to refuse. She mentioned the name Maxillar Pythareus and that was all he needed to hear. During their secluded conversation he mentioned that they both saw eye-to-eye on the issue of the High Strategos and that, under her employ, he would have plenty of opportunities to obtain the vengeance he sought.

Valkian and Arco started off as old friends who've caught up now that Arco has returned to Oppara and have now banded together for safety and security in the big city (seeing as they're both half-elves and of similar social status). They are both currently staying at a somewhat rowdy inn called the Frothing Otter in Lionsgate District.

Valkian was involved in an intricate caper that went south at the last possible minute. As he was apprehended, bound, blindfolded, and gagged by the guards he ended up in an unexpected place. Lady Martella Lotheed had been impressed by his audacity and skill, so she decided someone of his talents shouldn't be left out to dry. So there he was. The Lady suggested that all he really needed was a bit of "guidance" and offered him service in her employ.

When Arco returned to Oppara, enough time had passed, and he had changed enough, that most of the circles he used to run in no longer recognized him. "Most" but not all. He was contacted in the middle of the night by couriers working for Lady Martella Lotheed. She had recognized him and was amenable to the plight of the Verduran Woods. She offered to bring her considerable influence to bear on the senate on his behalf if he would be willing to join her as a her agent. Quid pro quo.
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Unread postby icycalm » 14 Dec 2020 21:46

So I was thinking of our session, and I realized something. Those gaffes some of us did? Like me mismanaging my funds and running back to ask Martella for an advance, or Chev going off to The Narrows and changing his mind and turning around when he reached it? Remember these characters are teenagers on their first major adventure; if this was a novel, a good novelist would have written in such gaffes; that they are happening in our game with no one planning them is a testament to the greatness of D&D if played, and role-played, properly, which we are clearly doing. Can't wait to play more.
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Session 1 - Valkian's account

Unread postby ExiledOne » 18 Dec 2020 02:43

Chatlog: http://vault.dndbattlegrounds.net/teams ... ion-1.html


Our grand adventure began with the party split into two separate groups, strangers to each other. The three nobles, Cedric, Ivan and Edward, began the day at Ivan's manor. They chatted for a bit about a credit line that Lady Martella Lotheed had given them to purchase fine clothing at her favourite clothing store. The three of them headed there and bought their clothes. Meanwhile the other group, consisting of the two half-elves, me and my friend Arco, woke up at a rather seedy inn known as The Frothing Otter, located in the Lionsgate District. We were also under the employ of Lady Martella so we decided to use our credit as well and purchased some new clothes. Why were we all given credit to a clothing store in the Westpark District? Because the Lotheed lady had a mission for us, and it required we be well-dressed.

To find more information, the two parties split further, with each person heading in different directions. Cedric headed to the Frothing Inn, where Arco was already drinking away merrily; they happened to meet there for the first time and drank together. Valkian and Ivan went to the docks to search for rumors while Edward headed to The Narrows, before realising his mistake since the area is a dump, and swiftly heading home. Once we were finished sniffing for rumours—and turned up nothing—we each headed to a cafè where the two groups finally met and were introduced to each other and instructed to join forces by Lady Martella herself. She then gave us information about what she wanted us to accomplish, ideally 'without a hitch' to use her phrasing. Our mission was political subterfuge. Lady Martella wants to ensure a senate vote goes a certain way and we're to do her dirty work. Pendants given to us would identify us as being senatorial aides, guaranteeing entrance to the party. These pendants also allow for communication telepathically with her, but only for a short time. Our task was to infiltrate the Senate party and while there succeed with our various individual missions. Certain restrictions are placed upon attendees though, as security protocols. Weapons reviewed and peace-bound, restrictions on spell-castings and certain animal companions and familiars, etc.

After the meeting with Lady Martella, we headed to Ivan's manor to discuss our missions and to prepare for them. Once preparations were made (by procuring small concealable weapons and so on), we changed into our new fine clothes and headed towards Senate's Hill for the party.
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Session 1 - Cedric's account

Unread postby icycalm » 22 Dec 2020 19:41

War for the Crown - Crownfall 1 with icycalm: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PYOQzmk ... PWcT9Qpixx


Martella offered us 150 gp per person for our jobs, or twice that if we pulled them off "without a hitch". I am not sure if that means that we ALL have to pull them off without a hitch to get the bonus, or if it's per person, so some people can fail while others get their bonus.

Either way, I don't expect us to pull anything off without a hitch, so this might be a moot point.
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Session 2 - Edward's account

Unread postby ChevRage » 29 Aug 2021 10:34

Chatlog: http://vault.dndbattlegrounds.net/teams ... ion-2.html


As we were waiting in the long line to enter the party, we got pulled aside by a female guard for a "random" inspection, and after being led to a holding area away from the prying eyes of the other guards we got introduced to a gruff man named Shadrick Orcface. He, as it turns out, would be helping out with our missions. After a few words of advice from the woman (some of us hadn't hidden our weapons very effectively, and she helped us with that), we were ushered into the halls of the senate building.

While inside, we had a discussion on how best to approach our numerous goals, and decided to split up for the time being. It was quite crowded and there were many figures of considerable influence spread out throughout the building. Each of us in a different room, we attempted to make ourselves more interesting to the nobles there in the hope of gathering some connections. Some of us had better success at this than the others.

At one point, the Princess Eutropia got up to make a speech, during which we noticed that one of the servants was up to something suspicious in the corner. On investigating, it turned out a guard had given him some rod that would have (unbeknownst to the servant) agitated a lot of bees and made quite the commotion had we not intervened. We have yet to find out who was to blame for this.

Lady Lotheed then summoned us to the second floor gallery through the enchanted pendants we were given. I hope it has nothing to do with Arco breaking protocol and casting a spell during the night; for the moment it seems that hasn't been found out.
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Session 3 - Edward's account

Unread postby ChevRage » 18 Dec 2021 19:29

War for the Crown - Crownfall 3 with ChevRage: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5nzTzOX ... PWcT9Qpixx

Chatlog: http://vault.dndbattlegrounds.net/teams ... ion-3.html


On our way up to the second floor balcony to meet Martella's summons, Arco and I spotted Valkian talking to a fellow who, on our introduction, we learned is part of the reason for this gala. His name was Kalbio of Breezy Creek and he was a newcomer to nobility via tonight's Exaltation ceremony that's meant to recognise his achievements. He was apparently an accomplished artist but the impression he gave off was more of a wide-eyed pup seeing new sights and smells for the first time.

We gave our introductions and congratulated the man before heading off upstairs. Our meeting with Martella was supposed to be confidential but unfortunately we noticed that Kalbio had followed us looking for more conversation. Arco promptly sent him off to get some wine, and he happily ran off eager to be considered useful.

After joining Martella, we found that she'd prepared another privacy-inducing contraption that prevented sound from escaping a small area around it. Here we could discuss our tasks without fear we would be overheard. She informed us that the night was around halfway through, which put considerable pressure on us as we had yet to accomplish a single of our tasks. Ivan in particular might have been feeling that pressure as he revealed a plan that could have gotten violent. Thankfully he was content to back down after I offered to help him butter one of his targets up. Martella also gave us a couple of suggestions.

Right before we concluded the meeting, Martella informed us that she was giving us another one: to keep an eye on a Lady Malphene Trant, and make sure she didn't bully some of the more impressionable senators into backing her father. She also mentioned for us to treat Kalbio well, and not involve him in our machinations.

After that, we split up again to pursue our tasks. Ivan and I managed to get Duke Centimus's stance on primogeniture from him (he was against it as it is currently written), completing half of Ivan's task. I was honestly thankful Ivan was there to back me up, since I almost slipped up and unwittingly insulted the man.

During that time it seems that Arco managed to deliver the letter he was bearing, only to be given another by Martella. And Valkian was having some serious trouble infiltrating the kitchens as Kalbio was stuck to him like glue and was inadvertently preventing him from exercising his particular set of skills. I hear they kicked up quite a fuss down there.

After we split up, Ivan approached his next target, Countess Abrielle, with a stunning display of strength with the help of Wyssilka the Clown, but he unfortunately blew his initial approach with some lame story. I joined in with the crowd on the senate floor having their mock arguments, hoping to get noticed by the man in the furs with the striking appearance.
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Unread postby icycalm » 19 Dec 2021 02:57

So we have some issues to deal with. The problem is that dan didn't properly parse the Player's Guide to give you what you needed from it. It's not a huge document, just 18 pages, but we couldn't give it to you because it's full of spoilers. So we needed to go through it and give you, in this thread, what you needed. dan gave you some of it, but not all of it. So I'll start the process now of giving you the rest, and once that's done I will discuss how we will deal with the issues that will arise out of this negligence.

Note that the letters are code. E.g. B1 means "Bestiary 1", UM means "Ultimate Magic". You can generally ignore these when you see them as you haven't unlocked any extra rulebooks yet.

ARCHETYPES AND CLASS OPTIONS
The challenges in War for the Crown rely as much on calm words and a winning smile as they do a sharp blade, and while combat will present itself, characters who can blend into the social scene or investigate strange events will find more opportunities to shine. Most character classes are suitable for War for the Crown, but those that revolve around rugged wilderness themes or with few options outside of combat may have less to do in many parts of the story. Character classes with diverse abilities—especially the bard, inquisitor, investigator, medium, rogue, swashbuckler, and vigilante—will find themselves well prepared for the variety of challenges they encounter. Martially inclined players will find more utility playing brawlers, cavaliers, and paladins than most fighters or rangers. For spellcasters, those whose arts come from study and control—alchemists, arcanists, clerics, magi, and wizards—are more readily accepted in high society than those whose magic is a result of often-untraceable ancestry, happenstance, or unknowable forces; oracles, sorcerers, summoners, and witches are typically looked down upon in Taldan society. In much of Taldor, classes that thrive in the wild world—barbarians, bloodragers, hunters, rangers, and skalds—will find their skills less useful and their presence less welcome than their urban counterparts. Many Taldans distrust druids in particular, invoking as their reason the centuries of animosity towards the Wildwood Lodge of the Verduran Forest.

As much of War for the Crown focuses on the history, legacies, and zeitgeist of Taldor, along with conspiracies and strange forces, the various occult classes are especially appropriate for this Adventure Path.


BLOODLINES, MYSTERIES, AND PATRONS
While sorcerer or bloodrager characters aren’t the best choices for Taldan adventures, they remain useful. The following suggestions fit the themes or provide abilities especially appropriate to this campaign: destined, draconic, imperiousARG, maestroUM, and starsoulAPG.

The oracle mysteries and shaman spirits with the strongest ties to the themes of the Adventure Path are ancestorUM, life, lore, metalUM, and timeUM.

Apt witch patrons for the War for the Crown include ancestorsUM, deception, timeUM, trickery, and wisdom.

Of course, these choices are only suggestions, and players should not feel limited to these options.


FAMILIAR AND ANIMAL COMPANIONS
Exotic pets are not uncommon among the nobles of Taldor, and the nation’s diverse environments guarantee that a wide variety of animals can be found within its borders. Familiars in particular are a common sight among the aristocracy. While wealthier families may pay royal sums for exotic beasts from across the sea, familiars native to Taldor include cat, flying foxB5, flying squirrelB3, foxB3, greensting scorpion UM, hawk, hedgehogUM, house centipedeUM, lizard, monkey, otterB3, owl, peafowlUW, rabbitUW, rat, raven, squirrelUW, thrushUM, toad, and weasel.

The following animals are found throughout Taldor and the Verduran Forest and make readily available animal companions: antelopeB3, baboonB2, badgerB2, bear, bird, camel, big cat, small cat, crocodile, digmaul B5, dog, horse, hyenaB1, monitor lizardB1, pony, ramB2, giant ravenB6, rocB1, venomous snake, stagB4, swanB4, giant vultureB3, and wolf. Of these, however, only the bird, small cat, dog, horse, pony, and swan are considered appropriate in aristocratic gatherings.


LANGUAGES
Common is by definition the language of Taldor, as Taldor originated the Common tongue. Academics and sophisticates often opt to learn Azlanti, Celestial, or Elven as a status symbol. The nation’s proximity to Qadira means many merchants, soldiers, and travelers speak Kelish. Taldor’s historical march over much of Kellid territory means many lower-class citizens, especially those living in and around the Verduran Forest, speak a bit of Hallit. By contrast, Taldor’s many dwarves and halflings rarely use nonhuman languages outside of their own communities, making experience with Dwarven and Halfling rare outside of those groups.

Oppara in particular sees a large variety of languages. Skald is common among soldiers and servants thanks to the presence of the Ulfen Guard, while Taldor’s trade relationships with Osirion and Jalmeray lead a sizable minority of merchants and accountants to study Osiriani and Vudrani.


RACES
Taldor’s history of empire and trade is visible in its people. For centuries, Taldor conquered every land it could and traded with those it didn’t; modern Taldans, noble and common alike, represent nearly every human ethnicity. The nation also hosts a wide variety of other humanoids. Dwarves native to Taldor make their homes in Maheto and the Sky Citadel Kravenkus. The Verduran Forest supports a large population of gnomes, centered in and around Wispil. Halfling villages and farmsteads dot the Taldan countryside, while their urban counterparts work as bakers, cooks, entertainers, and servants. Part-humans, from half-elves to geniekin, also number among Taldor’s citizens. Some rare races call Taldor home as well; reclusive families of fetchlings dwell in the shadows of great cities, while gillmen can be found all along the western coasts. Skinwalkers descended from the lycanthropes of the Verduran Forest live in the rural north. Even tengus and vishkanyas have crossed Golarion to come to Taldor. Non-human visitors are also a regular occurrence, especially dwarves from the Five Kings Mountains and elves from Kyonin.

Despite this cosmopolitan veneer, Taldor remains a stubbornly old-fashioned, humanocentric empire with little regard for non-humans. Stigma toward part-humans such as half-orcs, half-elves, and geniekin is especially virulent, with some humans openly labeling such folk “mongrels” or worse. Half-elves descended from noble Taldans generally have the resources to live in comfort, but at the cost of lifelong reclusion. Halflings, gnomes, and half-orcs are considered suitable only for roles as servants. Dwarves and elves experience exceptions to this discrimination, but only because of their perceived benefits to Taldan humans—elves for their beauty and sophistication, and dwarves for their part in Taldor’s economic bounty.

The notable exception to this backwards attitude is the Taldan acceptance of aasimars. The people of Taldor believe the angel-blooded stem from their eons-long relationship with the god Aroden, and see them as physical manifestations of Taldor’s own cultural and moral enlightenment.


RELIGION
Worship of Aroden is still a part of Taldan daily life to some degree, but while the church still exists, its coffers are nearly empty, leaving it with little political power. The practical gods of Taldor are Abadar, Cayden Cailean, Norgorber, and Shelyn—the so-called Taldan pantheon—with sizable cults of Calistria, Iomedae, and Kurgess as well. Many staunch Taldan traditionalists still consider worship of Sarenrae taboo, but now that the faith is no longer outlawed it enjoys a growing popularity among the poor. Worship of darker gods divides sharply along class boundaries; indulgent nobles often form cults to Urgathoa to worship her aspect as the goddess of gluttony and indulgence, whereas the poor turn to Norgorber, especially his aspect as the Gray Master. The Green Faith is dominant in the Verduran Forest, and, surprisingly, the empire has imported some diabolism from Cheliax.


SKILLS AND FEATS
At many points during War for the Crown, various social and knowledge skills will prove critical for winning allies and uncovering clues. While combat and physical challenges will still present themselves, players may risk feeling left out if their characters don’t have at least one of the following skills: Bluff, Diplomacy, Intimidate, or Sense Motive. Skills that are less critical but still appear frequently include Knowledge (history), Knowledge (nobility), Performance, Profession, and Stealth. Many useful feats for social encounters and investigations can be found in Pathfinder Roleplaying Game: Ultimate Intrigue.

Especially thematic feats include the Cosmopolitan, Flagbearer, Noble Scion, Secret Signs, Stoic, and Taldan Duelist feats from Pathfinder Campaign Setting: The Inner Sea World Guide, as well as story feats that delve into a character’s heritage. Non-humans may benefit from the Pass for Human APG feat as they cross paths with Taldor’s more conservative personages. Taldor is also a nation of duelists, and combat feats such as Amateur SwashbucklerACG, Combat Expertise, Combat Reflexes, Improved Disarm, Lunge, Spring Attack, and Weapon Finesse are all thematically appropriate.

With ready access to a huge variety of services, the PCs will have little need for crafting feats.


TRAITS
In addition to the Campaign Traits listed below, several traits from Pathfinder Roleplaying Game: Advanced Player’s Guide are particularly fitting for the themes of War for the Crown, or provide access to important skills. These include Adopted, Armor Expert, Bully, Classically Schooled, Ease of Faith, Eyes and Ears of the City, Fast-Talker, Fencer, Focused Mind, Magical Talent, Savannah Child, Suspicious, Well-Informed, and World Traveler. Beyond these, Pathfinder Player Companion: Spymaster’s Handbook presents many new traits appropriate to this campaign, in particular Criminal Roots, Deep Cover, Hidden Faith, Official Ties, and Persuasive Insight.
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Unlocked Simplified Social Combat!

Unread postby icycalm » 19 Dec 2021 04:58

Moving on, here are the social combat rules you've been using so far, and will keep using for quite a while—again all from the Player's Guide. There's no reason not to show you these; they are the social equivalent of regular combat, all of whose rules players are allowed and even encouraged to learn. The better you learn them, the more effectively you'll be able to socially maneuver, and you'll also be able to help me run the game faster and smoother.

Note that these are the simplified rules that come with the campaign. They are a mere two pages, yet still very complex as you can see.

What about the full-blown rules in the "Ultimate Intrigue" book? You'll be unlocking those at some point, I just haven't decided yet exactly when. Certainly by the end of the campaign, even if it is failed halfway through or whatever. But my desire is to introduce these rules as soon as possible, so as to make as much of the campaign as complex as possible. The switch will happen when I feel that both I and you have mastered the basic rules and are running them quickly and smoothly. At that point, we'll begin looking at the extra rulebook and deciding what to introduce from it.

Note that I have blanked out the first block of text from the pages below. That's because it's full of spoilers. I will generally prefer to give you the PDF instead of copy-pasted text, wherever possible, because it's much nicer and more immersive to read; but this means there will be blanked-out text on occasion.

Note also that you guys don't have access obviously to the stat blocks the rules talk about. Those are in the adventure books. It would be much easier for you to understand the rules if you had one of those stat blocks, and I suppose I could blank one out and give it to you, but it's too much extra work at this point with all the rest I have to deal with right now. It's ok, you're smart guys, you'll figure it out.

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icycalm
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Unread postby icycalm » 21 Dec 2021 15:41

It looks like every adventure in this campaign introduces a new mechanical system. You know those two pages of social combat mechanics we've been struggling to learn? The next adventure's new system is five pages... So by the end of the six adventures we could have 20 or more new pages of rules. Just from this campaign alone.

And that's the simplified version...

Let's not even talk about the fact that the cast doubles every book. You haven't even seen HALF of the characters in the FIRST adventure yet. We could easily have 200+ characters by the end of it. From ONE campaign.

Btw you'll lose your shit over how cool the next adventure is. It's a fucking movie. It's taking me supreme strength of will to not spoil anything. I just hope you make it there.
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Session 4 - Arco's account

Unread postby Archonus » 21 Dec 2021 21:26

Chatlog: http://vault.dndbattlegrounds.net/teams ... ion-4.html


The festivities continued at the senate and so did my courier work for these nobles. I like to think I'm quite patient but all these delivers were starting to get on my nerves. I'm a Caydenite priest, not some messenger boy! But it's for the mission, so I grinned and bore it.

While I was playing postman my companions had been making progress in their own missions. Lady Martella used telepathy again to inform us of a Senator Dou being accosted by Dame Trant and her retinue. Edward and Ivan were able to take care of the situation without having to draw blood or cause a ruckus, and all Ivan had to do was get a little pissed and look a little dangerous to scare the harpy off. The senator said Trant was demanding he answer her father's call for an alliance of some sort. He also expressed gratitude for my companions' help and even promised a reward for it! He said to meet him in his office tomorrow. I wonder what he has for us?

Edward meanwhile met Baron Nicolaus Okerra, a noble hero who is said to fight as good as he looks. The Baron is a proponent of primogeniture and thus an opponent of the Princess and her bid to end the tradition. Edward expressed regret over realising he may have to sabotage this man who he's taken a liking to after enjoying a pleasant conversation with him about noble matters.

Ivan continued to attempt to impress himself upon the Countess Abrielle. He tried chatting her up about the architectural work found in the senate building, but only managed to bore her, yet gained her attention and approval when he was able to accurately appraise the value of her beloved jewelry. Hmm, I would never have guessed a hardened warrior like Ivan to care for such things. Just another of life's many little surprises.

Oh, and Valkian finally managed to get that bottle spiked with the help of a disguise! Good ol' fashioned rogue work. I would have been willing to help but I kept getting caught up in throngs of very well dressed party goers while trying to relay these massages back and forth across the senate. Valk also revisited that cute halfling juggler entertaining the children in order to try and pry some information out of their noble parents.

And finally, our friend Kalbio has been rather helpful in our quests tonight. I like that man, he's simple and friendly, just like me! But there's also something... strange about him. I can't put my finger on it but he seems oddly eager to help us and follow us around. I suppose only time will tell...
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Session 4 - Edward's viewpoint

Unread postby ChevRage » 23 Dec 2021 19:52

War for the Crown - Crownfall 4 with ChevRage: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Trbamm ... PWcT9Qpixx
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Session 5 - Ivan's account

Unread postby Robomoo » 23 Dec 2021 19:54

Chatlog: http://vault.dndbattlegrounds.net/teams ... ion-5.html


While the rest of my companions made progress with their own missions, I continued to pursue the Lady Pace. I seemed to be gaining ground, when there was a great hubbub in the senate below us, somewhere in the direction of the entrance hall. People crowded to the edge of the gallery and throngs gathered around the statues in the Arcade of Triumphs as a red carpet was rolled out between them and down the great front steps the Emperor was climbing up.

Senators and servants alike fell hushed and craned their necks to catch a glimpse of the man. I myself got a good look at him from my vantage point. Flanked by a score of battle-hardened warriors from the far north, he still cut a regal figure despite his age, striding swiftly through the crowds with head held high and that scepter of his clutched in a firm grip. I wonder that those Linnorm men don't get bored of standing guard to an old man in peaceful Oppara, and long for the icy battlefields of their homeland...

Shortly behind the Emperor were several more latecomers, illustrious senators and personages of great power and influence who caused a stir of their own as they arrived and began to mingle with the other guests. I and my companions reconvened on the senate floor to discuss our progress and these new arrivals. This was our chance to forge connections with them—perhaps the only chance we'd ever get—but the evening was drawing to a close and we had our missions to complete, and our obligations to Martella to uphold. What where we to do? We never reached a consensus, and soon scattered back to pursue our disparate goals.

Arco, the half-elf druid, was at last finished with Lady Martella's errands, and he gleefully set off in search of an eccentric-looking gnome woman we'd all seen enter the gardens. Valkian told us he had not only succeeded in spiking the wine, but that he'd been spending time gaining favour in the upper gallery performing acrobatics. The kids milling there loved his act, and he had the run of the place. It seemed only Edward and I, the two who should have been most at home in the senate, were left with tasks undone. Edward, believing he was close to gaining sway over the Baron Okerra, left to continue wooing him. Gritting my teeth, I prepared to do the same with Abrielle.

Despite my greatest efforts, I could only seem to bore the damned woman, and to my great dismay she soon left in a huff. Despairing, I went in search of help, and found a triumphant Edward talking animatedly with the Baron, the two seeming to have already become good friends. I hope I didn't dull their mood when I butted in and began complaining of my troubles, but thankfully Edward agreed to help with Abrielle. Lacking anything better to do, I then excused myself and went downstairs to the archives to look for an interesting figure I had seen enter there—a blond plate-armored warrior—leaving my mission to fate, and Edward's capable hands.

The two half-elves later related to me that they'd had some success talking to other newcomers. Arco's gnome turned out to not be a druid, or at least wouldn't let on, but the two seemed to click like peas in a pod nonetheless, and he soon had her twirled around his finger, laughing out loud at his bad jokes and listening intently to anecdotes about that ridiculous drunken god of his. She was Marquess Tanasha Starborne, a senator representing the interests of the gnomes of Wispil and the fey of the Verduran Forest, and she seemed to be extremely glad of the company of another wildling.

Valkian meanwhile had ingratiated himself with an extremely beautiful young woman who hung back from the other guests on the far side of the gallery. It turned out she was a newly-minted senator, the Marquess Charlotte Deschamps, who'd worked her way up to the position despite being born a commoner.

Both women gave the impression that they might, in the right circumstances, become very powerful allies.
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Unlocked The Dragon's Demand!

Unread postby icycalm » 23 Dec 2021 20:17

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Battlegrounds wrote:Founded by a famous dragonslayer, the small town of Belhaim has become a sleepy rural community just off the beaten path, a settlement where everyone knows everyone and strangers are the talk of the town.


You unlocked this when Arco spoke with the Marquess Tanasha Starborne. She's from the Verduran Forest, where this adventure will be placed on the overworld. It is for 1st-level characters and has 64 pages, meaning it gives 64 EP if completed. For comparison, each of the six adventures in a PF campaign is 96 pages.

An interesting factoid about this adventure is that its mockup cover from before it was released is maybe prettier than its final cover:

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The mock logo is cooler too.

It doesn't have a dragon though, so that's probably why they scrapped it lol.
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icycalm
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Unlocked Dungeon Alchemist!

Unread postby icycalm » 05 Apr 2022 17:08

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You unlocked this at the start of the campaign because Robo's character has a noble manor in Oppara. Specifically, only Robo has unlocked it, because he's the only one who owns property, but because he's part of the campaign, the campaign as a whole has unlocked it. If/when other players acquire property, they'll unlock it too.

I will be designing the manor because Robo's character just got it, he didn't build it from scratch. So no one needs to purchase this program. However, if Robo later wants to modify the building, by adding say a floor, or even making interior decoration changes, he might need the program. If it's something small, he can tell me to make the change, but if he wants to get in there himself and really customize stuff, he'll need the program.

Note that characters can't make major changes without the appropriate skills such as Profession (Architect) or (Engineer) etc. If they don't have such skills, they'll have to hire people (and there'll be rolls involved in both cases). Interior decoration changes can be done by anyone on the other hand.
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icycalm
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Unlocked Lost Omens: Legends!

Unread postby icycalm » 01 Jul 2022 06:36

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"Lost Omens: Legends" is a Second Edition book, but I am giving you the heads-up that you've already unlocked it in the sense that, in order to better run the War for the Crown campaign, I had to read a few pages from it (two pages, to be exact). I'll give you Paizo's official description:

Paizo wrote:It's not always what you know, but who you know!

The heroes of the Age of Lost Omens forge their path through an uncertain world, but that world has been shaped by many others who came before or who now stand beside them! "Lost Omens: Legends" provides details on 42 of the Inner Sea region's biggest personalities, from queens and kings that rule the present to distant figures from Golarion's past. Uncover details from the inner lives of movers and shakers from all around the globe, as well as the secret techniques, items, and knowledge PCs might gain from encountering these larger-than-life figures!


So the book basically contains deeper details on the Inner Sea region's top 42 movers and shakers, with special focus on how these characters have developed AFTER the First Edition's 24 campaigns. There are even several charts at the end of the book schematizing their relationships in the overall metaplot. It's a terrific book.

And, so far, in the Battlegrounds, you have met ONE of these characters, in this campaign. I won't tell you for now the character's name or the session of the encounter(s). Once it's clear the character is a major figure, I'll do the reveal.

Btw, we are several sessions behind in the summaries, but it happened in one of the summaries we've already posted.

1/42 done. 41 more to go!
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