Notes for a New Campaign City, Parsantium

[arcanaman]

thankyou for clearing that up

[RichGreen]

Hi,

The second adventure for the Flotsam-based PCs will be the investigation into the murder of the orphan girl, Ashna, which I've written about before on this thread.

I've done this encounter as a skill challenge and am looking for feedback on this thread. Please check it out and let me know what you think!

Cheers


Richard

[RichGreen]

Here's some 4e stats for Jagadish, thuggee killer of Ashna:

Jagadish
Level 4 Skirmisher
Medium natural humanoid XP 175

Initiative +6 Senses Perception +2
HP 50; Bloodied 25
AC 18; Fortitude 16, Reflex 18, Will 17
Speed 6

m Scimitar (standard; at-will) ✦ Weapon
+8 vs. AC; 1d8 + 4 damage

R Dagger(standard; at-will) ✦ Weapon
Ranged 5/10; +9 vs. AC; 1d4 + 4 damage.

M Strangle (standard; sustain standard; at-will)
Requires combat advantage; +7 vs Reflex; 1d10+3 dmg and target is grabbed (until escape). A target trying to escape the grab at -4 penalty to the check. Jagadish can sustain the power as a standard action, dealing 1d10+3 dmg and maintaining the grab.

Combat Advantage
Jagadish deals an extra 1d6 dmg on melee attacks on any targets he has combat advantage against.

Alignment Chaotic Evil Languages Batiaran, Sahasran
Skills Acrobatics +10, Stealth +10, Thievery +10
Str 12 (+3) Dex 16 (+5) Wis 11 (+2)
Con 10 (+2) Int 10 (+2) Cha 12 (+3)
Equipment leather armor, scimitar, 4 daggers, strangle cord, thieves tools

Jagadish has a black skull (the symbol of Kali) tattooed on the base of his spine. He wears red robes over his armour and a black turban. With a DC 15 Perception check, a PC can notice scratches on his arm – these were made by Ashna as she struggled to escape from him.

This guy is based on the Halfling Thief in the MM with the strangle power stolen from the Bugbear Strangler.

Any comments?


Richard

[arcanaman]

I really like your description of him it is not what I first imagined thought he would look like your average joe but I like this to

[RichGreen]

Originally Posted by arcanaman

I really like your description of him it is not what I first imagined thought he would look like your average joe but I like this to

Thanks. I might tone his appearance down a bit - a turban is a common sight in the Old Quarter, but I think I'll make his robes into a dark red tunic. He's still meant to be a striking-looking figure so he would have needed to don an "average joe" disguise while asking around the docks after Ashna!

Cheers


Richard

[RichGreen]

Hi,

Here are the stats for the Thuggee cultists. For a tough level 3 encounter worth 799xp, the PCs will have to fight four of these guys, Jagadish and four human rabble (minions). Too much for five 1st-2nd level PCs? I'm expecting them to use daily powers as they're in the city but the Thuggees will probably get surprise.

Thuggees, human cultists (4)
Level 2 Skirmisher
Medium natural humanoid XP 125 each
Initiative +6 Senses Perception +1
HP37; Bloodied 18
AC 16; Fortitude 12, Reflex 14, Will 12
Speed 6

m War Pick (standard; at-will) ✦ Weapon
+4 vs. AC; 1d8 + 1 damage, and the Thuggee shifts 1 square (crit 1d8+9).

r Dagger (standard; at-will) ✦ Weapon
Ranged 5/10; +6 vs. AC; 1d4 + 3 damage.

M Steel Serpent Strike (standard; encounter) ✦ Weapon
+4 vs. AC; 2d8 + 1 damage, the target is slowed and cannot shift until end of your next turn, and the Thuggee shifts 1 square

Coordinated Strike
When two Thuggee are in adjacent squares and attack the same enemy, they gain combat advantage against him.

Combat Advantage
The Thuggee deals an extra 1d6 damage on melee and ranged attacks against any target it has combat advantage against.

Alignment Chaotic Evil Languages Batiaran, Sahasran, Thuggee cant.
Skills Stealth +9, Streetwise +7, Thievery +9
Str 12 (+2) Dex 17 (+4) Wis 11 (+1)
Con 13 (+2) Int 10 (+1) Cha 10 (+2)

Equipment leather armor under normal clothes, war pick, 4 daggers.

I will add Coordinated Strike to Jagadish's stats too.

Let me know what you think!


Richard

[RichGreen]

Hi,

I've spent some time today working on the second adventure in which the PCs investigate the death of Ashna, one of the Water Boys, after she witnesses the Dockside Crew unloading slaves from a pirate ship.

I've written up the Old Fishery where the Dockside Crew are based. For this location, I'm using the map and some of the descriptions from Pathfinder #7 Edge of Anarchy. However, there are no orphans here -- just gang members -- and sleazeball Gaedren Lamm is replaced by Elias Wang, a Fu Manchu moustachioed evil warlock:

Elias Wang, Dockside Crew leader & human warlock
Level 3 Elite Skirmisher, 300 xp
Initiative +3 Senses Perception +1
HP 84; Bloodied 42
AC 18; Fortitude 15, Reflex 17, Will 17
Saving Throws +2
Speed 6
Action Points 1

m Dagger (standard; at-will) ✦ Weapon
+7 vs. AC; 1d4 + 2 damage.

R Spiteful Glamour (standard; at-will) ✦ Psychic
Ranged 10; +9 vs. Will; 1d8 + 4 psychic damage, or 1d12 + 3 psychic damage against targets at full hit points.

C Cursebite (standard; encounter) ✦ Necrotic
Close burst 20; +9 vs. Fortitude; 2d8 + 4 necrotic damage; affects all creatures suffering from warlock’s curse.

Warlock’s Curse (minor; at-will, 1/round)
Closest enemy; Elias designates target as cursed. His attacks deal an extra 1d6 damage. A target can have only
one curse at a time.

Darkspiral Aura (free; at-will) ✦ Necrotic, Psychic
Whenever an enemy Elias has cursed is reduced to 0 hit points, he adds 1 point to his darkspiral aura. Once per
round as a free action, when an enemy makes a melee or ranged attack against him, he can use his darkspiral aura
to deal 1d6 necrotic and psychic damage per point in the aura and reset the aura to 0. If his aura deals at least 12
damage, he can reset the aura to 1 instead, but the attack deals half damage.

Alignment Evil Languages Common
Skills Acrobatics +5, Bluff +9, Insight +6, Intimidate +9, Stealth +5
Str 10 (+1) Dex 14 (+3) Wis 11 (+1) Con 13 (+2) Int 16 (+4) Cha 16 (+4)
Equipment leather armor, dagger, +1 magic rod (+1d6 extra dmg on critical hits)

Now I need to track down (or come up with) some 4e stats for a shark and tiny monstrous spiders!

Cheers


Richard

[RichGreen]

Next things to write: Orloch Scragmane's HQ in a slum tenement and the Night Market in the Hidden Quarter where the PCs must rescue the slaves before they're sold off to sinister villains.

Any suggestions?


Richard

[RichGreen]

South west of Flotsam, the Dock Ward gets even more run-down as you enter the slums.

Here, wooden shacks have been built on top of other wooden shacks in a higgledy-piggledy fashion, creating tall and rickety-looking apartment blocks and tenements in which a family of 12 is often crammed into a single room with a simple stove to cook on and no sanitation. The streets and alleys are close together, with the top storeys of buildings on opposite sides often leaning in and nearly touching, making those walking below feel claustrophobic.

Beggars, many of whom are missing limbs or eyes, sit on street corners, their bowls stretched out to passers-by, and cheap prostitutes offer their bodies for copper coins. Gangs of desperate men skulk in the alleyways at night, looking for people less fortunate than themselves to rob.
Disease is common, and the streets are full of flea-ridden cats and troops of mangy blue-bottomed monkeys hunting for something to eat. The whole district is smoky due to the fires, but the smells of food cooking (usually lentils or rice with some scraps of meat, fish or vegetables and a pinch of spice) does little to mask the stench of unwashed bodies and waste.
This part of the Old Quarter is under the control of the Bosses, greedy independent crime lords, who own the tenements and shacks and prey on the weak. Orloch Scragmane is just one of half a dozen or so of these scumbags. The gnoll gangster is based in a rundown tenement building next door to a small chapel dedicated to Pelor run by Brother Jerome, a kindly cleric trying to do some good by running a soup kitchen for the needy.

Any comments?


Richard

[arcanaman]

very real

[RichGreen]

I'd been wondering about how to fit the dragonborn into Parsantium and really wasn't sure if I wanted to include them despite thinking all the 4e PH races should be available. Then I read the excellent Ecology of the Dragonborn article in Dragon #365 and decided they would fit in very well indeed.

Parsantium's Dragonborn
The dragonborn and the tieflings originate in the southern lands, far from Parsantium. Here their two ancient empires clashed and ultimately fell into ruin. The clan (a federation of allied families) is important to dragonborn; many living in Parsantium are members of the Moonscale clan and live in the same residential district in the Emerald Ward near the Victory Gate. At the heart of this community is the clan hall – a tradition carried on from their ancient homeland.

Some of Parsantium’s dragonborn are paladins serving in the Platinum Knights of Bahamut, others are wizards and sorcerers (some belonging to the Esoteric Order of the Blue Lotus). Many more are jewellers, gemcutters, smiths or minters; there are several fine shops selling dragonborn-made jewellery in the ward.

Gnolls have been part of the city from the start. For some reason, I've always thought they were cool. Imagine my joy at seeing Playing Gnolls in Dragon #367. This is a great article containing lots of background stuff as well as rules of playing a gnoll including feats. I'm hoping someone is going to play a gnoll when the campaign gets going.....

[RichGreen]

Hi,

I'm toying with using the Beggar-King's base in Sellswords of Punjar from Goodman Games for this. It's almost too good a fit! There are even low-level gnolls in the adventure!

Cheers


Richard

[RichGreen]

Hi,

I haven't posted on here for ages so I thought I'd put a few snippets up. The campaign is due to start in a couple of months so I need to start thinking about adventures!

Religion & Festivals

The Gods of Batiara include:
• Anwyn (hearth, home, housewives, small folk, peasants) Good
• Aymara (love, music, passion, romance, the arts) Good
• Bahamut (justice, protection, nobility, honor) Lawful Good
• Darmon (travellers, tricksters, rogues, joy, trade, merchants) Unaligned
• Korak (the forge, skill, artisans) Good
• Mormekar (death, rebirth) Unaligned
• Pelor (sun, summer, agriculture, harvest) Good
• Shalimyr (water, sailors, fishermen) Unaligned
• Terak (war, valor, struggle, battle, soldiers) Unaligned
• Thellyne (woodcraft, nature, the hunt) Good
• Tinel (knowledge, magic, secrets, truth, science) Unaligned
• Asmodeus (tyranny, domination, patron of devils) Evil

Of these, Pelor is the dominant god, but Bahamut is worshipped widely among knights and nobles in the Imperial Quarter.

The eight Great Gods of Akhran are:
• Hajama, God of bravery
• Hakiyah, God of honesty
• Haku, God of freedom
• Jisan, Goddess of bounty
• Kor, God of wisdom
• Najm, God of courage
• Selan, Goddess of beauty
• Zann, God of knowledge

The Gods of Sahasra include:
• Vishnu, the Preserver
• Surya, the Sun
• Mitra, Light of Blessings
• The Sapta Sindhu, the seven river gods
• Kali, the Black Mother

The Gods of Tiangao include:
• Diao Zu’en, God of loyalty
• Ying Weihan, God of war
• Niu Dahan, God of wealth
• Li Baibin, Goddess of magic
• Qishi, Protector of Temples


Festivals
The most popular annual festival is a huge celebration on the anniversary of Corandias XVI the Stubborn's successful Great Crusade, marked with the biggest of the year's chariot races

The Festival of Flowers takes place in Flotsam and is dedicated to the Sapta Sindhu

Calendar
Parsantium still uses the Batiaran calendar, with the years counted from the founding of Rhodias. The current year is 1745. The names of the months are:

Ianuarius
Februarius
Martius
Aprilis
Maius
Iunius
Quintilis
Sextilis
September
October
November
December

Cheers


Richard

[RichGreen]

I've posted some of this before, but this is what I'm putting in the campaign handout on the various PC races:

• The population of Parsantium is mostly human. Human characters are most likely to be Batiaran, Akhrani (Arabian), Sahasran (Indian) or Tiangaon (Chinese) in origin.

• Dwarves are found all over the city. Their homeland is a mountainous area several hundred miles to the west of Parsantium but they are found in many towns in the former Batiaran Empire. As well as being natural miners and smiths, dwarves mint coinage, operate banks, issue letters of credit, hold loans and collect debts.

• Halflings are common throughout the city, often arriving as part of a caravan and staying for a year or two before heading off again. They tend to live close to the city gates or the waterfront.

• Elves and eladrin are uncommon; those that do live in the city often make their homes in the leafy Garden Ward and the park district of the Grand Ward. The Feyshore Forest to the east of Parsantium is home to both races.

• Half-elves are more numerous than elves; they favour the busy streets of the Jewel and Caravans Wards and the Mercantile Quarter, but can be found anywhere where the different races and cultures mingle and network with each other.

• The dragonborn and the tieflings originate in southern lands, far from Parsantium, where their two ancient empires clashed and ultimately fell into ruin. Many Dragonborn belong to the Moonscale clan which has its clan hall in the Emerald Ward. Some are paladins and wizards but many more are jewellers. Tieflings tend to be found in the Old Quarter living in homes that once belonged to Akhrani or Sahasran citizens. Many are merchants; few are trusted.

• Parantium’s half-orcs are part of the city’s underclass but have formed their own community and are trying their hardest to become accepted by the rest of the city. Unlike their warlike orcish ancestors, they are typically honest, clean-living, hard-working and peaceful.
Half-orcs perform manual labour and do the "unclean" jobs that the Sahasran poor can't do.

• Gnolls are the other half of the city's underclass but this race stays more true to its savage heritage. Gnolls often find employment as hired enforcers, bodyguards and bouncers and sometimes become involved in crime.

• The few genasi in Parsantium originate in the deserts and mountains of the Caliphate of Akhran. Firesoul genasi are the most prevalent.

[RichGreen]

Hi,

The next thing I think I need to do some work on are the Platinum Knights of Bahamut.

This organization helped Corandias XVI the Stubborn recapture Parsantium from a hobgoblin "king" in the Great Crusade 100 years ago. Some of its members are dragonborn; many are paladins.

Its headquarters is on an island in the Corsair's Sea but it has a chapterhouse in the Grand Ward in the Imperial Quarter. I like the idea that either the whole island where the HQ is is floating or that the order is based in a floating fortress hovering above the island. The head of the order (needs a name and a title) has a gold or silver dragon as a companion and mount. There may be trouble between the Platinum Knights and other order of ex-crusaders who have fallen on hard times and taken to harassing Akhrani shipping.

What else? Some suggestions would be great!

Cheers


Richard

[RichGreen]

Hi,

After our current DM told us he wasn't going to be available for the next few weeks, it looks like I'm going to start running Parsantium from next Monday.

I'll post updates here but I'm kicking off with the rat problem at the Black Dolphin's Wake and then moving on to investigating Ashna's murder.

PCs mooted so far include an elf ranger, a human cleric from Tiangao, a stormsoul genasi wizard and a watersoul/firesoul genasi swordmage.


Cheers


Richard

[RichGreen]

The first session is tomorrow night!

Here's the background of El'em, stormsoul genasi wizard:

-------------------------------------
Below is a brief version of my characters background which should do for now. Re the NPCs, we could have encountered Mangesh when we entered the town and he gave us directions to the boathouse where we are staying. He used the opportunity to complain about the mischief being done on this boat and we promised to come back and help.

We probably pumped Pennyweather with questions when we first arrived mistaking him for a bard, (or perhaps he is!). During tomorrows session Ell'em will be looking to hire a local urchin both as a guide around the city and to run errands. He will also have some poster made up and placed around the area advertising his magical services to 'Fix any object at a fraction of its price in just a few hours' Basically I'm going to use the 'Make Whole' ritual to fix things. Hopefully earning a bit of living cash and as a way of making new contacts in the city.

Background
Brought up in the town of Siwal, City of Gardens El’em was known as an impetuous trouble maker who often tested his parent’s limited patience. In order to try and channel his energies and learn some self discipline they hired a mage to tutor their son in magic.

This had some success in keeping him occupied but caused even greater problems when his temper flared since he now had magic at his fingertips.

A few months ago a sacred book of rituals was stolen from the Mosque of Zann. El’em’s tutor offered his apprentices services to track down the book and as a final ‘test’ of his skills. El’em leapt at the chance to prove himself and to the great relief of his family, his tutor, and the general population of Siwal, left of his first adventure!

El’em expected his first adventure to be wrapped up in a few days, before moving on to something more worthy and exciting. But tracking the book has proved difficult and he is having his develop self control, patience and diplomacy in order to find leads as to its whereabouts. But his still tempestuous and abrasive nature has got him in a few scrapes and was during one of these that the Swordmage (????) came to his aid. Since then they have struck up a friendship and have joined forces to track the book.

Goals
As is typical of Genasi, El’em has great ambitions and a great impatience to achieve them. Quite simply he aims to become the greatest Genasi wizard that has ever lived!

Personality
Like many of his Stormsoul bretheren, El’em is inclined to great rages that often end in violence. He often struggles against his nature but secretly revels in unleashing power and destruction.

Neither good, nor evil, El’em is so focussed on his own ambitions that he often fails to see the consequences of his actions, or chooses not to.

El’em has little respect for nobility since in Genasi culture a person is judged solely on their own achievements, not those of their ancestors. He acknowledges law and order as a necessary evil but is loathed to have control exerted over him. He is by nature rebellious and will contest the status quo.

Appearance
El’em is naturally proud of his Szuldar, (birth patterns) and wears clothing that exposes these. As is normal for a Stormsoul he has purple skin and his Szuldar glow with an electrical brightness.

Since travelling along the coast of the Corsairs Sea he has developed a strong affinity for the sea and its stormy and unpredictable nature. He senses this taps into basic inner urge, perhaps the first signs of another manifestation he will develop.

----------------------------------

Looking forward to it!


Richard

[Ebonyr]

You've got some great in depth information on your city here. Keep it going!

[RichGreen]

Here's what happened in the first ever Parsantium game on Monday night:

Cast of Characters

Gong Sun, male human cleric of Niu Dahan. Arrived in Parsantium from the deserts of western Tiangao, having lost touch with his mentor Wang Jin We. Wang has not been seen at the temple of Niu Dahan for several weeks.

El’em Terazz, male stormsoul genasi wizard. Arrived in the city from the Caliphate of Akhran with his watersoul swordmage companion, looking for a book of rituals stolen from the Mosque of Zann in Siwal, City of Gardens by a man with a tattoo of two crossed scimitars.

Ella, female elf ranger. Last survivor of a massacre of of woodwardens (clerics) and hallowed hunters (rangers) of the nature goddess Thellyne as they celebrated the Spring Equinox at a woodland shrine in the Feyshore Forest. She hunts the leader of the killers, a man named Heinsoo, who made off with a book of sacred prayers to the Golden Sister.

An as-yet nameless male halfling rogue and long-time Flotsam resident


6th Maius 1745

The PCs are drinking in the Fat Grouper, Flotsam’s inn, in the afternoon. El’em hires Ashna, an urchin, to be his guide for one silver solidus per day and gives her three gold bezants to take to a scribe to have posters made up advertising his services as a magical repairman. Ashna tells the PCs that a robed Sahasran is looking for a band of bold adventurers and will meet them at the Black Dolphin’s Wake that evening. The details of her story seem a bit vague.

The party also talk to Glyn Merryfield, the pub’s miserable halfling landlord, and Tew Pennyfeather, its resident musician (another halfling). They learn that the witch Jagadamba sells rituals and potions, and that the Black Dolphin’s Wake is infested with rats, but neither halfling can tell them much about tattoos with two crossed scimitars.

An hour before dusk, Girish and Shivji, Ashna’s friends, arrive in two rowboats to ferry the PCs to the dockside. There, a netmaker they know, Sethos, is being beaten up by a gang of enforcers from the Dockside Crew led by an oily-looking halfling named Cyrus. The PCs intervene, killing most of the thugs but Cyrus manages to escape. Sethos is very grateful and Riyad, the landlord of the Black Dolphin’s Wake, who has seen the whole thing, is also impressed. The PCs, he says, seem just like the type of bold adventurers he’s looking for.....

[RichGreen]

Originally Posted by Ebonyr

You've got some great in depth information on your city here. Keep it going!

Thanks! I'm glad you're enjoying reading this stuff!