(Reposting this after the great data loss of 2016. Fortunately, since my session posts are so long, I spend time drafting them outside of the forums, so I have saved drafts of all the key posts in this thread.)
Introduction
I have a regular campaign group that meets every other week, and has been stable for years now. We just wrapped up (early August, 2016) one of the members of the group giving me a break as a game master, and completed the Council of Thieves Adventure Path. In a few more years, I plan a 20th year revival of a campaign that started this group together. In thinking of what I wanted to do right now, I went through a lot of the material I had on hand. I realized that despite having a subscription for War of the Burning Sky from the time the first adventure came out, and really enjoying the material, I had never run the campaign. As the Pathfinder adaptation was unlikely to come out very soon, I anticipate that the work to adapt the campaign would just become greater as time passed. In addition, the campaign I want to return to in a few more years is a more low fantasy, gritty feel that takes a very slow progression path. The War of the Burning Sky might present a very different style, with a grander scope and engaging a higher level of magic than I planned; at the same time it might let me evaluate some variant rules in play for flavor and impact. So, with that in mind, I have started my War of the Burning Sky Unchained campaign.
Goals for the campaign
First, as alluded above, I want to explore a variety of variant and custom house rules for the campaign to see how they play out and scale. I want to get a good run with that before I started the campaign revival, to both see if they produce the feel in campaign play I want and also to familiarize my players with them.
Second, I want to work with some of the new campaign management tools and techniques, to gain experience with them. I am using Realm Works from Lone Wolf Development. I am also looking at different ways to handle maps during game play and information reveals, including using poster print out for maps, hand outs of different styles, and props. Finally, while I have used background music for decades now, I want to try more carefully themed music and special effects, possible with the use of Syrinscape.
Summary of mechanics translations
I am converting the adventure set to use Pathfinder, but with a large list of variant rules for Pathfinder in play (see below). I have converted all of the starting bonus feats to be Campaign Traits.
I am also scaling up the encounters to deal with an "oversized" party of 6 players, but I am generally trying to do this by increasing the number of opponents by 50% rather than just increasing the CR of individual opponents.
Finally, I am planning on using a limited use of the Mythic rules in the game, but with Mythic progression tightly controlled, and with actual development of mythic powers out of the players hand. I have asked my players to be willing to let me control their mythic development, including mythic power choices.
Summary of rules variants in play
This will get a bit long, but I will hit just the highlights for now:
Summary of world adaptation
I am assigning the campaign as in a vaguely undefined location in the Golarion campaign world of Pathfinder. I am adapting to the deities, timelines, etc, but not dealing with the geography or existing countries, etc. I will work more on this as the campaign advances.
Party
The party has six players. To get a feel for the mechanics impact, I asked my players to make a mix of full spell casters, semi casters, and fully non-spell casting characters. Finally, I informed them that a bard in the party might prove very useful long term, thinking of how bardic music with Song of Forms could prove unusually important to the campaign. The results were:
Alex: Ceilthanus, an elf magus (bladebound)
Chris: Damier Westgard ("Dom") a human cleric of Desna
J.T.: Gath Finherum, a human fighter (Martial Master)
Kirk: Krombholz Berryman, a dwarf gunslinger (Bolt Ace)
Rick: Bosma Caladen, a human bard
Steven: Bromsby Tarken, a gnome sorcerer (Elemental Air bloodline)
Each of the players let me work with them a bit to give them ideas to fit with the campaign. For example, Chris let me steer his cleric to Desna, as I think that her connection and dominion over dreams will offer some interesting opportunities for role play. Rick took feedback for his bard and about the scope of war in the campaign, and is planning on developing toward a Battle Herald. Steven let me suggest bloodlines, and I plan to have the Elemental Air bloodline tie back to the Stromseeker Eagle and the myth of the Aquiline Heart.
Threads I have found useful to reference:
Posted originally
Reposted
Edit on 2016-10-24 Added link to Morrus post for War of the Burning Sky Campaign Guide
Edit on 2016-10-24 Added link to Arcaneshield's Altering the Setting/Story Heavily post
Edit on 2016-10-25 Added link to RangerWickett pronunciation tips.
Edit on 2016-11-02 Added link to Lylyandra's post on Lady Selena Dena; RangerWickett's expanded world background timeline
Edit on 2016-11-22 Added link to RangerWickett's reply talking about cultural inspirations for Latia, Morrus, etc.; Added the Myth of the Aquiline Heart
Edit on 2017-01-04 Added link to BillT's post for content of Torrax's Notebook; Add the Original Deities listing from RangerWickett
Edit on 2017-01-06 Added link to RangerWickett's other post on original pantheon, Renard's Inquisitor contact
Introduction
I have a regular campaign group that meets every other week, and has been stable for years now. We just wrapped up (early August, 2016) one of the members of the group giving me a break as a game master, and completed the Council of Thieves Adventure Path. In a few more years, I plan a 20th year revival of a campaign that started this group together. In thinking of what I wanted to do right now, I went through a lot of the material I had on hand. I realized that despite having a subscription for War of the Burning Sky from the time the first adventure came out, and really enjoying the material, I had never run the campaign. As the Pathfinder adaptation was unlikely to come out very soon, I anticipate that the work to adapt the campaign would just become greater as time passed. In addition, the campaign I want to return to in a few more years is a more low fantasy, gritty feel that takes a very slow progression path. The War of the Burning Sky might present a very different style, with a grander scope and engaging a higher level of magic than I planned; at the same time it might let me evaluate some variant rules in play for flavor and impact. So, with that in mind, I have started my War of the Burning Sky Unchained campaign.
Goals for the campaign
First, as alluded above, I want to explore a variety of variant and custom house rules for the campaign to see how they play out and scale. I want to get a good run with that before I started the campaign revival, to both see if they produce the feel in campaign play I want and also to familiarize my players with them.
Second, I want to work with some of the new campaign management tools and techniques, to gain experience with them. I am using Realm Works from Lone Wolf Development. I am also looking at different ways to handle maps during game play and information reveals, including using poster print out for maps, hand outs of different styles, and props. Finally, while I have used background music for decades now, I want to try more carefully themed music and special effects, possible with the use of Syrinscape.
Summary of mechanics translations
I am converting the adventure set to use Pathfinder, but with a large list of variant rules for Pathfinder in play (see below). I have converted all of the starting bonus feats to be Campaign Traits.
I am also scaling up the encounters to deal with an "oversized" party of 6 players, but I am generally trying to do this by increasing the number of opponents by 50% rather than just increasing the CR of individual opponents.
Finally, I am planning on using a limited use of the Mythic rules in the game, but with Mythic progression tightly controlled, and with actual development of mythic powers out of the players hand. I have asked my players to be willing to let me control their mythic development, including mythic power choices.
Summary of rules variants in play
This will get a bit long, but I will hit just the highlights for now:
- Armor as Damage Reduction (from Ultimate Combat)
- Wounds and Vitality System (from Ultimate Combat, but house rule modified)
- Divine casters are all Words of Power Caster (from Ultimate Magic, but house rule modified and for divine casters only)
- Background Skills (from Pathfinder Unchained)
- Revised Action Economy (from Pathfinder Unchained)
- Use 3d6 for skill checks (House Rule)
- Limit maximum spell level cast by attribute bonus (i.e. +2 bonus required for 2nd level spells, +5 bonus required for 5th level spells, etc) (House Rule)
- Psychological Maneuvers (from Ultimate Charisma)
Summary of world adaptation
I am assigning the campaign as in a vaguely undefined location in the Golarion campaign world of Pathfinder. I am adapting to the deities, timelines, etc, but not dealing with the geography or existing countries, etc. I will work more on this as the campaign advances.
Party
The party has six players. To get a feel for the mechanics impact, I asked my players to make a mix of full spell casters, semi casters, and fully non-spell casting characters. Finally, I informed them that a bard in the party might prove very useful long term, thinking of how bardic music with Song of Forms could prove unusually important to the campaign. The results were:
Alex: Ceilthanus, an elf magus (bladebound)
Chris: Damier Westgard ("Dom") a human cleric of Desna
J.T.: Gath Finherum, a human fighter (Martial Master)
Kirk: Krombholz Berryman, a dwarf gunslinger (Bolt Ace)
Rick: Bosma Caladen, a human bard
Steven: Bromsby Tarken, a gnome sorcerer (Elemental Air bloodline)
Each of the players let me work with them a bit to give them ideas to fit with the campaign. For example, Chris let me steer his cleric to Desna, as I think that her connection and dominion over dreams will offer some interesting opportunities for role play. Rick took feedback for his bard and about the scope of war in the campaign, and is planning on developing toward a Battle Herald. Steven let me suggest bloodlines, and I plan to have the Elemental Air bloodline tie back to the Stromseeker Eagle and the myth of the Aquiline Heart.
Threads I have found useful to reference:
- Morrus posted the draft for the War of the Burning Sky Campaign Guide for Pathfinder.
- Arcaneshield's Altering the Setting/Story Heavily, Need some Info because of RangerWickett's awesome background post.
- RangerWickett Giving Pronunciation tips for names
- Lylandra's post on Lady Selena Dena's character and motivations
- RangerWickett Expanded world background timeline
- RangerWickett's comments on the cultural inspirations for the pieces of the Ragesian Empire
- RangerWickett's expanded Myth of the Aquiline Heart (which is very good! from the Story Hour forum)
- BillT's content of Torrax's Notebook
- RangerWickett's listing of the original deities used in the setting
- RangerWickett's other posting on the original pantheon
- RangerWickett Confirming identity of Renard's Inquisitor contact
Posted originally
Reposted
Edit on 2016-10-24 Added link to Morrus post for War of the Burning Sky Campaign Guide
Edit on 2016-10-24 Added link to Arcaneshield's Altering the Setting/Story Heavily post
Edit on 2016-10-25 Added link to RangerWickett pronunciation tips.
Edit on 2016-11-02 Added link to Lylyandra's post on Lady Selena Dena; RangerWickett's expanded world background timeline
Edit on 2016-11-22 Added link to RangerWickett's reply talking about cultural inspirations for Latia, Morrus, etc.; Added the Myth of the Aquiline Heart
Edit on 2017-01-04 Added link to BillT's post for content of Torrax's Notebook; Add the Original Deities listing from RangerWickett
Edit on 2017-01-06 Added link to RangerWickett's other post on original pantheon, Renard's Inquisitor contact
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