Writing My First Adventure Path

[ahayford]

[MENTION=40398]Tequila Sunrise[/MENTION]
Interesting that you perceive writing your own AP to save time as compared to running a sandbox style game! Often I hear the reverse claim made.

For me, at least, I'm just frankly not that good at coming up with a compelling game on the fly. I personally enjoy running APs because they provide me with a good framework to build my game on. A relatively well developed plot line with interesting dungeons and characters (theoretically at least).

Once I have that foundation, I can branch off with things that interest me. Maybe I tweak a detail here or there to better ground the PC's to the world. Maybe add a character or modify an existing one slightly. For me, the AP eliminates a lot of the grunt World Building necessary for running a good a game. I know for some this is the fun part, but I just don't have the time to do it myself these days.

 

[Tequila Sunrise]

In short, get some playing and DMing experience with AP to help with the creation of your own, and try to get a feel for both the good and the bad. Get at least one adventure path that people don't speak so highly of, and be sure to experience it. Along with experiencing the good stuff of course.

That's an excellent suggestion, and I've considered converting one of the APs I have to my favored ruleset. (Age of Worms, Red Hand of Doom, or Savage Tide.) I figured as long as I'm converting things, I may as well add my own touches, and well...here I am. Maybe it'd be better to start in the shallow end though...

Interesting that you perceive writing your own AP to save time as compared to running a sandbox style game! Often I hear the reverse claim made.

I've heard that too, but I'm in ahayford's boat. I just don't do well without a plan.

I like your alien villains, not many adventure paths go there that I know of. I assume you'll be drawing on Cthulu mythos? Any chance of Spelljamming or will the "outer realms" be mostly inaccessible to the PCs?

Thanks! I'm actually not terribly impressed with Cthulu mythology -- I know, how heretical! -- so I'll be using my own take on D&D's "I will make you one of us" monsters. No plans for spelljamming currently, or visiting the Far Realm.

"As the history books tell it, there was once a great mage by the name of Karsus the Mad. Well, they didn't call him Mad 'til later...but I'm getting ahead of myself. Anyway, this Karsus was the genius of his time, and he worked out how to access a realm of infinite starry space. It wasn't long after Karsus had built a veritable arcane fortress in this realm that other mages and high-ups jumped on the band-wagon. Within a century, anyone who was anyone had extra-spatial holdings, and extra-spatial roads that could turn a year's trek through jungle and overseas into a day's march on a paved road."

"But something had been in the space that Karsus discovered, and it began to waken. Or maybe it took a while to notice the mortal insects building palaces and roads through its realm. In any case, Karsus went mad. The last page of his rotting journal says "The stars are watching me, and my nightmares, they liveth." That's a literal statement, by the way; the Mad Mage's nightmares soon attacked and converted those who remained in the starry realm. Thus were mind flayers, and beholders, and vampires and all those monsters made of living fear born."

"All learned sages agree: While demons want nothing more than to tear the world apart, and the devils wish to rule it, the far realm plots to swallow it."

(I like everything, no matter how weird, to have a place in my D&D.)

 

[the Jester]

The Savage Tide AP was really good for a non-railroady one, IMHO- the various adventures even have "If the pcs are bad guys" sidebars in them (or at least quite a few of 'em do)!

 

[Daztur]

2. What are your favorite/least favorite things about APs? What habits or things should I be sure to include or avoid?

More seriously, provide character creation guidelines so that instead of trying to squeeze traditional bloodthirsty merc into the plotline give the players information about the basic plot and have them create character around that.

 

[Quickleaf]

I believe Savage Tides falls into the category of limited options of which challenges to face (Narrative) but lots of options for "in which order" and "how" to face them (Sandbox). That's a nice balance, though doing it well requires quite a bit of planning in advance, much like writing a book.