Pathfinder 2E The Hel King Saga, a free Pathfinder 2e sandbox adventure

[Kadulu]

The Hel King Saga, a free Pathfinder 2e sandbox adventure

Hello everyone!

For the past few months now, I have been working on a homebrew adventure made for Pathfinder 2e. I wanted to create an adventure of my own, inspired by Kingmaker from Pathfinder 1st edition. This adventure is meant to be a three-chapter sandbox adventure in which the PCs are encouraged to become kings or queens of their very own kingdom.

But I wanted to set it apart from Kingmaker, so the setting is completely different. The adventure takes place in a land far in the north of Golarion, in the Rimethirst Mountains (very close to the Crown of the World). The climate is harsh and cold, but there is a valley surrounded by mountains where life can thrive: this land is called The Frozen Frontier.

Chapter 1 is focused on exploration and discovery, here is the synopsis for Chapter 1:


Enter The Frozen Frontier, a land engulfed by the cold winds from the Crown of the World, and search for an ancient artifact of legend!

In this first chapter, you will discover long forgotten secrets, dating back to antique civilizations that conquered the Frozen Frontier long ago. You will forge unbreakable bonds with the mighty Svens, a powerful people, once chosen by Torag himself. And you will find out that the wild might not be the greatest threat you will have to face in this land.

Your fate awaits: will you rise to greatness or fall into oblivion like so many before you? Endure, Explore and Prosper in an unforgiving oasis full of opportunities!


I have read Chapter 1 back and forth trying to polish everything, but I am sure I missed many things. English is not my mother tongue, so please be forgiving if you find any typos. Your help is welcome to correct or add anything I might have missed.

I have put a lot of efforts into designing every map and asset I have included in this PDF, but I am not a professional artist, far from it... It was in fact my first try at map building, using Gimp, or even trying to draw in general, I did my best^^

I hope you will enjoy it, please share your thoughts with me, I would be delighted to know someone has read it, or even played it!

Links:
The Hel King Saga - Chapter 1 The Frozen Frontier.
Chapter 1 - maps without legends.rar.


PS: To the best of my knowledge, this publication should be in adherence with all of the requirements found here: paizo.com - Community / Community Use. If anyone finds I have inadvertently gone against one of your intellectual rights, please let me know, and be sure this can only have happened by accident.

 

[Tonguez]

Nice work
Just did a first read through and at first glance its a nice adventure, there are a couple of missing ‘The’ (“it included THE northern half of what is now known as the Sarkosis Scar.”)
Also on page 11 The Adventure Begins you use the term PCs curriculum and I’m not entirely sure what you mean by it “He has looked for adventurers during these past few weeks and he has come across the PCs curriculum”

The adventure is nice, with a good set of core encounters to draw the PCs through, interesting side quests, and a nice ‘mystery’ to hook on to (although revealing the identity of the BBEG on the first page was disappointing to me ). As he/it isnt directly involved in this first adventure I think it would be more fun to leave the identity and nature of Xar’orath to chapter 2. Then this adventure can act as a stand alone adventure or the first chapter of the saga.

I wonder too about the decision to use Centaurs and Cyclopes in this adventure. Both of those featured in Kingmaker so I wonder if using other options would be appropriate, especially if the goal of differentiating your story from Kingmaker is important.

Oh and what is the significance of the term Hel in reference to the Hel King

 

[Kadulu]

Thank you for your feedback, I have already corrected the errors you have pointed out

I wanted the DMs to know about the BBEG as early as possible so they can prepare to introduce him. This is probably coming from my personal preference as a DM, when I run a premade adventure such as this one, I like to give small hints to the PCs about who the BBEG might be. Although they generally don't understand them
Now that you say it, I can understand that a DM reading this might feel a lack of suspense and surprise. But, during chapter 2 I want to talk a lot more about Xar'orath and his minion. What you can read in chapter 1 is what I would consider the basics of their plans for the DM to know where the adventure is going. Also, the players are not supposed to hear about Xar'orath during this entire chapter.

I completely forgot about the centaurs in Kingmaker, they were so unimportant when I DMed it that I blanked about that
To be perfectly honest, the cyclops and centaurs were the only creatures I could consider to live in a wild northern land such as the Frozen Frontier... I considered goblins and kobolds in place of the centaurs, but I feel like every adventure of Pathfinder and D&D start with these little morons. I also thought about Boggards, but climate was the problem, and when I tried to implement orcs, I couldn't find a plausible explanation for some creatures from the forest letting them settle where they currently are.
About the cyclops, I wanted an enemy that could have settled here long ago, this was the obvious choice for the level the PCs are supposed to be at the start of chapter 1. I don't think changing it now would be easy though, I have designed the entire dungeon thinking about giant humanoids. Furthermore, even if the PCs might think the cyclops will be their final enemy, they are wrong

I should probably add the translations of the main terms of this adventure:

Hel = Hell, the underworld
Skirra = Scare, Frighten, Terrify
Veikr = the weak, the vulnerable, the ones that need protection
Skil = the Skilled
Khief = Chief, leader, master
Konungr = King
Kjósa Iver = the Chosen Warrior