Adventure Path Three: You'd Do...

[JoeGKushner]

I'm going to call it a hunch, but I doubt we're going to see any reprints or revamps for the next AP. Maybe as a standalone adventure...but not as an AP. You're pretty much guaranteed 3 things: it'll require no more than the 3 core books to play and won't call on concepts from variant books; it'll be set in a setting generic enough to be used in any campaign world, but will likely use some Greyhawk base presumptions; the story will be original and only have small nods to past adventures and books.

I don't know about that. I agree in theory, but Shackled City, one of the NPCs, I think it's Cora, is a swashbuckler. I switched her to an Unfettered since I like that core class better and alreayd have a ritual warrior as a PC.

In addition, several of the monsters, dark creeper, and dark stalker, are from the Fiend Folio, and I'm sure that several others are as well and I'm just not remembering them.

It seems okay to use outside sources as long as you provide complete details of them in the book.

 

[diaglo]

Well, the Slave Lords made a late 2e appearance didn't they? Revenge of the Slave Lords or something when TSR/WoTC was doing their Return things? I know that White Plume Mountain, Slave Lords, and Tomb of Horrors all get updated. It's one of the reasons I figured that they'd want to stay away from them.

it was called Slavers iirc...

and the giants remake was Against the Giant: Liberation of Geoff

they did another one called The Scarlet Brotherhood in the latter 2edADnD days too but was pre 25th anniversary to bring back the monk and assassin classes.

 

[James Jacobs]

Adventure Path 3 will certainly use concepts, rules, and flavor from WotC books beyond the PHB, DMG, and MM, as have the previous two Adventure Paths.

We also won't be updating any of the older adventrues, although there's a good chance we'll be putting in some Easter Eggs into AP3, just as we have for Age of Worms.

 

[Byrons_Ghost]

I'd be happy with that too. Two paths full of "evil cult seeks to totally wreck world" is probably enough.

I definately agree with this. It seems like every module out there is about some dire threat from evil outsiders, undead, drow, or a combination of the three. D&D is starting to seem less like fantasy and more like a displaced "Buffy" clone.

Aside from the reason above, the main thing I didn't like about the Adventure Path stuff (or what I've seen of it) is the emphasis on dungeons. I know that's the focus of the magazine, but things really could use some mixing up. I bought 3 issues of Age of Worms, and each adventure was pretty much "wizard Arcanix sends you to investigate the Dungeon of Doom". Just not a whole lot that get me interested there.

Here's hoping the third path will be something different!

 

[Steel_Wind]

I definately agree with this. It seems like every module out there is about some dire threat from evil outsiders, undead, drow, or a combination of the three. D&D is starting to seem less like fantasy and more like a displaced "Buffy" clone.

Starting? When *hasn't* a D&D epic campaign been about that?

GDQ1-7 - Drow, Demonic Queen Lolth
DL1-14 - Dragons, Goddess returning from the Abyss
Rod of Seven Parts: Mishka and the Queen of Chaos

Seen in that continuum, SCAP and AoWorms is simply following a well trodden path.

Matters don't improve much when surveying the D&D fantasy literature on point either.

 

[Shade]

We also won't be updating any of the older adventrues, although there's a good chance we'll be putting in some Easter Eggs into AP3, just as we have for Age of Worms.

That's exactly what I was hoping for...I seem to have implied straight conversions or updates of old adventures. It's the Easter Eggs that make AP so much fun!

 

[James Jacobs]

Aside from the reason above, the main thing I didn't like about the Adventure Path stuff (or what I've seen of it) is the emphasis on dungeons. I know that's the focus of the magazine, but things really could use some mixing up. I bought 3 issues of Age of Worms, and each adventure was pretty much "wizard Arcanix sends you to investigate the Dungeon of Doom". Just not a whole lot that get me interested there.

I advise you to check out "The Prince of Redhand" and "Library of Last Resort" then; these two are certainly the "least dungeony" of the Age of Worms adventure path.

Chances of Adventure Path III moving "away from the dungeon" are actually quite good. We'll see how it pans out.

 

[Mouseferatu]

Chances of Adventure Path III moving "away from the dungeon" are actually quite good. We'll see how it pans out.

*cough, cough*

*subtly points James in the direction of my e-mail for when Paizo starts moving forward on this*

*looks around innocently*
















What?

 

[Byrons_Ghost]

Starting? When *hasn't* a D&D epic campaign been about that?

GDQ1-7 - Drow, Demonic Queen Lolth
DL1-14 - Dragons, Goddess returning from the Abyss
Rod of Seven Parts: Mishka and the Queen of Chaos

Seen in that continuum, SCAP and AoWorms is simply following a well trodden path.

Matters don't improve much when surveying the D&D fantasy literature on point either.

For the epic-style campaigns, yeah, I think you're pretty much right. Though GDQ didn't really start until 10th level, IIRC, and Dragonlance is a whole other ball of wax.

At any rate, there were lots of little 3 and 4 part series like the Slavers, or Saltmarsh, or Desert of Desolation, that didn't involve the stuff I'm talking about. Desert had extra-planar incursions and monsters, just not of the standard variety.

So, really, I guess my point is that there used to be more of this sort of thing about while now there doesn't seem to be as much. Modules such as Skarda's Mirror, Palace of the Silver Princess, Beyond the Crystal Cave, and the like all had a distinct, fantastic feel to them without flooding us with the Evil Armies from Beyond.(tm)

 

[Shane_Leahy]

What I would like to see as APIII would be a Fall of an Empire style campaign.

Players start on a frontier and the main empire is falling/leaving. So they are left to fend for themselves and their home. Very much what alot of King Arthur at the begining stories are like.

Fend off the hordes, search for items in old tombs to help out, contact other towns to ally with.