Spell Cards

Hey All,

I've completed my spell cards for my character. What do you think? If you've got a spell that you think you'll be casting often and want a card for it, let me know and I'll make one up. Equipment and weapons are fine too.

Cheers,

Ryan

Character Portraits

Portrait cards for Mine and John's characters. Send me info and picture if you want me to make you one.

Copies of Your Characters

Once you're comfortable with a "final build" of your character, please create a copy of them for me - character sheet as well as any pertinent background summaries that may be useful to flesh out any side quests you might want developed.

Rivers Run Red

I was flipping through Kingmaker 2 (Rivers Run Red) last night and thought I'd share some of the things that jumped out at me as Paizo continues their experiment in sandbox adventures and kingdom-building.

• 2 is very much a continuation of 1 in that it mostly expands the sandbox. And adds kingdom building. Aw yeah. Kingdom building.
  
• Kingdom building looks awesome.
  
• Rome was not build in a day. It will take time for your fledgling kingdom to mature. Once you get settled in years will pass and you will have to think of what you want to do long-term with your character (as well as the kingdom). This is not an Archie comic. Dewey's character will grow up. Larry's character will get old. Be prepared.
  
• We may have sessions down the road that mostly or entirely consist of kingdom management. While bean-counting and infrastructure management don't sound like fun in real life, I foresee it being a hootenanny when your capital city (and its residents) are at stake! Be forewarned, it will not all be dungeons and dragons. That's... that other game.
• "That other stuff that so-called adventurers do" is, of course, always available in sandbox form if you guys just wanna smash some face and get some loot. Cuz who doesn't once in a while?
  

Interesting times ahead...

Expectations for Kingmaker Kick-off

As we approach our first real session, I thought I'd clarify what's expected for the May 2 prologues - I've been getting a few questions so chances are others have them.

• You should have an introductory scene prepared (at least in mind) that will introduce your character to the party. It need not be action-packed (not all characters are so), but it should be evocative of who you're playing in the story.
  
• Since I will likely be the primary person helping you run your scene, please fill me in on how you would like it to play out so that I can help you get to where you want to go. If I have to guess, you could get disappointed, and that's no fun.
• If you want to include others in your scene (for example you want to introduce your relationship with another party member), best get that character's player involved too for similar reasons.
• By the end of your scene(s?) you should have a charter (in hand or by association) from the Lord Mayor of Restov (sanctioned by Lord Regent Noleski Surtova himself!) to strike out and tame the Stolen Lands. To the south!

This session will be pretty free-form - the main goal is to set the tone for some good narrative. Once the ball gets rolling we'll be dialing down the role-play and dialing up the roll-play. :)

Hey All,

Looking forward to gaming on the 2nd. What should I bring? I'm hoping to have a character map done, and maybe make some cards for my character a la 4th ed. Especially spells... We'll see how they go, but I'll post some if/when I get them done.

Frailty

It was a crisp cool autumn night in the village of Gettins as the moon crested over the peaks of Mount Vehska onto the lands below. Mist crept down from the mountain through the rolling hills and into the village like a vast ghostly lake overfilling its bounds. Colourful lanterns were hung about the village as if to stem the tide yet their light was nearly engulfed before cutting through. Laughter cut through the fog, the laughter of children, running and playing in the streets, an unusual site in the village of Gettins. But tonight was the night of the Harvest when even the most grizzled herder and stoic woodsman would celebrate the bounties of the gods. Man would sit in each other’s companies and regale each other with outlandish tales of their ancestor’s tales. Children would sometimes gather, but would more often than not run with wild abandonment, for there were few times in a child’s life in Gettins that wasn’t free of work and toil.

For one child in the village there was never a moment that wasn’t full of anguish and terror.

Jonah Evanstree lived as a shadow, remaining as silent and as invisible as the night. He lived with his grandfather, an ill tempered old herder of goats, a rude ignorant old man filled with loathing and spite. At least this is what the villagers thought, but Jonah knew the truth. Doran Evanstree was a monster.

Jonah never knew his father, only to here that he was probably the son of some demon spawn, a foul creature. His mother died during child birth, a “slut witch” who got what she deserved. And Jonah? According to his grandfather was the grand Demon himself and it was his grandfather’s duty to eternally punish him.

As long as he could remember his life was a routine of misery. Brutally hard work with little rest and little food usually followed by hours of beatings and degrading tirades by his grandfather. The hours turned into days, the days into weeks and the weeks into years. For Jonas the only respite was when he slept. For why would one dream when they lived an eternal nightmare?
Eight long years passed as Jonah turned into a pitiful creature of fear and self hatred. Doran became more unhinged as the years passed, his darkness working through him like a venom, the last of his humanity eroded away by the copious spirits he engulfed every night. It was a mixed blessing for Jonas, sometimes his grandfather would forget all about him and collapse in the hearth of his disgusting hovel. But sometimes he would remember, and the last bit of humanity, the last bit of restraint, was forgotten. The beatings that Jonas received at these times would leave him in a ruined heap for a week at a time, sometimes he would pray to the gods to take him. It was during one of these times that his prayers were answered, albeit from the most unlikely of sources...

Jonas was lying under his bed, nursing what he was sure was a broken arm, whimpering begging for deaths. His heart was dark with hatred, not of his grandfather, the fear he felt would not allow it. He hated himself, he hated his existence. In a moment of darkness he called upon the demon powers his grandfather swore he was from to take his life... and from the darkness came an answer...

“Oy! Carful whatcha wish for laddy! Ya never know whose listen!”

Jonas’ head jerked, smacking into the top of his bed his eyes rolled back in pain, when they came into focus again he was staring into the eyes of a rat. He nearly screamed in terror, but lacking the strength it came out as a painful wheeze.
“Easy there laddy! Ricker is a trained battle rat! He’ll chew yer eyes out if he thinks your trouble... “ Jonas’ eyes were drawn up to the curious figure up top of the rat. It was a tiny creature perhaps 2 inches tall made of twigs and mud, it’s eyes were two small dark black pebbles. It wore a tiny black cloak and appeared to carry a miniature rapier at its side. The stick creature patted the side of the rat he rode on. “Easy there Ricker... this here he’s the reason they sent us out of the Mists, though he looks like no prince to me... “ Ricker approached Jonas again, the little creature on its back taking it all in. “Though looks can be deceiving...” the little creature smiled, it’s mouth full of smaller white triangular rocks... “now get out from under there son of Wodak. We have things to discuss.”

Jonas, his strength very slowly returning was stunned... “I... I... I...”

“By the Lady’s Breeches!!!” The stick creature cursed poking Jonas with his rapier, “are ye truly a daft child! Hrmph!” as it kicked it’s tiny foot, replete with miniature leather riding boots, into Jonas’ side. “I don’t believe it! If your father could see ya now... he is not gonna like this one bit!”

“My father... he, he’s a demon...”

“A WHAT!!!” the tree creature squealed “OY... get out from under there boy. We need to discuss your future. There are things coming... horrible things. And beautiful things as well. Yours is the hand of a shaper... “ for a moment the creature’s tone softened and even in his damaged state Jonas could sense its cavernous sorrow, “and your time is short. Now get up.. we have things to discuss...”

But alas that is a conversation for another day.

Google Calendar

Let's give Google Calendar a whirl for scheduling. You should all have an invite to join the Kingmaker Calendar in your inbox.

Johnny, Larry, you guys are still in charge of scheduling our sessions please and thank you.

Hopefully this makes it easier to game more often!

Char pics

Hey All,

I was going to make a relationship map so we'd have a better idea of how the party will interact.

Send me names, and a pic for your character to include. If you trust my judgement, I can choose a pic too.

Ryan

Preparing for the Trip

Journal Entry 1 - Pre-journey
I have spent most of the morning reading my meager gear for this trip. It was a most unfortunate turn of events at the dice game last night, I was doing quite well that I almost suspect that the dice were rigged. However, caution made me hold my tongue, the ruffians that I was playing with weren't the usual sort I hung around with so I was a tad unsure how they would have reacted. Knowing my luck they would have reacted quite badly to the accusation. So my coin pouch is much lighter than expected. Fortunately I had purchased most of the supplies I truly needed, but a horse would have been very useful.

Now I must hurry and join my companion as we head to the Stolen Lands to explore and hopefully claim a chunck of land.

Housekeeping Note - Automatic E-mail

I have added you players to an e-mail distribution list and will be receiving an e-mail with each post. This is merely to get the ball rolling. If you are planning on subscribing and would prefer not to receive an e-mail every time someone uses the blog please let me know and I'll remove you from the subscription.

Character Creation Guidelines

• Only official Pathfinder products are valid for character creation, including the final draft of the Advanced Player's Guide playtest rules
• Pathfinder OGL content is acceptable, but must be reviewed by the GM to see if it needs a tweak for the Pathfinder rules system
• We'll be using 20-point buy (High Fantasy) for attributes (p. 16 Core Rulebook)
• Players receive 2 bonus traits from the Kingmaker Player's Guide or standard trait set
• The Leadership feat is unavailable
  

Into the Wild

South of Rostland, the hills rise and forests bloom into a land that has long remained wild, despite numerous attempts by colonists from both north and south to claim and civilize it. Taldor made the most ambitious attempt to settle this realm, but even that great nation failed to tame the wilderness that lies in a green swath between Brevoy and the River Kingdoms proper. This region is known as the Stolen Lands, as the wilds are viewed as territory unfairly claimed (and lost) by the other. It has lain fallow for decades since the previous attempt at colonization, and some whisper that the time is ripe for another attempt.

Yet before the Stolen Lands can be claimed, they must be known. Old ruins, monuments to previous failures, dot the landscape, home now to all manner of savage humanoid tribe and ravenous glowering monstrosity. Bandits and barbarians are the closest thing to civilization an explorer can expect to encounter in this deadly but beautiful wilds.

-- from Taldan historian Gustav Devarr's "Kingdoms of the Lost"

Welcome to Kingmaker!

Welcome to our online home for all things Kingmaker! Here you'll be able to post anything you'd like to preserve for the Kingmaker campaign - ideas, questions, rules, fiction, you name it.

You'll be receiving a subsequent e-mail adding you as an author to the blog, but in the meantime you can add it to your bookmarks (kingmaker-campaign.blogspot.com) or subscribe to it in your favourite RSS reader.

Enjoy!