ZEITGEIST Suggestions for things to improve, fix, or add for the ZEITGEIST Act One compilation?

[mdusty]

More explanation about the world itself. My group just started to play book one, we will be doing our second session next week. But already, I'm being bombarded by questions that I just really have to make up on the fly or just say 'I'll get back to you.' Things like what are the governments in each country like. I just guessed that Crysillier was a theocracy, Ber was an absolute monarchy, Risur was a meritocrial monarchy, Danor was an aristocracy, and Drakr was a technocracy. Of course that response led into a dozen other questions - ideologies, national colors/symbols, who's the most powerful person in each country, why aren't mages running the world, ect. I didn't know who the leaders of Drakr or Crysillier were, and I still owe my group that answer. I would really prefer it if those answers were revealed beforehand, like in the player's guide, not until a later Adventure when the group spends time in that country.
Also, the Clergy. For such a powerful and influential organization in this AP, there's amazingly very little description about them. I used the Pathfinder core deities and added Triegenes, but that got me a heck of a whole lot of questions about what was once Golarion specific stuff, how that translated into Zeitgiest. I have too much going to do that. And of course, I had two players interested in playing a cleric and a paladin, and they are both deep into Golarion lore, and just couldn't shake the Golarion specific stuff out of the pantheon, so they just went with a philosophical cleric that had nothing to do with the Clergy and ranger instead. And speaking of religion - I can't quite understand this Court thing. I get that it's some kind of Fey king or queen, I think. And that Risuiri are scared of it. There's been mention of named creatures from this Court sometimes called Archfey, sometimes called Titans, but are they gods? Demi-gods? Fey-gods? Just how powerful are they. What's the difference between an Archfey and a Titan? But I would like to see what exactly the Court is, who's in it, what their purpose is, and why should we care?
And to answer the 'Theme' question - I think a Clergy specific theme would be extremely beneficial. My cleric player noted a lack of that theme as well.
I guess, my biggest gripe with Zeitgiest isn't any of the adventure stuff. The adventure itself is amazing, books 1 - 5 so far....no complaints at all. It's the lack of information on the world itself that leaves me constantly scrambling for answers I don't have and have no reference to look up and I don't have time to sit and figure this out on my own....hence why I'm running a pre-published adventure that I pay $9.99 per book for. Theres some information about Srasama and Triegenes and the Yerasol Wars...kindof, but I feel like there's ALOT left out of each of those stories as well. And that's what I hope is really shored up in this compilation. Granted, we may be well into Book 5 by the time something like this comes out, but oh well.....

 

[gideonpepys]

I like the lack of answers of this type. I have less to remember and more that I can make up. I also understood the lack of clergy theme as an indication that clergy membership would not be a standard choice for an RHC constable. (It's a foreign religion, tolerated but regarded with some suspicion, in my campaign at least. A bit like Catholicism in non-Catholic European powers a few hundred years ago.)

From a purely selfish point of view, not sure I'd like canonical details to be added now that I'm midway through a campaign!

 

[vvZODvv]

Not to dismiss the Mdusty's call for information, but like gideonpepys, I like that the world was given treatment with a wide-angled lens. It allows me to make things up off the cuff that don't easily get contradicted later. However, too little info in a game setting and I will have trouble coming up with my own details. Zeitgeist has struck the perfect balance for me personally.

 

[jacktannery]

Not to dismiss the Mdusty's call for information, but like gideonpepys, I like that the world was given treatment with a wide-angled lens. It allows me to make things up off the cuff that don't easily get contradicted later. However, too little info in a game setting and I will have trouble coming up with my own details. Zeitgeist has struck the perfect balance for me personally.

I agree wholeheartedly. With world detail, there is no obvious correct amount or obvious finishing point: you can fill ten pages, or one page, or ten million pages. What I would find annoying is new world setting information coming out over time requiring lots of extra reading. What I love is a few clear pages in the player's guide, and then no more: it gives me a good base and allows me to make the rest up knowing I won't be affecting something crucial later on. In short - I feel Zeitgeist has struck the perfect balance.

 

[Tukka]

To attempt to answer Mdusty's questions about the Unseen Court/archfey/fey titans, I believe it goes something like this:

Fey titans are god-like creatures, roughly analogous to Golarion's Eldest or 4e's Primordials. Most of them are asleep thanks to King Kelland's victory and ongoing pacts with the Unseen Court. Most fey titans are not interested in the affairs of mortals or lesser fey. I'd think that few, if any fey titans involve themselves in the affairs of the Unseen Court, though the Unseen Court does somehow hold influence over them.

Archfey, as individuals, wield less raw power than fey titans. They are basically powerful fey royalty. Most of the ranking members of the Unseen Court would be archfey, although there may also be archfey that don't consider themselves part of the Unseen Court, and some of them may have their own rogue courts (this is mostly speculation). If the archfey are following 4e's model of archfey, they include Baba Yaga, the Unicorn Queen, the Prince of Frost and the Witch of Fates.

The internal politics of the Unseen Court are probably nearly impossible for outsiders to fathom. The Court represents feykind in negotiations with Risur and the few remaining fey enclaves in Lanjyr (the Vekeshis, perhaps other groups of elves, gnomes, etc.) Traditional Risuri both fear and revere the Unseen Court, the fey titans, and fey in general, and employ various superstitious practices to appease, ward off, or honor the fey, although as Risur industrializes and becomes more modern/cosmopolitan, these beliefs and practices are falling out of favor.

 

[Morrus]

My personal preference matches some above: not too much detail. If we want to one day write a full book campaign setting, that might be doable, but the player's guide should remain short and accessible,

 

[RangerWickett]

This is mostly correct.

To attempt to answer Mdusty's questions about the Unseen Court/archfey/fey titans, I believe it goes something like this:

Fey titans are god-like creatures, roughly analogous to Golarion's Eldest or 4e's Primordials. Most of them are asleep thanks to King Kelland's victory and ongoing pacts with the Unseen Court. Most fey titans are not interested in the affairs of mortals or lesser fey. I'd think that few, if any fey titans involve themselves in the affairs of the Unseen Court, though the Unseen Court does somehow hold influence over them.

The fey titans are basically giant supernatural creatures that hold sway over whole vast domains:

• She Who Writhes, a kraken that slumbers on the ocean floor. There are whole societies of merfey and far more alien aquatic life that tap her power to control the water ways. The archfey Beshela, for instance, ensures Risuri ships can travel safely in exchange for regular gifts of appeasement.
• Father of Thunder, a many-horned gazelle-like herd beast that fell asleep and has been coated in a grassy plain. Farmers make offerings to him for good weather, which are gathered by grigs and other field fey, who then herd the various wild animals that the Great Hunt will chase every 17 days.
• The Voice of Rot, a white serpent who controls swamps and dead animals. He is roused from his slumber in adventure three. He is not a nice person.
• Ash Wolf, a white-furred hunter who rests in a forest cave with his pack. He's said to awaken during great forest fires, so woodsmen are encouraged to gather brush and burn it before they go hunting.
• Granny Allswell, a corpulent gremlin who's snoozing somewhere in the mountains. Her gremlin offspring harass miners because they don't want the noise of digging to wake her. They likewise hate loud machinery and tend to break it if they can.

Each fey titan would be gargantuan at least, possibly larger. When active they possess vast power over their native landscape and the creatures therein.

Archfey, as individuals, wield less raw power than fey titans. They are basically powerful fey royalty. Most of the ranking members of the Unseen Court would be archfey, although there may also be archfey that don't consider themselves part of the Unseen Court, and some of them may have their own rogue courts (this is mostly speculation).

I use the term archfey to refer to any powerful fey who has his or her own domain. Beshela, for instance, is archfey of the sea (mentioned in adventure 1 as Duchess Ethelyn's buddy). But she's not part of the Unseen Court. The Court are like government officials, whereas non-Court archfey are like wealthy land-owners/corporate presidents/religious figures/etc. They all have power, and they interact, but the Court has power over all of them, in theory at least. It's just like politics in the real, except with more giving men donkey heads and tricking people into falling in love by sniffing poison flowers.

One unifying element of the Unseen Court is that they all

Spoiler

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If the archfey are following 4e's model of archfey, they include Baba Yaga, the Unicorn Queen, the Prince of Frost and the Witch of Fates.

I don't recall 4e's archfey, but I've modeled ours more on the creepy mofos in Guillermo del Toro's brain, like from Pan's Labyrinth or Hellboy II. The ones you mention are not in ZEITGEIST.

The internal politics of the Unseen Court are probably nearly impossible for outsiders to fathom. The Court represents feykind in negotiations with Risur

Correct.

and the few remaining fey enclaves in Lanjyr (the Vekeshis, perhaps other groups of elves, gnomes, etc.)

Not true. The Unseen Court is a distinctly Risuri phenomenon. Fey exist elsewhere, but nowhere with the same unified front. And in Elfaivar, the eladrin had long since conquered their corner of the Dreaming before they started marching on human lands. Nowadays there's just lots of ruins there, nothing that spans a long distance.

Traditional Risuri both fear and revere the Unseen Court, the fey titans, and fey in general, and employ various superstitious practices to appease, ward off, or honor the fey, although as Risur industrializes and becomes more modern/cosmopolitan, these beliefs and practices are falling out of favor.

Yup.

 

[skotothalamos]

Nevard's Visions (Dying Skyseer, page 61 sidebar) are formatted like read-aloud text, but switch from first-person to third-person halfway through.

 

[Bruize]

For additional themes, I think something centered around investigation and locating hard to find clues (like Sherlock Holmes determining someone has a bad back because of the imprints their shoes make) would be nice. Something akin to Eberron's Inquisitive from 3.5 would be a great fit.

I have to agree with some of the other suggestions too. A Policeman theme would be nice. An underworlder theme for folks who want ties to organized crime would be good too.

 

[RangerWickett]

But Bruize, all the PCs are supposed to be able to do that sort of stuff. Make a Perception check to notice something odd about the foot print. Make a Heal check to figure out what it means.